Re: Heartbreaking Interview on ABC

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyross.com>]

On 15 Sep 2001, at 22:15, Dan Billings wrote:

> Does your opinion change because of what a poll says?

My opinion of what the public thinks about something certainly will.
 
> I trust that members of Congress can tell what a majority of their
> constituents want.  A good politician with his or her finger in the wind
> beats the accuracy of any poll.

A good politician with his or her finger in the wind generally relies heavily 
on polling, even if it's counting the constituent mail.  But constituent 
mail generally is skewed towards people who disagree with you.
 
> In either case, we don't determine foreign policy by popular plebiscite.

You were the one who said that "nearly everyone" supports the 
President.
 
> It also seems like the Bush administration sees the issue as you do.
> (Doesn't that scare you?)  The President seems to be preparing the American
> people and our allies for a sustained, long-term effort against terrorism,
> not a short-term strike against one group.

I did see some signs of that on today's news shows, particularly in the 
Meet the Press interview with Dick Cheny.  But it also looks like there's 
going to be a hit against Afganistan, which will not further any long-term 
goals, but only make some people feel good temporarily.

It doesn't bother me at all to agree with the positions of the Bush 
Administration.  I agreed with the elder Bush on his pursuit of the Gulf 
War, and in doing so, I disagreed with most of my liberal friends and 
political allies.  But statements like "We're going to rid the world of evil-
doers" doesn't fill me with confidence.  Who does he think he is, 
Superman?


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 A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
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