Why Watch Lost When 30 Something is On?

I saw the “30 Something” working group on C-Span last night and was encouraged by their enthusiasm and oratory—but what I thought most impressive was their use of graphics. Here’s an example:


Not every American wants to listen to a speech, and the 30 Somethings understand that. Each of these posters makes an easy-to-read/understand point about the Bush administration and its policies. They’d be ideal for a Freeway Blogger-type campaign of bus kiosks, lampposts, and community bulletin boards.

Republican Rep. Ron Paul appeared after the 30 Somethings and gave a very impassioned speech entitled “Iran: The Next Neocon Target.” Here are a few highlights:

“The significant question we must ask ourselves is: What have we learned from three years in Iraq? With plans now being laid for regime change in Iran, it appears we have learned absolutely nothing. There still are plenty of administration officials who daily paint a rosy picture of the Iraq we have created. But I wonder: If the past three years were nothing more than a bad dream, and our nation suddenly awakened, how many would, for national security reasons, urge the same invasion? Would we instead give a gigantic sigh of relief that it was only a bad dream, that we need not relive the three-year nightmare of death, destruction, chaos and stupendous consumption of tax dollars. Conceivably we would still see oil prices under $30 a barrel, and most importantly, 20,000 severe U.S. causalities would not have occurred. My guess is that 99% of all Americans would be thankful it was only a bad dream, and would never support the invasion knowing what we know today.”

[. . .]

“We forget that the weapons we feared Saddam Hussein had were supplied to him by the U.S., and we refused to believe UN inspectors and the CIA that he no longer had them.

“Likewise, Iran received her first nuclear reactor from us. Now we’re hysterically wondering if someday she might decide to build a bomb in self interest.”

Wow—and this from a Texan, no less! C-Span rocks.