The enduring wisdom of Helen Thomas

[Stinky The Clown]

It was before the 2000 elections. Gore and Bush were the chosen ones. Sparkly and I were not yet members of the DU community (did it even exist before the 2000 cycle?).

Sparkly sent an e-mail to Helen. Helen is one of the best when it somes to replying to e-mail from strangers.

Sparkly's question to Helen escapes me right now, but Helen's reply is indelibly etched into my gray matter.

"These people need an enemy to win."

She wasn't talking about a political enemy. She was talking of something far greater. This was still the Clinton years. There was no war. Intead, there was boring peace and mindless prosperity. The Cold War was fading into an historical reference. Star Wars and Rogue States were the phrases being pumped into the nations IV drip.

Helen's e-mail reply had more to it. A preamble to that line I quoted above. But her essential point was the Republicans were bankrupt on principles and could only win one way.

"These people need an enemy to win."

Helen was right then and she's right today.

Thank God for the national treasure that is Helen Thomas.

[Sparkly]

1. Just a correction

It was when they first started making noises about Iraq, and then tried to deny that they'd ever even said "Iraq" (they had). She drilled Ari Fleischer on the point, so I wrote her to thank her for pressing them on it.

She did write back to say the American people need to know what their intentions are re: Iraq, and "These people need an enemy at all times."