[Peace-discuss] The message of wiki-leaks…

[John W.]

You know I'm not very smart, and sometimes have trouble following these
arcane threads.  Someone please remind me why Frank Rich's precise turns of
phrase are the most important thing that y'all have to talk and think
about.  Are you in danger of becoming complacent if ol' Frank finally admits
that the war in Afghanistan is "morally wrong" and not merely some manner
of mistake?

John

On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 11:49 AM, David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com> wrote:



>  Mort, it's not at all clear that *Rich *thinks we should get out.
> Although he is an editorial columnist, he says nothing throughout of his own
> views. The closest he comes is this: *As the president conducts his
> scheduled reappraisal of his war policy this December, a re-examination of
> 1971 might lead him to question his own certitude of what he is fond of
> calling “the long view.”
> *That's obtuse, and for a reason. And indeed the lessons of "1971" aren't
> at all clear, if one is serious about making even this argument re what
> "might lead" Obama. Neither the army nor the population is rebelling against
> the war, and the economic downturn that has accompanied it does not seem to
> be bothering the interests of capital, broadly speaking. In fact, it has
> benefitted them greatly--the economic world is very different than it was in
> 1971, and the resource stakes are much higher in the ME than in Southeast
> Asia.
>
> There is no certainty at all, as Rich suggests, that we are on the downside
> of this war. So his column is counsel for complacency.
>
> With you, it has seemed to work.
>
> DG
>
>  ------------------------------
> *From:* Morton K. Brussel <brussel at illinois.edu>
> *To:* David Green <davegreen84 at yahoo.com>
> *Cc:* C. G. Estabrook <galliher at illinois.edu>; Peace Discuss <
> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
> *Sent:* Mon, August 2, 2010 10:44:24 AM
>
> *Subject:* Re: [Peace-discuss] The message of wiki-leaks…
>
> Again, you beg the question with the statement below. It's clear that Rich
> thinks we should get out of Afghanistan. That's specific, and positive,
> despite all else. I also want the U.S. forces "out". That's the most
> important thing at the moment, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere.
>
> As for Carl, he can twist anything for his purposes, as with use of the
> word "quagmire" as an excuse for hiding criminality.
>
> It is one thing to say that you are not satisfied, or strongly dissatisfied
> with the positions and writings of someone like Rich, but I believe your
> twisting of what can be helpful in stopping the killing is perverse. Get off
> your ideological horse.
>
> --mkb
>
>  On Aug 2, 2010, at 8:57 AM, David Green wrote:
>
> On a broader level, everyone wants peace, albeit on their own terms.
>
>
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