As American troops and our allies prepare to write a new future for the people of Iraq and throughout the Middle East, who would you prefer to make the critical decisions? The White House lead by President Bush or the anti-war protesters led by a gaggle of Hollywood actors and singers?
From the moment he took office, President Bush was characterized as a dimwit by his critics. He has since confounded his critics, not the least of whom is Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle, who accused him of having failed “miserably” at diplomacy, thus bringing us into conflict with Iraq. Daschle, of course, managed to ignore Iraq’s years of ignoring UN resolutions and the UN Security Council’s spectacularly failed years of “inspections.”
Daschle and most of the Democrat candidates who have lined up against the President have been joined by a chorus of criticism from Hollywood. Let’s, for a moment, compare the intellectual credentials of those critics with those in the White House.
Martin Sheen, an actor who plays a President on television, was unable to pass the exam to attend the University of Dayton. Alex Baldwin, an actor, is a dropout from George Washington University and George Clooney, an actor, is another college dropout from the University of Kentucky. Larry Hagman, an actor, got through one year at Bard College before dropping out. Sean Penn, Mike Farrell, and Ed Asner, actors, managed to complete high school.
Michael Moore, a director and an author, dropped out of the University of Michigan in his first year there. He is famed for his leftist attacks on corporate America.
Among the actresses opposing the White House there’s Susan Sarandon who holds a degree in drama from Catholic University of America. Jessica Lange dropped out of college before completing her freshman year. Janeane Garofelo, is yet another college dropout who left to begin a career as a standup comedienne. Actresses who managed to get all the way through high school, but no further, include Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jennifer Anniston. Cher, a singer and actress, is a high school dropout.
Barbara Streisand, a leading contributor and self-appointed consultant to the Democrat Party, completed high school. Her profession is singing and acting.
These people who make their living pretending to be someone else have been on the forefront of vocal opposition to the war and to the President. They are the geniuses who think they know how to run this nation and deal with others.
Compare their credentials with President George W. Bush and his advisors. The President holds a Bachelors degree from Yale University and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He served as Governor of Texas for two terms. His Vice President, Dick Cheney, earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1965 and a Masters in 1966, both in the field of political science. He served in the House of Representatives, as chief of staff under President Ford, and as Secretary of Defense under Bush41. Both have experience in the private sector as well.
Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfield is a graduate of Princeton University, served as an aviator in the US Navy, and has a long record of holding public office with distinction. Tom Ridge, the new Secretary of Homeland Security, earned a scholarship to Harvard where he graduated with honors in 1967. He served in Vietnam with the US Army, earning a Bronze Star for valor. After the war he earned a law degree and later was first elected to Congress in 1982, winning six elections after that. He would become Governor of Pennsylvania.
Condoleezza Rice, the President’s National Security advisor, has an academic record that is so spectacular as to be intimidating. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in political science, Cum Laude, from the University of Denver in 1974, followed by a Master’s from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. While teaching at Stanford University, she was tapped to become its Chancellor. If I gave you the rest of her accomplishments, this commentary would become a book.
Now, given this comparison, who would you prefer, a bunch of high school and college dropouts or people who have devoted their lives to public service?
