A Glittering Garland of Generalities

Now that the emotion of the Republican Convention has passed and the controversies about the quality of the speeches have begun to fade, I thought I'd go back to the transcripts of the five major speeches to see if this Party--which has made such a to-do about it "strong consistent leadership" in the fight against terror--has offered any glimpse of what George W. Bush might actually DO about the problem over the next four years, if he is elected.

All I could find were the following:

"We need a leader with the experience to make the tough decisions and the resolve to stick with them; a leader who will keep us moving forward even if it is easier to rest. And this President will not rest until America is stronger and safer still, and this hateful iniquity is vanquished."
–John McCain

"The changes necessary in the Middle East involve encouraging accountable, lawful governments that can be role models." –Rudy Guliani

"President Bush believes we have to fight today's war and be ready for tomorrow's challenges. President Bush is committed to providing the kind of forces it takes to root out terrorists, no matter what spider hole they may hide in or what rock they crawl under. George W. Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip." –Zell Miller

"Under President Bush we have put in place new policies and created new institutions to defend America, to stop terrorist violence at its source, and to help move the Middle East away from old hatreds and resentments and toward the lasting peace that only freedom can bring." –Dick Cheney

"As the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq seize the moment, their example will send a message of hope throughout a vital region. Palestinians will hear the message that democracy and reform are within their reach, and so is peace with our good friend Israel." –George W. Bush

There you have it. Absolutely nothing about the probability of a nuclear Iran, absolutely nothing about the straining burden of Iraq and Afghanistan on our armed forces and military readiness, absolutely nothing about the danger of being one bullet away from an inadvertent "regime change" in a nuclear Pakistan, absolutely nothing about the ten years we have to wait for the Russians to clean up their nuclear arms mess while being completely porous to terror themselves, absolutely nothing about the Saudi Arabian money and oil spigots, absolutely nothing sensible about the new Fortress Israel, and absolutely nothing about the incredible vulnerability of hundreds of juicy terrorist targets in the United States, which are all disasters waiting to happen.

But at least the glitter of the generalities makes a pretty bauble to decorate the delicate, swan-like, neck of the Faithful.