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| VDH: "Realism" and "liberalism" are neither |
| 2006-11-27 |
| “Realism”, then, means nothing other than trading off our enemies’ interests in one place for our own assumed advantage elsewhere. (e.g., stop the Iranian IED supply in southern Iraq and we will lay off UN sanctions; close the Syrian border with Iraq, and Assad can creep back into Lebanon, etc.). All that is a fair, not an exaggerated, description of realism as we have known it. Syria was once invited into the first Gulf War coalition by our hands-off promises about its role in Lebanon. Kurds and Shiites were once let go in 1991 on promises to the Gulf monarchies to keep the old regional dictatorial order. All this is hardly new to readers, but what is novel is the sudden liberal embrace of it. Why does the Democratic leadership seem to welcome in the thinking of a James Baker or Brent Scowcroft, especially since it once demonized realism, most notably the circumstances around the first Gulf War or the supposed Bush I failure to stop the genocide in the Balkans? Is it just petty spite at seeing GWB’s own turn on him? Or is it a deeper malaise that modern liberal internationalism is neither liberal nor international. Lacking any real belief that the United States, now or in its past, has been a continual force for good, the contemporary Left hardly wants the rest of the world to suffer the American malaise of racism, sexism, homophobia, environmental degradation, and consumerism. That self-doubt is buttressed by the idea as well that confrontation is always bad, that evil does not really exist, but is a construct we create for misunderstanding, that the world’s ills are remedied by reason and dialogue. In essence, the progressive Leftist is often affluent, insulated from the savagery about him by his material largess, and empathizes with those who are antithetical to the very forces that made him free, secure, and prosperous—as a way to assuage the guilt, at very little cost, of his own blessedness. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #11 It sure is a pleasure to spend some time with open-minded, reasonable folks. You have enlightened me. I am ashamed to have spent so much of my life lost in the vast wasteland of moderate, realistic contemplation. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that only American Republicans or Democrats have any worthwhile answers in this troubled world. I am now burning all other viewpoints and philosophies in my possession, and will soon be getting down off this convenient (albeit uncomfortable) fence of reason, so I may choose my righteous leaders in good and clear conscience. |
| Posted by: Tim Tyler 2006-11-27 21:21 |
| #10 The United States "a continual force for good?" I love this country to my bones, but c'mon, "a continual force for good?" No human being, no culture, no nation, is a continual force for anything. Oh, we try as we might, but we screw up on a regular basis, often over and over again. "American malaise" is certainly evocative, but then, Carter was just being realistic. As to our faults; hell, yeah, we have 'em, and you ironically named some of them. Am I ashamed to admit these and other faults are real? Hell, no. Unless, of course, we decide to ignore them and play that old childhood game of, "But, what about him?" I'm not on the progressive Left, or the neocon Right, but somewhere in the reasoned middle. Let me tell you, this a one helluva lonely place to be these days. |
| Posted by: Tim Tyler 2006-11-27 17:25 |
| #9 You all welcome to join me at the radical center (hat tip Mack Reynolds) |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-11-27 22:58 |
| #8 "I am ashamed to have spent so much of my life lost in the vast wasteland of moderate, realistic contemplation." Too bad you're not ashamed of being a supercilious, dimwitted prig; if you were, there'd be some hope for you. Enough of this asshole... |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-11-27 22:25 |
| #7 I am now burning all other viewpoints and philosophies in my possession, and will soon be getting down off this convenient (albeit uncomfortable) fence of reason, so I may choose my righteous leaders in good and clear conscience. Sounds good. Let us know how you make out. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-11-27 22:17 |
| #6 Lol. It's amazing the folks that drop by, certain we've never seen anyone so clever, so hip, so tragically droll... Lol. It's not sophisticated, putz, it's just verbose trollery. You're a dime a dozen, son. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-11-27 21:56 |
| #5 I like to think of myself as being a member of the Reasoned Middle, too, Mr. Tyler. It sounds so veddy, veddy refined to my discerning ear. Unfortunately, the Left has moved so far to the left these days that the Reasoned Right is now smack dab where the middle used to be. Quite a queer sensation, to be sure, but part of that whole Reasoning thingy is seeing where reality ends up... which does require admitting that former President James Earl Carter played a large part in moving the Left so far from reality. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-11-27 19:46 |
| #4 I'm not on the progressive Left, or the neocon Right, but somewhere in the reasoned middle. Let me tell you, this a one helluva lonely place to be these days. Oh, fuck off. The "middle" is for people who are too ignorant or too apathetic to educate themselves. Declaring yourself a "centrist" is a way to declare your moral superiority, above anyone who bothers to take a stance. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-11-27 19:28 |
| #3 Yeah, judging from the two comments you've made today, I'd say you're somewhere between Robt KKK Byrd and Teddy LLL Kennedy. Don't fret, no one would put you and neocon together. BTW, Carter and realistic in the same sentence? Lol. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-11-27 18:00 |
| #2 If you have taught youth for generations that the story of World War II is Hiroshima and the Japanese internment, not Normandy, the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, then how can you expect a nation to fight an enemy without making a mistake? And if dropping the bomb on Japan to stop its daily murdering of thousands in its collapsing empire, and to avoid something that would have made the horrific Battle for Berlin look like a cakewalk is equated with the Holocaust, how can the United States marshal the moral authority to press ahead, secure that its killing of jihadists is a different sort from jihadists killing the innocent or each other? |
| Posted by: KBK 2006-11-27 15:39 |
| #1 That self-doubt is buttressed by the idea as well that confrontation is always bad, that evil does not really exist, but is a construct we create for misunderstanding, that the worldÂ’s ills are remedied by reason and dialogue. This is why I pray to Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy every day to end war and bring peace. Soon George Bush will see the error of his ways and submit to a Tribunal of the People. /Polly Anna |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2006-11-27 14:51 |