INDEFENSIVELY OFFENSIVE

We heard it in the Vietnam era, and we hear more now than ever and in an increasingly strident voice. It goes something like this: YOU PLAY OFFENSE, YOU DON’T PLAY DEFENSE and, of course, they’re talking about our invasion of Iraq, as a sports analogy but n o t as the quagmire of a war it is, and for the sad record, this conflict has already outlasted, time wise, our involvement in WWII. But they make a good point; do Mr. Romney and Mr. Giuliani, two who frequently talk in these terms, because really does anyone ever win in sports by playing any defense? Does a baseball team in the playoffs worry about their defense and pitching, and do the Red Sox really count on Josh Beckett, or does a basketball team concentrate on stopping the opposing teams best, as in blocking shots and, did Bill Russell really help the Celtics to championships? Right, or does a football team worry about a pass rush and great line backing in their Super Bowl runs, and was Lawrence Taylor really that valuable and why would a hockey team ever count on having a great goalie in their run at a Stanley Cup, and did the Canadiens really need Ken Dryden? No, they’d just worry about playing "offense" with no concern with what damage was inflicted against them by the opposition. Yes sir, only play offense said Mssrs. Giuliani and Romney, although as Vietnam eligible draftees, they had six (6) deferments between them, and that, to avoid serving in a war in which they professed to believe. See, they didn’t play offense either, they did what they wanted the American people to do, just play cheerleaders. They just talk the talk, offensively that is.