Charles Lane, recovered from his exhaustive work of exposing all of the fraudulent reporting accounts and brazen lies of Anakin Skywalker during his days at the New Republic, noted a few weeks ago that the war metaphor is pretty tiresome -- not to mention even more glaring during a time of actual wars.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of war.
The Democratic National Committee accuses the GOP of a "Republican War on Women," to go along with its "war on working families" (according to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee) and "Paul Ryan's war on seniors" (Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky).
Various Republicans accuse President Obama of waging "war on religious freedom" or even, in the words of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, "a war on religion." According to the Republican National Committee, the president is also waging "war on energy," the sequel, apparently, to what the House Republican Leadership has called "Democrats' war on American jobs."
Progressive author Chris Mooney called his book "The Republican War on Science"; not to be outdone, conservatives Grover Norquist and John R. Lott Jr. have published "Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth."
A Washington Times editorial warned Wisconsin taxpayers that "President Obama and the Democratic National Committee have declared war on you.""Doonesbury" cartoonist Garry Trudeau observes that "[Rick] Santorum, [Rush] Limbaugh, et al. thought this would be a good time to declare war on half the electorate."
And on and on and on -- until you could almost lose sight of the fact that not one of these institutions or individuals is describing a physical conflict in which people fight, bleed and die.
There are, of course, plenty of real wars raging around the world; in some of them,Americans are dying. But the folks back home, busy with their election-year quarrels, have little interest in discussing such matters.
The Democratic National Committee accuses the GOP of a "Republican War on Women," to go along with its "war on working families" (according to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee) and "Paul Ryan's war on seniors" (Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky).
Various Republicans accuse President Obama of waging "war on religious freedom" or even, in the words of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, "a war on religion." According to the Republican National Committee, the president is also waging "war on energy," the sequel, apparently, to what the House Republican Leadership has called "Democrats' war on American jobs."
Progressive author Chris Mooney called his book "The Republican War on Science"; not to be outdone, conservatives Grover Norquist and John R. Lott Jr. have published "Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth."
A Washington Times editorial warned Wisconsin taxpayers that "President Obama and the Democratic National Committee have declared war on you.""Doonesbury" cartoonist Garry Trudeau observes that "[Rick] Santorum, [Rush] Limbaugh, et al. thought this would be a good time to declare war on half the electorate."
And on and on and on -- until you could almost lose sight of the fact that not one of these institutions or individuals is describing a physical conflict in which people fight, bleed and die.
There are, of course, plenty of real wars raging around the world; in some of them,Americans are dying. But the folks back home, busy with their election-year quarrels, have little interest in discussing such matters.
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