Et Tu Andrew?

The eloquent and esteemed Andrew Sullivan didn't like the setting of Bush's speech:

But I agree with Glenn Reynolds that the whole backdrop, including the fighter-pilot entrance, was - how do I put this politely? - hubristic. It's one thing to arrange a beautiful and moving photo-op to commemmorate an historic event, as Reagan did so masterfully at Normandy. It's another thing to mark the end of a liberation by addressing the military and the nation at the same time.

If I could paraphrase Marshall McLuhan for a moment, with regards to the staging, the medium was the message. The first thing I commented to my wife as Bush strode towards the podium was that the Commander-in-Chief was sending a signal to all those countries who would seek to harm the United States. Look at this piece of steel - it can go anywhere in the world. Look at these men - cheering spontaneously for their leader - they are ready to fight.

Osama Bin Laden believed that if you hit the Americans hard enough they would collapse and run away (he cited Somalia, cruise missile attacks, and high-altitude bombing in Bosnia as evidence that the U.S. could not deal with a high casualty rate). Twenty months later, the U.S. has driven out the Taliban, deposed Saddam Hussein, and put other countries, like Syria, on notice. Bush just underscored the point: screw with us and you're going to see this sailing off your coast.