printIf I’ve learned anything about the American Mind it is this: Truth doesn’t exist until someone in the establishment pronounces it, usually a decade or so after it has been in circulation. Better Late than never, you say. Fine, then. Let’s fawn over the celebrated Ann Coulter for finally clashing with neoconservative Bill Kristol. The first part of the Coulter column, however, would make Bill proud. This section is redeemable:
“Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney have demanded that Steele resign as head of the RNC for saying Afghanistan is now Obama’s war – and a badly thought-out one at that. (Didn’t liberals warn us that neoconservatives want permanent war?)
I thought the irreducible requirements of Republicanism were being for life, small government and a strong national defense, but I guess permanent war is on the platter now, too.
Of course, if Kristol is writing the rules for being a Republican, we’re all going to have to get on board for amnesty and a ‘National Greatness Project,’ too – other Kristol ideas for the Republican Party. Also, John McCain. Kristol was an early backer of McCain for president – and look how great that turned out!
Inasmuch as demanding resignations is another new Republican position, here’s mine: Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney must resign immediately.”
[snip]
I wrote “A War He Can Call His Own” two years ago, but who’s counting? Truth doesn’t count; celebrity does. For what it’s worth (read the complete column):
“By promising to broaden the scope of operations in Afghanistan, Obama has found a ‘good’ war to make him look the part. By staking out Afghanistan as his preferred theater of war—and pledging an uptick in operations against the Taliban—Obama achieves two things: He can cleave to the Iraq policy that excited his base. While winding down one war, he can ratchet up another, thereby demonstrating his commander-in-chief credentials. …
But that initial mission mutated miraculously, and now we are doing in Afghanistan what we’re doing in Iraq: nation building. Nations building is Democrat for spreading democracy. Spreading democracy is Republican for nation building. These interchangeable concepts stand for an open-ended military presence with all the pitfalls that attach to Iraq. …”
UPDATED I (July 10): I’ve actually, mercifully, never read this Gerson sort. The class of commentators you all reference are the least obnoxious to me, because they have some facility with the English language, and can cobble together a vaguely coherent column. Hey, a neocon must make a living too. These pests have kids to feed.
No, it’s the tits-and-ass idiots that offend me. These are the barely literate females who get lucrative book deals for their here-today-gone-tomorrow epistolary vomit, purely because of a combination of ass-ets, pushy self-promotion (which might include heroic action over and above grinding out grating gerunds), and a knack for not threatening Big Cable Egos.
One of the bad things about the rise to fame of a cretin such as SE Cupp, or the deeply silly Margaret Hoover, for example, is that this program for fem affirmative action has made these dumb dodos believe that O’Reilly and Hannity have them on as side kicks because they are so smart.
The ditzes don’t get that they are on TV weighing in on weighty matters—having never uttered an original thought in their lives—because, however hard they try, they simply cannot make their hosts look bad. Impossible.
I do respect SE Cupp’s training as a professional ballet dancer. That requires incredible skill and dedication, a determination IT has applied to the craft of political circus animal. (Ballet dancer: that’s the one aspect of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel that I respect too. Ditto Kip Winger.)
How we got from trash to gold, I don’t know, but I’m glad my mind works in mysterious ways. Feast on this embodiment of American manhood. (The hard work that goes into learning to play as tightly as this and move like this is manly.)
UPDATE II: How could I forget this moron among the Fox News menagerie: Imogen Lloyd Webber is an imported liberal airhead who came up with this shopworn shibboleth on The Factor: “we must build bridges with Islam.” “I’m not particularly bright and I put myself under a lot of pressure to do well,” she said of herself. At least she possesses a modicum of self-knowledge, unlike her American bimbette competitors.
Ostensibly building nations when in reality they (Democrats) scorn the notion of nation and ostensibly spreading democracy when in reality they (Republicans) stupidly and enthusiastically enfranchise the undemocratic warrants a bit of easy reflection.
Ostensibilities aside, the reality is we are making the world over in our post Constitutional image.
God help us if Ann ever decides to write a history book about the “War on Terror.” As a libertarian that was extremely hard to read without grasping my monitor and launching it across the room. The battle for contemporary history has already commenced and the truth doesn’t matter if you’re a neocon.
Nice that there is some brain activity in Ann. Tony Blankley, George Will, and some other “conservative pundits” are coming around to the realization that turning Afghanistan into Switzerland is a giant crock. On the other hand, is some of this motivated by Anti-Obammunism rather than a serious examination of wars of convenience?? Will some of these right wing “pundits” examine why we still have large troop deployments in Italy, Japan, Korea, and Germany?
And the other farce is the lionization of Petraeus and celebrating the “surge” that turned Iraq into Norway. Some fresher air comes from Diana West:
http://www.dianawest.net/Home/tabid/36/EntryId/1457/Steeles-Trap-and-Petraeus-Human-Terrain.aspx
Sadly, by speaking TRUTH to power, you (Ilana) are not eligible for “mainstream” columnist fame unlike the consistently wrong Kristol, the consistently wrong Krugman, and the consistently vapid Brooks (no one can say absolutely nothing with as much style as Brooks of the Times). Using your brain and not towing the party line makes you dangerous.
Ilana – if your blood pressure can take it, here is a “CONSERVATIVE PUNDIT” to raise it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/08/AR2010070804274.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Myron could add “Michael Gerson” to his list of 9:06AM; but I don’t know which category, vapid or consistently wrong, either one fits. I never thought of Libertarians as examples of ‘cold eyed uncaring Dirty Harry’ types, Maybe I need to spend more time in front of the mirror, find out what I’m missing. Ann’s article was more cute than accurate but I think Ilana nailed it to the wall.
Myron asked, “Will some of these right wing “pundits” examine why we still have large troop deployments in Italy, Japan, Korea, and Germany?”
Pat Buchanan has advocated the dismantling of NATO and the return of US troops ever since the demise of the Warsaw Pact. Ditto for the troops in Japan and Korea.
Actually I’m getting more hopeful by the day. If vapid, air-headed, establishment idiots like Michael Gerson feel the need to diss libertarianism, it must actually have currency now within the mainstream. w00t
The RECIPE for a successful MAINSTREAM “conservative pundit” like Compassionate Conservative Empire-of-Evil Michael Gerson?
WEEK-1 column – write some mild mainstream rebuke of Obama saying how he certainly “means well” but must watch against veering too far to the extreme left and that he will need to control spending one day. This makes you an economic “conservative”.
WEEK-2 column – write blather about the utility of intact ghetto families or people should be kind to strangers or some other obvious subject. This makes you a cultural “conservative”.
WEEK-3 column – write something good about progress in some (interventionist) war and the need to stand united with our coalition “allies”. This makes you a national security “conservative”.
WEEK-4 column – Now that you are the Washington Post or New York Times (or whatever) designated “conservative” columnist, you can now spend 25% of the time completely trashing Palin, Paul (Rand or Ron), Armey, Bachmann, Arpaio etc. as “kooks”, “unrealistic”, “extremists”, “bigots” – You are, after all, a “respectable” “common-sense” conservative – not some uncaring nutcase.
Repeat ad tedium: Brooks, Parker, Douthat, Gerson and you are the designated “some of my friends are DECENT conservatives” Affirmative Action Poster Boy of the Establishment soirees.
Love the Winger video. Indeed, the guy can still rock.
Gerson doesn’t understand that more damage has been done by well meaning governments to society than any so called benefit. How is turning people into wards of the state helpful to anyone and why does Gerson assume that if the state didn’t do these things (like SS) that they would starve in the street? I think the state is only really good at killing people and blowing stuff up which is why defense is the state’s responsibility.