Ok, the "negotiate with terrorists" thing

As you may have heard, some Democratic leaders and bloggers are shocked--shocked!--that in a recent overseas speech, Bush commented

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along."

I have little to say about this. It's being taken, I think rightly, as a swipe at Obama. But I don't think it's worth getting our knickers all twisted in knots about it, because I think that's exactly what they want us to do.

I think Bush’s role in all this is to be a lightning rod, and distract attention away from McCain. They must know by now that nothing is going to inflate Bush's support again, so why not let him go out there and be Spiro Agnew to McCain's Richard Nixon?

So, instead, in the time-honored tradition of Democrats, I'm going to go after my own people.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Bush's remarks were "beneath the dignity of the office of the president and unworthy of our representation"

Nancy, in this white house, the office of the president has no dignity. And BTW, that's not even a political statement, merely an aesthetic judgement. Dignity is honor, high standing among others, good name, prestige, reputation, repute, respect.

President Bush doesn't have any of those things.

As Pelosi was speaking, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel issued a statement in which he said: "The tradition has always been that when a U.S. president is overseas, partisan politics stops at the water's edge. President Bush has now taken that principle and turned it on its head: for this White House, partisan politics now begins at the water's edge, no matter the seriousness and gravity of the occasion. Does the president have no shame?"

Why no, Rahm, no, he doesn't. Shame is disappointment in oneself, regret for one's actions. And Bush hasn't evidenced anything like it in eight years. Glad you two woke up in time for his last day of school.

PS: The idea that "America doesn't negotiate with terrorists" is stupid on its face. It was stupid during Iran/Contra, it was stupid as a Fox promotional slogan, and it's stupid now. We do negotiate with terrorists; have for years (and so, of course, has Jack Bauer).

We do. And we should.