Failures of Imagination
I just watched the replay of last night’s Jon Stewart monologue on General Petraeus —and it was typical Stewart: smug, half-informed, and chickenshit.
The anti-war Leftists and liberals have it in mind that the only thing that approximates ideological coherence for them is their opposition to the War for Iraq. But why do they believe that this opposition, in itself, is worth anything? The great majority of them don’t put any strategic or tactical or political thought into why any particular aspect of the war is wrong or right, so what is the point of their opposition? Simple: if they can take their hatred of George W. Bush —and wrap the ethical argument of pacifism for one and all around that— then they believe they are innoculated against charges of treason and of sympathy for the enemy. After all, they [support the troops] —except when they assist in those same men’s and women’s excoriations before the world as torturers, murderers, mercenaries, and all-around sadists. But, you know, dissent is patriotic and other garbage.
The headlines today are all about the Democrats’ rejection of the draw-down that Petraeus envisions. “Too little, too late” and that kind of mindless prattle. Could such criticism be any more transparently devoid of thought or any more obviously partisan in its motivation and logic? To say that the proposed number of troops in the draw-down is “too little” is to suggest that one knows of a better number. Well, the pacifist would say that the only number is the one that accounts for all, but what anti-war leaders are saying that? The nuts. Shitforbrains like Kucinich. Your average Leftist blogger. These mindless ninnies want us gone from Iraq yesterday. But that isn’t going to happen, is it? So, what number is the right number? What is the logical or strategic basis upon which to insist that a certain number of our troops be withdrawn —no matter what?
One’s personal pacifism isn’t the answer.
One’s partisan motivations shouldn’t be the answer, but what else could it be?
Enjoy the coming year, comrades. Your inexplicably insane and white guilt-ridden support of Barack Obama is bound to rend your party in half. Possibly into thirds. You’re closer to having some principles this time around, if only by accident, but now it’s going to cost you extra. A large number of you are destined to be forever associated with anti-Americanism. The failures of your imagination —Obama, the Clintons, the wretched buffoon Edwards, and maybe even the Gorebot itself— are now all in line to drag your hopes of Executive control down into the dust.
I savor the prospect.
