History repeating

I was just glancing through a journal Jeffrey Veen wrote in 1991, whilst he was studying theatre in London. Almost exactly twelve years later, he could have lifted an entry straight from this week’s papers:

The U.S. declared war and attacked Iraq tonight. Bush will address the nation soon and we are all glued to the television. We saw video of Heathrow Airport where we are to fly out next week. There are troops guarding the terminals and tanks on the field. They are worrying about terrorism.

Different Bush, same story. And, no, America hasn’t launched its attack on Iraq yet but, despite laudable attempts to prevent ‘war’ by the French and Germans, it will happen sooner or later. I suppose that makes me a commie cheese-eating surrender monkey now? (It was funny when Bart Simpson^† said it, but in real life phrases like that are hateful and racist, designed to sully and to wound.)

^† All the papers are attributing this line to Bart, but in fact it was Groundskeeper Willy.