"It profits me but little that a vigilant authority always protects the tranquillity of my pleasures and constantly averts all dangers from my path, without my care or concern, if this same authority is the absolute master of my liberty and my life."

--Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

Friday, July 27, 2012

Krauthammer Gets It Wrong For Once

Charles Krauthammer is one of the Regular Guy's favorite thinkers and commentators on politics, but I think he's got it dead wrong when he describes Mitt Romney's mild criticism of the security planning at the London Olympics as "dumb and gratuitous."   To the contrary: Romney is one of perhaps half-a-dozen individuals in the world who have run an Olympics.   He is a certified expert on the subject.  Therefore, he cannot simply give a bland "everything's fine," rah-rah opinion.   Here's why:  there really are problems with the London Olympics security.   If he says that everything's fine and, God forbid, it turns out to be a fiasco or, worse, there's a terrorist attack, that bland opinion saying "everything's fine" will be hung around his neck.   And, more generally, even if there isn't a big debacle, there will undoubtedly be stories over the next few weeks about logistical snafus, traffic snarls, etc.   Does Romney really want to be associated with having declared the planning to be great?   He has sold himself as the competent manager candidate.   That would make him look like he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Romney said the exact right thing.   He was honest.   There are problems with the London Olympics.   Krauthammer this time got it wrong.

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