I got my 15 seconds of fame today when, much to my astonishment, an email I had sent to the Headline News branch of CNN was broadcast to viewers. They had been discussing the “debate” in the Senate over setting a date, or at least a process, for withdrawal from Iraq. The Republicans had used their favorite phrase for this horrifying prospect, “cutting and running.” As they do several times a day, the Headline News anchors asked viewers to send in comments about the issue. As I do several times a week, I sent them one:
“Cut and run” is a brilliantly crafted slogan designed to appeal to Americans’ sense of macho and short-circuit clear thinking or debate. How about saying, “Stop meddling” instead? Oh, right. That would lower oil company profits once Iraq’s oil is back in the market.
Twenty minutes later I was startled to see most of my email on the television screen, albeit with the first and second sentences reversed and the third one missing. Several million people, including folks in Washington DC, saw it along with me. So now let’s keep the meme rolling. Whenever, wherever, some apologist for the war drags out the “cut and run” slogan, let’s drag out the “stop meddling” one. Stop meddling in other nations’ governments. Stop meddling in other nations’ wars. Stop meddling in other nations’ business. Use this meme at Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, MoveOn.org, Talking Points Memo, and other liberal or libertarian forums. Suggest it to your Democratic Congresscritters as a useful buzzphrase (most won’t know the term “meme”).
Yes, given time, this meme could lead to isolationism, especially considering how many people can’t tell the difference between genuine foreign aid and meddling. But at this point, there are 200 other countries on this planet who would welcome some American isolationism…