Last Night at the Fair

Working the GOP booth at the Sauk County Fair last night, I was approached by a boy, maybe 15 years old, who told me he disapproved of the President’s policies.

“Which ones?” I asked.

“Iraq.” He replied.

“Oh,” I said. “What do you think he should have done differently?”

He went into some crap about how Saddam didn’t do anything, and how it was all about Bush’s dad. I rarely confront such ignorance head-on – if someone’s head is in the sand that deep, it’s just too much effort to pull it all the way back out. So I just tried to plant the seed, mentioned the bounties Saddam paid to the families of suicide bombers, the gas attacks on the Kurdish population, the Prison of Dissident Children, and sent him on his way.

Gave him a little American flag first, of course. Our booth has a flag etiquette theme this year.

Now, today, I read yet another excellent column by Victor Davis Hanson, which I wish I’d had last night to hand that kid. I hereby declare it to be today’s required reading.