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November 05, 2007

Hard headed idealism

"... everybody who values freedom, progressive thinking, innovation, has a stake in America. The country you may own. But not the idea." Some interesting points to dis/agree with and - miracle of miracles - a voice of reason, a reasonable voice, from the left: Bono. You heard me.

For example, he argues the the neoconservative strategy of providing a model of democracy and broad prosperity in the Middle East as an alternative to the al Qaeda death cult was always doomed to failure and the liberation of Iraq was always going to go the way of the British Army in Northern Ireland.*

But.

I want to be very, very clear, however: I understand and agree with the analysis of the problem. There is an imminent threat. It manifested itself on 9/11. It's real and grave. It is as serious a threat as Stalinism and National Socialism were. Let's not pretend it isn't.

I think people as reasoned as Tony Blair looked at the world and didn't want to be Neville Chamberlain, who came back from meeting with Hitler with a piece of paper saying "peace in our time," while Hitler was planning to cross the channel from France.

Mazel tov. He gets it.

* A closer parallel than his pessimism might allow, given that both places may finally be on the mend.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at November 5, 2007 07:01 AM

Comments

Ah. Not so stunned as we were led to believe.

So much the better.

Posted by: Chris Taylor [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 5, 2007 03:30 PM

He is the first person on the left I have seen acknowledge President Bush's plan to democratize the middle east. If people - other than the Kissinger "realists" - had said, "Look, this won't work. Let's do X (where X most probably means continuing to prop up "secular" dictatorships a la Hussein)" it would at least be an argument. Instead we have been treated to years of histrionics directed against the President that have become so depraved they constitute a positive evil.

There is some grim irony in considering a Clinton presidency would continue the Wilsonian Bush agenda almost to a fault at the very time many of us former neocons have decided nuking the area from orbit to be the better course of action.

(With apologies to Bill Ardolino for my pessimism. He knows better and would presumably argue for the better angels of our natures.)

Posted by: Ghost of a flea [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 5, 2007 03:38 PM