Robert Cox, The Examiner
Aug 15, 2006 4:00 AM
WASHINGTON - When I left New York last week for a family vacation in Southern California, Sen. Joe Lieberman had just lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut and was preparing for his first day as an independent candidate for higher office.
In his Tuesday night speech, Lieberman, both conceding defeat and launching a new campaign for the U.S. Senate, decried the “old politics of partisan polarization” and said, “I went into public service to find solutions, not to point fingers. To unite, not to divide.”
Lieberman went on to describe a political environment within his own party in that “Every disagreement is considered disloyal. And every opponent it is not just an opponent but is seen as evil.” He vowed to continue fighting for stronger national security and work with Democrats and Republicans to “build a better life for the people of Connecticut ... regardless of what the political consequences may be.” In staring into the abyss of an election loss, Lieberman may be on to something.
The following day on the other side of the country, I took my kids to the Shamu Show at SeaWorld San Diego, first stop on the 2006 Cox Family West Coast Summer Vacation Tour. Before the show began, August A. Busch IV, president of Anheuser-Busch, the company that owns SeaWorld, offered a video-taped salute to America’s heroes — a thanks to the men and women of the U.S. military and those of U.S. allies for defending freedom around the world.
I must have been refilling my bowl of chips during the most recent Super Bowl because I missed the ad where Anheuser-Busch announced that throughout 2006, members of the military and their families would be granted free entry at any one of Anheuser-Busch’s SeaWorld, Busch Gardens or Sesame Place parks.
As a New Yorker, where overt displays of patriotism are generally frowned upon, I was both a little uncomfortable with the video and curious as to the crowd’s reaction. I half expected to hear boos.
The show announcer then asked all those currently serving in the military to stand up. Hundreds of military families were in SeaWorld that day and during the 2 p.m. show, roughly 100 men and women, out of a crowd of more than 3,000, rose to their feet. The announcer then asked the crowd to show their appreciation and a long, loud and heartfelt applause followed.
Earlier that day, authorities in Britain announced they had broken up a planned terror attack aimed at blowing nine commercial aircraft out of the sky in a plot designed to kill thousands of people flying from England to the United States.
It was the whispered topic of discussion in the long lines queued up for SeaWorld’s most popular attractions. Looking out across Shamu Stadium at the families watching whales and their trainers do amazing tricks, it occurred to me that by planning an attack in August, the terrorists were clearly hoping to kill as many children as possible.
A few days later, as the Cox Family Tour moved north, we found ourselves at the Santa Monica Pier. As we looked north along the coast, we could see below us row upon row of white wooden crosses planted in the beach. Beside them was a row of a dozen coffin-sized boxes wrapped in American flags.
We watched from the pier above as the anti-war protestors, armed with clipboards approached beachgoers requesting their signature for what purpose I can only guess. Time and again, couples walking arm and arm, parents with families in tow and individuals strolling toward the surf, ignored them or waved them away. In the time we watched, we did not see a single person sign on to their cause.
This morning, at our not-so-swank hotel in the always-swanky Beverly Hills, a copy of the USA Today landed outside my room. I came across a letter to the editor from a man in British Columbia calling on Sen. Lieberman to withdraw from his Senate race so as not to divide the Democratic party and leave Ned Lamont a clear shot at his Senate seat. “Let’s hope Lieberman will see the error of running as an independent and allow a candidate who is against President Bush’s war to win,” he wrote.
I am not sure what it means when the largest daily newspaper in the United States, with “USA” in its name no less, needs to publish a letter from a Canadian calling on a sitting U.S. senator to deny Connecticut voters a say in who represents them in Congress.
But like I said, Lieberman may be on to something.
Robert Cox is a member of The Examiner’s Blog Board of Contributors, is president of the Media Bloggers Association and blogs at wordinedgewise.tv.
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