Deserve Victory
By Mitch Berg
William Kristol, in an article that notes the huge changes in…well, not so much the war, as the public’s media-driven perception of it, over the past month, sums up:
In terms of U.S. national interests–and in terms of its own political well-being–the Republican party faces a moment when, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, honor points the path of duty, and the right judgment of the facts reinforces the dictates of honor. General Petraeus will deliver the facts in September. If Republicans can keep their nerve under media and elite assault, then they will have the honor of following the path of both duty and the right judgment of the facts. I suspect all will come out well. Americans can sometimes be impatient and short-sighted. But when a choice is clearly presented, they tend to reject the path of defeat and dishonor.
Read the whole, vital thing.
August 6th, 2007 at 11:56 am
“I suspect all will come out well”
Of course, Bill Kristol has been saying this about Iraq since Day one.
August 6th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
And you, on the other hand, and been saying the opposite since Day One, too.
One of you is going to be closer to right than the other.
My money, oddly enough, is on Kristol.
August 6th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Well it is certainly odd. Supporters of the war have been continuously proved wrong, while opponents have repeated had their worst fears confirmed.
August 6th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Supporters of the war have been continuously proved wrong,
…according to terms of an argument framed by people with demonstrably no understanding of the question at hand.
while opponents have repeated had their worst fears confirmed.
As, indeed, we knew they would, one way or the other.
August 6th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Rick,
A couple of much larger posts on this issue will follow, most likely early next week (barring another bridge story – and I am keeping a weather eye on the Lafayette, I’ll confess…)
August 6th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Mitch:
“according to terms of an argument framed by people with demonstrably no understanding of the question at hand”
What in the world are you talking about?
“As, indeed, we knew they would, one way or the other.” No. The predications of a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Iraq could have come true. There could have been no insurgency. The U.S. military could have effectively defeated the insurgency. The insurgency could have been headed off short of a Civil War. In those cases, we would be the ones looking like idealogicaly driven lunatics. That is life, you make your best guess and live with the consequences.