Glenden BrownLearning the Wrong Lessons from History
Like many people, I’m mad as hell at a Democratic Congress giving the Chimperor his blank check to blow shit up in Iraq. Kevin Drum provides the best analysis I’ve read.
. . . it depends on Democrats making a positive case for withdrawal. Not just that the war is unwinnable, or that it’s costing too many lives — both of which seem merely defeatist to a lot of people — but that America will be actively better off by getting out of Iraq. I admit that’s a tough case to make, since we liberals have been less than totally candid about acknowledging the almost certain chaos and bloodshed that will follow an American departure. With that in mind, Democrats likely fear that if we forced a withdrawal we’d spend all of 2008 on the defensive as Republicans insisted that Dems were to blame for the ongoing civil war in Iraq. The public, not having been prepared for this, might agree.
The other big lesson:
Bill Clinton won his showdown with Newt Gingrich not because of his bully pulpit, but because Gingrich wanted to make cuts in social programs that the public didn’t support. And in fact, that’s exactly what happened. Clinton’s position was the popular one in that battle, so Gingrich ended up getting the blame for shutting down the government.
Go read the whole thing.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I can state with absolute certainty that the liberals (liberal does not equate with Democrat - obviously) were entirely candid BEFORE this particular fubar, that there would most definitely be altogether too miuch blood and treasure flushed because the president and his henchmen wanted a war and thier lies were transparent enough, and the other players stupid and corrupt enough, for us to do anything but fear for the worst. Now we have it. This didn’t have to be and it’ll be a long time repairing (if ever). It looks more and more like the U.S. is a very warlike nation anymore. I smell big bucks, death, and a steady stream of over-priced petroleum products. P.U.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
President Teddy Roosevelt said, regarding foreign policy, “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Unfortunately Bush’s approach was to yell and hit somebody with a small stick, and now I don’t think other countries like or respect the USA very much.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Mrs. Bill Clinton and Barack “Osama” (Ted Kennedy’s word’s, not mine) Obama have pulled the wool over your eyes. What is especially cinical about this whole thing is the fact they only voted against the funding bill for Iraq because they knew it would pass regardless of their votes. Those who oppose the war, like many in this forum, have been sold out. Just like I have written before, the Democrats are playing you all as suckers. They have no intention of cutting off funds for the war. They just know that appeasing you people will keep you fat and happy all the way to the next election. Now you know how us conservatives feel about being sold out by phony Republicans.
May 26th, 2007 at 12:41 am
The inmates are running the aslum!
May 26th, 2007 at 2:21 am
Bill:
The freaks are running the circus.
May 26th, 2007 at 2:22 am
Speaking of Gingrich, I’m sure that I’ve never seen Diane Rehm of NPR so angry. Apparently, hypocrite in chief, Gingrich made arrangements to be on her show to talk about his latest war book, (he does love to write war books, yes he does), on May 14th. He got Diane to postpone the show one day and she complied. Then, on the 15th, just before he came on, somebody from his staff said he was “too tired” to do the entire show. Diane’s staff told them that it was unacceptable and he would have to do the whole hour.
At forty minutes into the program, Gringrich hung up. If you’ve ever listened to the Diane Rehm show, you know that this is by far the best part of the show. It’s when callers get to ask questions of the guests and they always ask the toughest ones, probably because they won’t lose their jobs as the hosts would.
Essentially, Gringrich hung up on the callers of America because he didn’t feel like taking real questions and making a fool out of himself.
Diane was so angry, she devoted the last segment of her Friday show to slamming this lying slug. If you load “News Roundup - Hour One” into “Realplayer”, you can hear Diane’s rare rampage just before the 46:00 mark.
May 26th, 2007 at 2:25 am
Newt Gingrich is a freak who hung up on the Diane Rehm show before regular people could ask him questions.
May 26th, 2007 at 5:09 am
I confess, as a little guy whose notion of crime is when someone steals my garden hose, maybe an occasional serial killer or something, it is hard for me to conceptualize or accept the High Crimes and Misdemeneanors that are characteristic of the cream at our top. Therefore it is humbling to come to find that you too, Ken, feel that you have been sold out as well. The ranks of the ’sold out’ are growing and one must assume, are really quite sizable. I’ll grant that of the 70 percent or so of the people polled who are dissatisfied with the directon our country is going, there are splits reflecting conrtary hopes. In any event, the cream represent a smaller number of us than anyone can conprehend!
Which brings me to the ‘consent of the governed’. What consent do these ‘master-minds’ really have? when every effort is made to further disenfranchize anyone who has continued to reflect rational passion about thier ideals, how do these little shits presume to have power of the purse, to wage war or anything else? Are we so hell bent on the perverse status quo, that we fear any difference will undo every development for our governance that is actually good? Jenni’s been supporting a split from the duopoly and I think she is on the right track.
Times a wastin’. What direction should our nation be taking? Start your debate motors. This needs to be settled post haste!
May 26th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Ken,
I give up, you convinced me. From now on, when I read about soldiers being slaughtered in Iraq, I am just going to allow myself to be overcome with that good ole mormon-style warm and fuzzy feeling, knowing that more soldiers just died for my freedom and to keep me from having to live in the world of fear that BushCo so continuously reminds us. In fact, I’m feeling really great right now as I reflect upon the 90+ deaths of US soldiers in this month alone - that’s 90+ warm and fuzzies all at once! Why didn’t I think of this before? It is such a release to be able to walk around now without a worry in the world knowing that US soldiers are so willing to die for me and that congress and the president are so equally willing to provide the means and transportation necessary for the slaughter to occur.
Thank you, Ken, for leading me from the bondage of critical thought to this new found free-the-mind kind of information processing. In fact, I’m going to head over to HuffPo right now and count how many more soldiers died today, for my freedom, so as to get that dose of the warm and fuzzy I now so much look forward to receiving on a daily basis. Gosh, dang, being ignorant and stupid is carefree and fun!
May 27th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Infiltration of progressive media complete…, capitulation at hand, democracy OVER*. see link.
Nothing more to say but, sold down the river by the those you called your own, though I never would . Wonder what will be next in the road to nowhere. The road to the scrapheap once on it, is a Superhighway.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/may2007/nati-m26.shtml
The Nation makes excuses for dem capitulation. The party of the people is so bushs’ bitch.
May 27th, 2007 at 9:12 am
The dems remind me of the NY Giants, or the Red Sox, talented perennial losers, with enough success to keep a fan base, and really good rah rah, when the season is on.
Great cultures and nations, in the analysis of history, are fledged, grow. achieve maturity and then…perish, the best parts get adopted by whatever people thinks they had a point or some good virtues.
Others are destroyed by enemies, pretty simple to imagine with wars and such being a primary focus of history.
Some great cultures commit suicide, as though the people disbelieved in their own success and the things that arrived the Nation to greatness. Old success ignored for some new ideology, that kills the country. The people insist on it until the nation flops. Or in total absence, they insist on nothing.
I am starting to believe we are the latter, a populace suffering from a form of national dementia, a “cultural alzheimers”, so to speak. I guess with recent dem capitulation, we will soon be termed to the “home”, and will need others to hold our hand, and clean up after our messes. So dems, expect not to be in charge of our lives, for the rest of our lives.
May 27th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Ken,
100+ dead so far this month. That’s another 10+ warm and fuzzies for you and me. Man, I gotta thank you again for bringing me over to your way of thinking. I had no idea how great it feels to know that folks in Iraq are gladdly dying (and actually dying) for our freedom (yours and mine) and to know that congress and the president are making the soldiers’ dreams come true by financing their tours and transportation to and from the zones, complete with cool flag-draped coffins.
Will your kids be signing up, soon, Ken? I’ll bet they cannot wait to go, coming from a patriotic household such as yours. Gosh, I’ll bet you and your neighbors must be busting at the seams trying to beat the rush to the recruiter’s office down there in Provo.
May 29th, 2007 at 10:55 am
I was in the library the other day when a dressed sailor recruiter had some 17 year old in his thrall. They were talking about sports and how much the young man could bench press.
This isn’t going to end anytime soon I fear. Talking about leaving and voting has apparently done ZERO! We are going exactly where we are headed, and in the end it will have been the democrats fault.
Why not? They can’t fight, and accept losing pretty gracfully, after doing their “best”.
Makes me feel warm all over.