re: The war on thought
Tom, if all you want is another partisan slapfest, I've already done that here on Flame.
The problem is that you started with the thesis: If there were a better way, George W. Bush would have already thought of it; therefore there is no better way; therefore anyone who suggests there might be a better way is lying and is simply motivated by partisan malevolance.
You continued the sentiment in the post above when you wrote "If you've got some real ideas, run them out. "We could do better than Bush has" is easy enough to say." in that patented supercilious tone of partisan disdain.
And if you are allergic to discussing alternatives to past actions, we aren't going to get very far. I think it's critical to think about what Gore might have done. Or Kerry. Or Clinton. Those are leaders of the Democratic Party.
No, it's pointless to discuss what they would have done, because such speculation necessarily exists in the context of partisan faith. You have to believe that your boy would have done the right thing because he's powered by Republican Righteousness, I'd believe the opposite, and who really cares? All we know really is what they actually did or didn't do. Saying that such speculation is necessary is just a device to ensure that the discussion remains mired in partisanship and can't go anywhere useful, and partisan oxes are safe from goring.
How about we return to the present and look to the future, and ask what we would do? Let the [feces]head politicians fight their own battles.
I've seen signs that suggest that the HabitableZone is smarter than Washington. I'd like to ask it the question, unimpeded by partisan noise, if you wouldn't mind terribly, Tom. I'd prefer it if you got over the partisan defensiveness so that you can contribute your fine intellect to the process, instead of just phoning-in ritual denunciations of Democrats that block further discussion.
If it seems like I'm focusing on you a lot, Tom, that's only because Gary was all too correct when he wrote "Tom is so good at doing this". You really are, you know, which means that we're destined to butt heads. Now that the moderation question is close to wrapping-up, I've been thinking about the other great problem at the HabitableZone: How to kick the place out of its comfortable but poisonous intellectual rut of too-well-practiced partisan bickering. I think you wield that weapon so well that you draw it automatically without noticing what you're doing. It's unfortunately just a statistical probability that I'll be calling you on it a lot. Fair warning.