1984

Now that the year made famous by George Orwell is nearly upon us, we can be thankful in this country that things are really not as bad as he said they would be. But we certainly should not be complacent. It seems to us that January 1, 1984 would be an appropriate time—as a way of showing our appreciation to Mr. Orwell for having warned us—to begin getting rid of at least some of the "doublespeak" that has crept into the Administration's discussions of Middle East issues.

For example:

Marines, naval gunners and bomber pilots who are dropping shells on troops of another country—and taking fire in return—are not "non-combatants."
A nation which for 35 years has opposed, and even defied and sabotaged, far more U.S. actions in the Middle East than it has approved of should not be called a "traditional ally."

That's just a couple for starters, of course. After all, how much can the Administration do in one day? Oh yes—one more thing. We hope the Administration doesn't think we are being "unhelpful." On the other hand, if they think that what we have said is nonsense, we wish they would just come right out and say it.