Hightower Lowdown

Our nation’s supercilious scold and pious patriot, William Bennett, has climbed out of his hole and is seeking the spotlight once again.

William the Pure is now heading up a right-wing, corporate-funded front group he calls AVOT—Americans for Victory Over Terrorism. Bennett seems to believe that there are millions of Americans who don’t want victory over terrorism, and he has appointed himself to lead a crusade to root out any and all who dissent from a single syllable of Bush’s military, budgetary, economic, and homeland-surveillance policies.

In full-page newspaper ads, Bennett proclaims that we must “maintain our focus and support for this war” no matter where it goes, how long it lasts, or what it costs. He deems it unpatriotic to question the president, the Pentagon, and other federal authorities. Protest is verboten. He says (with no apparent ironic intent) AVOT will target Americans “who do not understand—or who are unwilling to defend—our fundamental principles.”

We’ll probably land on AVOT’s secret list of un-American agitators for saying this, but we think the American people have a firmer grasp on democratic principles than Bennett ever will. Thanks for your little lecture, Bill—now go away.