How About the Troops?

How About the Troops?

Bill Clinton never let us forget that it was all about him. Never has a president talked so openly about his legacy, about what he hoped historians would write about him. No president has ever tried to write his own history so much.

In many ways, Bill Clinton lived the cynicism that most reporter feel in Washington. And so, we should not be surprised by today's Washington Post lead editorial.

"AS POLITICAL theater goes, it was classic."

"...it was so beautifully timed, both to interrupt a Thanksgiving Day news lull and to kick off this winter's presidential campaign..."

"..many will dismiss it as nothing more than a clever television stunt, conceived and carried out by the president's media advisers. They may well be right."

"By appearing in person in Baghdad, President Bush has identified himself more deeply and personally with a costly military campaign from which he might have tried to keep his distance."

The Washington Post imagines that this was just a publicity stunt and not a sincere attempt to show respect for and extend thanks to our soldiers overseas. Judging by their reaction, our soldiers don't share the Post's cynicism.