Book contents
Chapter 1 - The High Horse and the Low Road
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
Summary
Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones.
Donald RumsfeldI think we agree, the past is over.
George W BushThat George Herbert Walker Bush's little boy grew up to himself become president of the United States of America was the result of a peculiar sequence of corporate fundraising, campaign spectacle, votes received, technological failure and, finally, legal determination. Whether the final outcome was actually “democratic” was questioned at the time. This doubt was only compounded by the fact that, in the legal judgment that settled the Bush presidency, it was explicitly stated that the ruling applied in this case only, and established no legal precedent. But, in spite of the objections of Al Gore and his supporters, there was little evidence of either public antipathy or joy for the legal decision proclaiming Bush victor.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Violent Democracy , pp. 14 - 35Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004