That's not exactly what you said...

Reader comment on item: Muhammad Ali's "Beautiful Soul"

Submitted by John-Paul Pagano (United States), Dec 1, 2005 at 18:23

"I repeat: this is not someone suitable to be honored by the president of the United States."
-- Daniel Pipes

Mr. Pipes,

Well, that's not exactly what you said. You said that Bush's decision to honor Ali was "the nadir of his presidency". It does sound like Ali did some questionable, and even nasty things, but to submit that this award marks the lowest point of Bush's presidency -- with Katrina, with the mismanagement of the Iraq war -- requires a level of myopia that makes Trent Lott's comments about Strom Thurmond's 1948 presidential campaign seem visionary.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

Daniel Pipes replies:

These are two ways of expressing the same thing. Awarding Muhammad Ali with the Medal of Freedom was the single worst act of George W. Bush's presidency precisely because Ali is unworthy to be so honored.

As for the Iraq war, it is obviously far more consequential than this award, but I do not see it celebrating principles opposed to the president's own views, much less his party's or the country's. The Iraq war involves errors in tactics, not errors of principle.

DP