Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive, spoke about war and politics in a speech Thursday night in the Holmes Student Center’s Lincoln Room.

The Progressive is a liberal monthly magazine that addresses domestic and international issues in an “outside-the-box” manner.

Rothschild first addressed what he described as a compromising position into which President George W. Bush’s actions have put Americans.

“Bush has dragged the U.S. on a leash of lies into the Iraq war,” Rothschild said.

Rothschild said Americans have been deceived by the Bush administration “gluing the beard of Osama onto Saddam” and pointing the finger at him.

There is an unusually high number of Americans who still think that Hussein was somehow responsible for what took place Sept. 11, 2001, Rothschild said.

“The Iraq war has made us less safe now more than before the war,” Rothschild said. He also bashed the president for his lack of reasoning for invasion.

“We’ve had 23 rationales for the war on Iraq,” Rothschild said, none of which justify the 1,030 American lives lost.

The sentiment was interrupted by an audience member who questioned Rothschild’s motives, calling his message “propaganda.”

Rothschild also discussed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s ineffective campaign and inability to take control of the presidential race.

Rothschild said Bush’s campaign is “the most slanderous, libelous campaign [he has] ever seen.” He then praised the Democrats and the Kerry campaign for asserting themselves this week and criticizing “smear-and-fear” tactics.

Rothschild closed his address by comparing Bush’s actions to those of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and labeling them all “messianic military.”

“Why should Bush and Osama be playing tug-of-war with God as the rope?” Rothschild said.