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July 20, 2004

The Manchurian Columnist

In the Manchurian Candidate, Chinese Communists use anti-communist hysteria to run a communist sleeper for the presidency.

It's almost as if, say, conservatives were to infiltrate someone into the news media - someone who earns lots of respect in his career as, say an economist; then, he switches to the news media, where he works as a columnist.

Then, before long, he starts writing stuff like this column.

Eventually, he'd write something like this:

So let's imagine an update - not the remake with Denzel Washington, which I haven't seen, but my own version. This time the enemies would be Islamic fanatics, who install as their puppet president a demagogue who poses as the nation's defender against terrorist evildoers.

The Arabian candidate wouldn't openly help terrorists. Instead, he would serve their cause while pretending to be their enemy.

Or this:
Meanwhile, he would lead America into a war against a country that posed no imminent threat. He would insinuate, without saying anything literally false, that it was somehow responsible for the terrorist attack. This unnecessary war would alienate our allies and tie down a large part of our military. At the same time, the Arabian candidate would neglect the pursuit of those who attacked us, and do nothing about regimes that really shelter anti-American terrorists and really are building nuclear weapons.
Or even...:
Who knows? The Arabian candidate might even be able to deprive America of the moral high ground, no mean trick when our enemies are mass murderers, by creating a climate in which U.S. guards torture, humiliate and starve prisoners, most of them innocent or guilty of only petty crimes.

At home, the Arabian candidate would leave the nation vulnerable, doing almost nothing to secure ports, chemical plants and other potential targets. He would stonewall investigations into why the initial terrorist attack succeeded.

But no. If a conservative had been infiltrated into the media to wreck the credibility of a major newspaper, he could never get away with anything so irredeemably, verifiably stupid. People would twig to the ruse immediately.

Or would they? (DRAMATIC CHORD)

Posted by Mitch at July 20, 2004 07:49 AM | TrackBack
Comments

hey mitch, I know you're probably not looking for a redesign, but i played around with a banner for your site just for fun- send me an email and i'll send it over..

Posted by: pete at July 20, 2004 12:29 PM

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I do know that someone should send the men in white coats for the author of the NYT column. The man has gone over the edge..... again.

Posted by: RandMan at July 20, 2004 03:23 PM

If I were to stay on topic, then I'd guess that Pete must be the WebMaster Candidate.

That's what you get for not providing an email address, Mitch. Sidetracks.

Ahem. Yes, this talking point of the Left...that the Bush Doctrine makes America less safe and W is Terrorism's best friend. It is so tiresome. I've been hearing it since just about the time that the electricity grid was getting propped up in Iraq.
It's difficult to take seriously. I usually feel that even those who espouse it don't believe it. It's based upon an ignorance of the nature of war. Mostly, I feel it is put forward because it is difficult to disprove empirically and because it is calculated to outrage the neocons.
I have come to believe that it is a "last gasp" effort by the anti-war crowd. They've run out of ammunition for their tired and disproved arguments of the "quagmire" in Iraq...they turn to this one out of desperation.
Hey! Isn't that a Linda Ronstadt song?

Posted by: pinkmonkeybird at July 20, 2004 03:25 PM

sorry abou the sidetrack..:) (and again) here's that banner i worked up for your site just for fun..

http://members.sparedollar.com/landofloons/shotbanner1.jpg

Posted by: pete at July 20, 2004 04:43 PM

P.O.

Posted by: peep at July 20, 2004 08:14 PM

Pete.
I like your SITD banner. :)
I'm sure I'm not the first to think of this, but shouldn't a shot glass of Jameson Irish Whiskey be pictured in there somewhere?
Yeah, that's it. A shot glass on a bare table in a dark room, with a guy sitting in his underwear reading Laura Billings.
LOL. Hoo boy, am I ever in trouble now.

Posted by: pinkmonkeybird at July 20, 2004 11:26 PM

There's some Manchurian action going on over at MoreThings.com, but who is the Manchurian candidate?

Senator, why don't you pass the time by playing a game of solitaire? http://www.morethings.com/mp3/john_mccain.mp3

Posted by: Al Barger at July 21, 2004 04:52 AM
hi