March 13, 2004
CAVEAT EMPEROR:
The Boston Fog Machine (DAVID BROOKS, 3/13/04, NY Times)
In a characteristic sentence, which admittedly sounds better in the original French, Kerry exclaimed: "We know from our largely unsuccessful attempts to enlist the cooperation of other nations, especially industrialized trading nations, in efforts to impose and enforce somewhat more ambitious standards on nations such as Iran, China, Burma and Syria, that the willingness of most other nations — including a number who are joined in the sanctions to isolate Iraq — is neither wide nor deep to join in imposing sanctions on a sovereign nation to spur it to `clean up its act' and comport its actions with accepted international norms."Can anyone say Churchillian?
Kerry has made clear that if he is elected president, the nation will never face a caveat shortage. He has established the foragainst method, which has enabled him to be foragainst the war in Iraq, foragainst the Patriot Act and foragainst No Child Left Behind. If you decide to vote for him this year, there would be a correctness in that judgment, but if you decide to vote for George Bush, that would also be correct.
Will America ever forgive the Democrats for nightly bringing this man into their living rooms for the next 8 months? Posted by Orrin Judd at March 13, 2004 6:40 AM
Make note that if you rewind the tape to 1992, some of American's greatest minds have yet to figure out if Clinton was for or against the 1st Gulf War. Of course Clinton had an advantage of not being in the Senate and having to participate in an actual vote.
People on both sides of the issue, feel that he was a supporter of their side.
I was going to suggest this article, but you beat me to it, Orrin.
Posted by: jd watson at March 13, 2004 12:47 PMOn further reflection, I believe I have finally understood Kerry's position. As an apparent adherent of Hegelian logic, he is maintaining that both the thesis and antithesis are to some extent true, and that he has managed to synthesize these apparently contrary positions, thus demonstrating his logical sophistication.
To naive, reactionary Aristotleans (like myself) this appears contradictory, but this is only a reflection of our logical ignorance.
Posted by: jd watson at March 13, 2004 3:31 PMSnipe at Clinton all you wish, but he has supported Bush on WMD and the need for regime change in Iraq.
The Brooks column is good. but Kerry can do this with out outside help. read the interview I posted below.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at March 13, 2004 4:04 PMjd: Its 'aye belieeve . . . and . . . aye belieeve' . . . otherwise you captured it perfectly.
I was (and am) worried about Mr. Brooks being touted as the in-house conservative at the NY Times, because I wonder whether he is either (past or present). However, 'in the original French' and 'the nation will never face a caveat' are, to use a word from my surfing youth, 'bitchin' . . . and I like 'foragainst' a lot too.
Posted by: Fred Jacobsen (San Fran) at March 14, 2004 2:08 AM