A reasonable voice in the wilderness (Elko, specifically)

There is no doubt that torturing people is un-American. There is no doubt that unfettered eavesdropping on Americans by the executive branch is un-American.  There is no doubt that holding prisoners without due process is un-American.

These are the spear marks our attackers left, every bit as much a wound as the gaping hole in New York’s skyline. These were inflicted, not by suicide bombers, but by Fear – the opponent of Values and the "other" weapon in the terrorists’ arsenal.

That's Nevada Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Jack Carter, writing earlier this week in the Elko Daily Free Press.

The latest Zogby Interactive poll, published via the Wall Street Journal Thursday, had Republican Sen. John Ensign leading Carter 52 to 34. The results show a slightly bigger Ensign lead than in Zogby's October polling, which had Ensign at 48 and Carter at 35. Most interestingly, Zogby shows Ensign pulling away from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman -- 52 to 38 now, compared to a dead-heat 45 to 43 in October.

Goodman, just by virtue of being Goodman, probably had no place to go but down. And these latest poll results might just be a harsh enough glimpse of possible defeat to scuttle Goodman's flirtation with a Senate campaign once and for all. Conversely, because the Gleaner is nothing if not ground zero for idealistic optimism, we suspect Carter has no place to go but up.

How far up, of course, is the question. Conventional wisdom holds that Carter has no chance, and maybe he doesn't. Even apart from his newness to the state and its voters and the fact that he will be vastly outspent by the Ensign machine, it is, frankly, by no means clear that Carter possesses that characteristic long-considered a crucial asset for a challenger, the ability to light up a room.

But over the last several months, he has shown on more than one occasion a knack for thoughtful statements, calmly delivered. If a Nevada politician has said anything more sensible about the Bush administration's war on us than Carter's observations quoted above, we're damned if we know who it is. A Carter-Ensign race will definitely tighten up over time, and if all the planets align correctly, it could be a lot closer than expected. But sometimes -- and again, optimism running away as usual -- we sort of get the idea that the race might be more interesting than expected.

For the full text of Carter's opinion piece...

Jack Carter's opinion piece in the Elko Daily Free Press, 1-17-06

WAR FOR AMERICAN VALUES

The War on Terror is at its essence a War for American Values.

On 9/11, Osama Bin Laden and his cohorts struck at symbols of American strength – business through the World Trade Towers, military might at the Pentagon, and our government with the foiled attempt aimed at the Capitol Building.

But the true target of these attacks was the wellspring of our strength, the values upon which our Nation stands: individual freedom, the separation of power among the three branches of government, the rule of law, and the fierce pride these values arouse in all Americans who rise to defend them at every threat.

When Communism collapsed, Osama realized that American values spelled defeat for his brand of rigid, theistic, world order. Our rise to power reflects the strength of our way of life, and our success, like a powerful magnet, attracts every country in the world. His only hope of success was to strike with outrageous tactics and fanaticism at our core and hope that we flinched.

In a recent speech to the Heritage Foundation, Vice President Cheney defended the legality of an eavesdropping program that ignores Congress and bypasses judicial oversight and said, "Either we are serious about fighting this war or we are not."

But being "serious about fighting this war" means more than launching a counter-attack at these immoral villains and destroying them. We must recognize that their real target is not just our people, but the ideas and values upon which we stand.

Military theorists know that winning requires both a solid attack and a sober defense. Without the attack, Osama can regroup, lie in wait, and pick his time. Without the defense, we expose our core to a corrosive rot which may forfeit the war while we win the battle.

There is no doubt that torturing people is un-American. There is no doubt that unfettered eavesdropping on Americans by the executive branch is un-American.  There is no doubt that holding prisoners without due process is un-American.

These are the spear marks our attackers left, every bit as much a wound as the gaping hole in New York’s skyline. These were inflicted, not by suicide bombers, but by Fear – the opponent of Values and the "other" weapon in the terrorists’ arsenal.

We must defend our families and our values as fiercely as we attack our enemies. Our government must fight Terrorists, but our Values must battle Terror. These principles define us. They make us American more than geography ever did.

This administration does not appear to understand that being "serious about fighting this war" requires us to defend our values. Defense of our values is not a sign of weakness, it’s the foundation from which we launch our attack.

Comments

[John Paul]

Why do words like these get put at the bottom of the pile? This man has wisdom oozing from his pores and where is the air time?