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Rhinocrisy

16 May, 2006

I give her a week

Tonight, Judith Miller, the New York Times reporter who did more than her share to stir up the Iraq war, emerged from Upper East Side seclusion to tap out a lengthy story for a medium that fits her proclivities: the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.

It surprised me. First, it had assertion after paragraph of information that lacked direct attribution. "Reportedly" is a word that some editors forbid.

Second, she didn't spend any ink defending herself.

Third, she suggested that neocons would have "sabotaged" diplomatic efforts to stop Libya's nuclear program. What happened to BFF? Or is she just publicly distancing herself from them?

And finally, the story. It explains for the first time how the U.S. convinced Libya's leaders to give up their nuclear bomb program.

It touches only briefly on current events, mentioning that the former head of the CIA's covert side, who is now up for reappointment to the agency, was a hero in the Libya situation. (These lines reek of payback to me -- I would bet an Iraqi dinar that the dude was a source of hers, if not an employer, at some point) and doesn't once mention Iran. If anything, the story is a nice little allegory, pointing out that even the Bush administration can deal more or less wisely with pretty hard-core despots and prevail over their nuclear programs. The differences between their treatment of Libya and of Iran is pretty stark.

That said, I can't see her staying out of current events. She'll be out soon enough with some big story about Iran's valiant resistance, or about some new atrocity there, or about the time she was in Iran and someone did something really horrible to her. It will likely be true, though we have no guarantees. The only guarantee is it will make her look smart and worldly (she's both) and also like an innocent observer (she's not). I give her a week.

Comments

in the meantime we seem to be buying lots of kalashnikov bullets to arm people on either side of iran. many of the bullets "intended" for the iraqi army vanish in transit. how many of the afghan army's "decade's worth"  will also be lost in the mail? and who will finally sign for them at the dead letter office in iran... 

Posted by hibiscus


this is the real weakness of the "friendly fodder" invasion bargain plan: the enemy can't actually be armed to the point that our fodderly associates look like suicidal arsonists instead of noble rebels. to burn everything down we must provide a sufficient supply of matches and kerosene to our freedom fighters for the flames to leap into the imagination of patriots everywhere.


seriously i'm wondering if this isn't the real strategy. hardcore hawks think in terms of punishment. nukes are the ultimate punishment - annihilation - but the trouble is all that political and radioactive fallout.

i'd been floundering to find the difference between the clintonian "we don't need no stinkin' badges" approach to diplomacy and the bushies'. the clinton administration wanted to be seen as totally willing to bomb the living carp out of anybody to get its intended result. the bush pre-emption strategy seemed really similar but now i'm thinking they've built the perfect bomb, the conventional nuke. push the button and the society self-destructs. "we don't care if anyone wins. we will turn your country into hell and watch it burn for years and years."

according to this strategy, then, the news about lost weapons and huge ammo purchases could be akin to reagan's "peacekeeper"/"star wars" gambit, except that this is probably a fake itself, to pretend that preparations for annihilation are actually part of a diplomatic campaign.

at this point, in so many different ways, bush cheney et al might be properly seen as an avatar of kali. i look forward to the truths i will discover as their reign of devastation cleanses my soul. 

Posted by hibiscus


We call it life. 

Posted by hedgedog


life, you say, but this is a society of the mind, which is in no way limited by physical boundaries such as the upper atmosphere or so-called "sea level." there are absolutely no odds that can't be beaten with the right combination of creative description and transoceanic logistics.

the moon creates tides. are we not more important and more beautiful than the moon? so we too create tides, and the pull of our tides are stronger and more durable, for they last generations and give us incredible new economic opportunities - think of what the GDP per capita will be - truly shall we grasp the atomized abundance of our dreams.

from unclaimed coats, i will build a matching mink sofa and recliner, once they are dry. if there is nothing to watch on the television, i will reupholster that as well.

really there are no worries. those who die in war are quickly reincarnated as tax-free retirement investments. 

Posted by hibiscus


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