A Symbol is Not a Cymbal
It’s an understandable confusion, as the Bush administration makes loud crashing sounds about the symbolism of their South American invasion. George invaded South and Central America like the Music Man—seventy-six trombones and seventy-six hundred riot police.
Symbolism was the flag under which his ship of state sailed and it must have been an eternally long, teeth-gnashing week for a prez, dearly missing his ranch and feather pillow. The shadow of Hugo Chavez fell over each and every wished-to-be-sunny occasion.
Every public sighting of the American president (and there were few of them unscripted) had the appearance of a venture outside Baghdad’s Green Zone—all helmeted police and military cordons. It must be irritating as hell that Hugo moves through the nations below our fenced-off border, not only with impunity, but struggling with a different kind of chaos, that of cheering citizens.
We chose not to cooperate with Fidel Castro a half century ago and the cost has been incalculable a…