The War in Iraq Is "Soft and Mushy"

The War in Iraq Is "Soft and Mushy"
by Bob Patterson | Sep 8 2007


For a pundit whose favorite metaphor is the six blind Hindus who were asked to describe an elephant, and whose favorite book title is the one for a cartoon collection, by S. Gross: “An Elephant Is Soft and Mushy;” writing a column, scheduled to appear on the weekend before the next anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, is a challenge because some of President Bush’s supporters think he is “kicking ass,” while his critics are divided into two opposing groups: those who think the President may suspend elections and those who think that Bush will be willing to divide his retirement time between overseeing the completion of the Bush Presidential Library and working with coloring books.

How difficult can it be to come up with a new, accurate, and apt metaphor for the Iraq War, for this week's Saturday column?

Did a cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine produce the best analogy for the Bush Administration’s legacy, about 50 years ago, when he drew a picture showing a man and a kid standing in front of a store festooned with “Going out of Business” signs with the dad saying: “Some day, son, all this will be yours!” Isn’t that going to be the tone of the Republican Tribute to the incumbent during next year’s Republican Convention? They are going to stage an elaborate tribute to the 43rd President, aren’t they?

“Reality” is the title of a surrealistic drawing done by M. C. Escher. Would it be appropriate to link readers to a photo that uses Lego® material to recreate the famous Escher image and intimate that the confusing and disorienting scene is a valid symbol for the public’s perception of the search for WMD’s in Iraq?

Pundits are searching for the "bump key" that will unlock the Gordian Knot that surrounds the cause for the Invasion of Iraq.

Is the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center a good time for the mainstream media (allegedly “Bush haters”) to run a feature story on who was responsible for security at the World Trade Center?

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