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Gifts for all occasions in the Galleria! Subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list. The "What is the Deal?" Deal-of-the-Week: Mrs. Fields Cookies April 18, 2004 What is the Deal with Criticism? By Jan A. Larson John Kerry is well on his way to earning the title "King of Criticism" for his incessant, droning criticism of President Bush. According to Kerry, the President has done everything wrong during his term in the White House. His economic policies are wrong. His energy policies are ill advised. His education policies are shortsighted. His healthcare policies are misguided. He doesn't know how to create jobs. Worse, he destroyed millions of jobs. The President's policies on combating terrorism were miscalculated. It was wrong to go into Iraq. He is doing everything wrong in Iraq now that we're there. He has no plan to get out of Iraq. He should have involved the United Nations. He should have built a multi-national coalition (I thought he did). He should do this. He shouldn't do that. Blah, blah, blah. Well, if all it took were to be a Monday morning quarterback to win an election, we had might as well call off the election all together and load the White House pantry with Heinz ketchup. It is inconceivable that a Yale and Harvard-educated individual, whether elected President or not, could be the total screw-up that Kerry claims. Think of the dumbest person you've ever known. Would that person stand a chance of being elected President of the United States? Well, George W. Bush was elected and yet John Kerry seems to think that GWB must be the dumbest person he's ever known. How does that reflect on those that voted for Bush? Kerry's goal, of course, is to convince enough voters that the President is a total screw-up so that the assumption is that while Kerry might screw up, he couldn't possibly screw up as bad as Bush. He must use this "lesser of two screw-ups" strategy because it is certainly not apparent that he would or could improve the economy, Iraq, education, healthcare, employment, etc. if he were behind center taking the snaps. Another reason, of course, that Kerry can never say anything positive about anything the President has done is that the President's campaign would certainly use that sound bite against him. It is perfectly fine to disagree with any President on one policy issue or another, but it seems to me that the negative message loses its effectiveness when it contains nothing but criticism. No one could be that bad, with the possible exception of the guy delivering the negative messages. There are numerous examples of Kerry waffling on policy positions. After all, he voted against the bill to provide funding to support the troops in Iraq right before he voted for it. However, you will not likely catch John Kerry waffling on the policies of President Bush. Whether you agree with those policies or not, John Kerry will tell you there were all wrong. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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