Why Do Many UMass Students Oppose Honoring Andrew Card? Why do 31% of readers responding to this poll in The Massachusetts Daily Collegian answer Yes to the question "Should the University of Massachusetts rescind its offer to give Andrew Card an honorary degree?" at its commencement in Amherst on May 26th? Why are hundreds marching to deliver a petition to that effect to Chancellor Lombardi's (empty) office?

The issue is summed up simply in this paragraph from Christine Morretti's May 7 article in the Collegian. After listing many of Andrew Card's accomplishments in and out of the current Administration, she states:

[...] much of Card's political history is mired in the Iraq war, and his association with the White House Iraq Group (acronym - WHIG, but I doubt the Whig party would approve of the Bush presidency at all).

Card was instrumental in the organization of WHIG, which was designed to sell fear and distrust to the American people, and sway our minds toward the war in Iraq. According to a 2002 CNN report, this group was used to push an "escalation of rhetoric about the danger that Iraq posed to the United States, including the introduction of the term 'mushroom cloud.'" Indeed, many people on this campus would have Card labeled a propagandist and a war criminal.

If more people knew about the actions of the White House Iraq Group -- if the New York Times had yet mentioned WHIG's existence and actions in its news pages (Click here to see that there is still nothing but Frank Rich columns about WHIG in the paper of record) -- wouldn't even more University of Massachusetts students (and other Americans) be against bestowing honors on one of the group's leaders?

Labels: Andrew Card, New York Times, University of Massachusetts, WHIG

  ¶ 5/16/2007 01:25:00 PM