There he goes again. In his statement on the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto from his Crawford, Texas ranch, President George W. Bush said that “the United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan’s democracy.”
I’m not sure whether the president intentionally or unintentionally uses English like it’s a second language but it’s not the first time he’s misused the word coward. Right after the 911 attacks, he called the terrorists cowards.
In both today’s murderous attack on Pakistan’s most popular politician and the 2001 horrendous attacks on the twin towers at World Trade Center and the Pentagon, “cowards” is hardly the best description.
Fanatics, of course. Kamikazes, yeah. True believers, most likely. Crazies, for sure. But cowards, no.
I can’t imagine a coward commandeering a jet plane into a New York skyscraper or wading into a crowd of political supporters before firing off a couple of rounds then blowing himself up. Warped, no question. Cowardice, don't be silly.
A coward is someone who freezes while reading to young children when he learns that there’s been an attack on the nation he leads, then flies around hither and yonder for hours before ordering Air Force One to land so that he can show that the decider’s in charge. A coward is someone who has benefited more than most from his nation’s freedom but uses his father’s connections to get a safe and cushy job as a national guard pilot while others, less fortunate and less connected, go to Vietnam to die. A coward is someone who’s afraid his legacy is going to highlight his incompetency so he pigheadedly refuses to bring the troops home, while hiding behind patriotic jingoism.
But I could be wrong. Pakistan is critical to our war on terror. Let’s see if Bush thinks enough of that country and a fallen member of its most powerful political family to show his respects.
Never mind. Lucky for President Bush, the incredibly courageous Bhutto's funeral service happened so quickly there was no way for him to display his courage by attending.
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