Sunday, August 14, 2005

Bobo and Constructive Arguments

I was watching a bit of the Chris Matthews show (ugh) and the panel was, of course, discussing Iraq. The consensus was that the war wasn't winnable and that the troops would be drawing down in the coming months. Then they started talking about the Democrats.

And David Brooks entered into one of the best examples of contradictory doublespeak I have ever seen. He praised Biden and Clinton (ya know, Hitlery) because of their "constructive arguments" regarding Iraq. What he meant was that Biden and Clinton are hawks, advocating an increase of troops in Iraq just as that is becoming increasingly unpopular and unlikely. Matthews sort of confronted him on it- how can Biden and Clinton be "constructive" when they are so far outside of reality? How exactly.

It was classic Washington insider nonsense. Everybody is turning on this war, but if, as a politician, you speak a word against it, the enforcers in Washington armchairs will brand you negative and faithless and weak.

This war was a direct result of phony tough talk, feeding more phony tough talk, until having reservations about the war meant you loved Saddam. Idiotic fake-toughness, especially among the Washington media mandarins, has consequences.

Also- who the hell is Julia Reed?

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