THE "SPECIAL INTERESTS" FIGHT BACK
Every time I see Halliburton ads on TV it warms my heart. I always distrusted the knee-jerk assumption of the left that Halliburton's receiving contracts was some form of corruption. Just because Dick Cheney worked there, that means... what? That he's on the take? That he's just trying to help his cronies out? Or are his cronies just trying to help him out? Isn't it possible that Cheney worked at Halliburton for the same reason he later wanted to give them contracts-- because he thinks they do good work? Why do we have to have this cesspool view of human nature, that people will be corrupt at every opportunity? I think the Halliburton ads will work, that the public will see the images and get the idea of Halliburton as a basically honest, public-spirited company. I certainly did. The great thing is that it's effectively advertising for President Bush-- by dispelling the low charges of muck-minded journalists-- yet it's on a private company's dollar, in defense of their own reputation, long before the main part of the campaigns gets underway. Vague, demagogic attacks on "special interests" seemed like an easy strategy for Kerry. Maybe it will backfire.