The Two Edge Sword.

Political discourse is much like swordplay. Some would say arguing is as well. However most practitioners of argument, especially many political duelists take the Blunderbuss approach. I believe in finesse. Normally I hate sport analogies but this works for me:

My next encounter is with a fencer I have never fought before. I have watched him as surely he has watch me, climbing the tables until we meet. As I noticed he is a left handed and has a strong parry disengage riposte. In fact he relies on it. Speed and mental toughness usually wins the game. However it is sometimes the ability to take away the greatest strength of your adversary that will decide victory.

We meet in the center of the piste. Normally, I'm an audacious fencer, but I want to appear hesitant, flat-footed. My attacks are off rhythm. My feints are obvious. Thus when I finally commit to strike the strong parry disengage riposte comes my way, just where I expected it. I receive, I hit, I score.

Evey good fencing bout is like a a conversation- with the final touch being an exclamation point.

There is a life lesson to be learned here. For the casual observer, things may look dire, but there is usually more to the game. Don't hastily criticize your senator or politician because you don't like how they appear to be fighting after a casual glance. Please by all means call them on their cowardice, yet don't pretend to understand their strategy.


Update: Normally I don't need to add a clarification to a post, but this time it is merited. This post was taken as a personal response to comments made on another blog - where I barged in made and some comments considered inflammatory. For background see comments here. In a nut shell, the post and subsequent comments stated that Boxer by bringing the Condi confirmation to the Senate floor was a waste of time. Of course I disagreed and maybe my manner was trollish, but at least I didn't break the furniture.

Born from that exchange was the post above. It was not meant as personal rebuttal to the other blogger but rather an attempt at using the boxing (Boxer) metaphor with fencing. Upon re-reading my post that is not clear; not as clear as I wished. So here is the addendum: The fencer is the mind of the politician. There is a challenge; an apparent attack with secondary consequence. Sometimes it is clear and sometimes it is a trap to make the opposition reveal their true intentions. Wheels within wheels.

I don't think my writing was clear (the bane of the novice) as the foot dragging scene was not clearly understood as the political device to make senators make a stand.

Now that the confirmation is over with 13 recorded dissent votes (much better that the 2 from the week before) the single voice has started to resonate. I am sick and tired of our elected officials that show "acquiesce mutely to the nomination of one of the most important members of the President's Cabinet."

I am still of the opinion that my Senator should represent me. In this case Barbara Boxer just did and I won't apologize for that.