December 29, 2003
WE COULD HAVE SENT FREDO INSTEAD OF LUCA BRAZZI:
Japan set to waive most of Iraq's debt, Koizumi tells U.S. (KANAKO TAKAHARA, Dec. 30, 2003, The Japan Times)
In a significant policy shift, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signaled Monday that Japan is prepared to waive a "vast majority" of Iraq's foreign debt. [...]Japan has been reluctant to waive the debt, most of which is in the form of trade insurance, because during a donors' meeting in October in Madrid, it pledged $5 billion in financial assistance to Iraq over a four-year period until the end of 2007.
Government sources also suggested that Iraq's ability to pay with oil revenues should be considered part of the discussion about whether its debt should be forgiven.
But Monday's decision by Koizumi reflects his readiness to keep in step with other countries. Earlier this month, major creditors nations, including Germany and France, agreed on debt reduction in what is viewed as a reconciliatory overture toward the United States following a deep rift over the invasion of Iraq.
With only a few days left in 2003, it seems safe to say that no essay will be written this year that's more wrong than this one was, although every other one they've written together since 9-11 has been equally mistaken. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 29, 2003 7:25 PM
May be is your definition of "essay"...but I am not sure your selection would even rank in the Top Ten (or Hundred?) of Andrew Sullivan's hit parade of awards. Of course, his winners are usually the Left's best wankers. If anything, a little spanking should make Mssrs Kristol and Kagan a bit more reticent to join in the chorus next time.
Posted by: MG at December 29, 2003 9:03 PMI don't know if it's because they have the same owner -- Rupert Murdoch -- and want to create the same type of Murdochian "buzz" to their magazine, but Kristol and Kagan's writing style reminds me of nothing more than the New York Post's sports section. Both share a certain manic-depressive style which regards any "win" as among the greatest victories in history and the prelude for ongoing glories, while "defeats" are scrutinized with such pessimistic gloom you fear the writers have probably taken their own lives out of sheer depression by the time their articles have hit the web page.
If both cases, their stories should be read while keeping in mind that irrational exhuberence and Bergmanesque moroseness quite often are only days apart, depending on what the hot news and the latest results of the moment are.
Posted by: John at December 29, 2003 10:24 PMI think Kristal is a great writer, and very talented on TV. His problem seems to be with George Bush in particular. His support for John McCain (don't get me started on McCain) was inexplicable at the time and I figured it was the way a New York media conservative was trying to ingratiate himself with the liberal media.
The subject of the Weekly Standard article you linked to does not offend me in its prediction as much as the implication of stupidity and incompetence of the Bush administration in general. Phrases such as "a more clever administration would" certainly seems like an attempt to convey more than strategy disagreement.
The idea that Bush is controlled by neo-conservatives is in contradiction to apparently Kristal's view. Kristal is one of the prime neo-conservatives isn't he.
Posted by: h-man at December 30, 2003 7:14 AMHold on there. Some of my favorite writers just happen to be sports writers!!
Posted by: Barry Meislin at December 30, 2003 9:12 AMI know you've treated us to regular Kritol/Kagan debunkings here (or, should I say, reality has treated us to it, and you've been kind enough to report). Maybe you could give us a year-end roundup of all those posts, just for fun? :)
Posted by: kevin whited at December 30, 2003 10:15 AMKevin! If you chart every time they accused Bush of wobbling and were wrong you'll be at it for a week. Then add this one where they wobbled and were wrong to top it off.
Here's a link to "kristol" in our archives:
http://www.brothersjudd.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=kristol
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