Monday, February 04, 2008
Pepe McCain
From the horse's mouth: We cannot build an enduring peace based on freedom by ourselves. We must be willing to listen to our democratic allies. Being a great power does not mean that we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume that we have all the wisdom, knowledge, and resources necessary to succeed. When we believe international action — whether military, economic, or diplomatic — is necessary, we must work to persuade our friends and allies that we are right. And we must also be willing to be persuaded by them. To be a good leader, America must be a good ally.
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9 comments:
Since when did empathy go out of style? Nothing wrong with hearing our allies out. If they speak gibberish, we can always disagree with them and move on. To give them a voice, though, is the Western way of holding discourse -- from Plato down the line -- sacred.
Well, obviously AI can speak for himself, MFT, but I did not read his comments as being directed against "empathy".
If you have confidence in McCain as clearheaded and determined in the clash of civilizations Islam presents us, then you can read his thoughts as a judicious reminder that we "must hang together, or we shall hang separately". And, of course, "hanging together" involves listening and discussion and argument that seeks the best way; not mere prefabricated uniformity. "Empathy" with each other is a necessary part of those who would hang together.
That said, what if you don't have confidence in McCain's clarity of thought or determination for the struggle? What if you see him as flawed in fundamental ways as to character and temperament? Then, perhaps, you read his statement as "codeword" for the path of the UN, of "peace conferences" which only seem to ever strengthen and embolden the enemy, of a symptom of a loss of will to wage a war the other side most passionately wages? [Remember, in WWII we discussed much with our British allies, and had moments of sharp disagreement as to strategy and tactics, but the British never came to us to talk of NOT fighting the war. The goal of victory was invariant among those few of us who then "hung together".]
I understood AIs remarks as indicative of a serious lack of confidence in John McCain, and a fear that such a statement was a sign either confusion or lack of belief in the purpose of this war. [NOT just Iraq, which is just a battleground, but this war against Islam Militant]
For myself, right now I just do not know. In 2000 I was strongly for McCain, and I firmly believe that in the crisis of 9/11 and its aftermath he would have been a much more forceful and frank leader of the struggle.....That said, am I still strongly confident he is as he was then? In short, no....for many reasons....Although I hope he is.
AA: You put it well. Yes, I do have quite a bit of trepidation about McCain, as you may have seen from my recent exchanges with JJ. I've had doubts about him for a long time, of course, but nothing tremendous, one way or the other. And I was even warming up to him in early January, up to the point when he started getting nasty, when I started looking more into it. And the more I read about him, and the various positions he took -- the more I had doubts about his judgment (not to say about his nutty style). Of course, the case is not clear cut -- one must balance his Vietnam service, and his tenacity with the surge against a myriad other clues. And, right now, the doubts have more weight for me. Of course, it's all relative -- he's clearly better than most alternatives, but we're talking primaries now, and this is the time to air such things, not in October.
At any rate, my preferred scenario right now is a more prolonged fight for the nomination, hopefully going to the convention. That way, we'll all have a chance to see more clearly wtf is going on, and also for the candidates to hone their positions, hopefully in the right direction. JJ would like to stampede everyone to line up in lockstep behind McCain. What's the rush?
The rush is Obama.
I'm not voting for a Mormon. Period. I've said this at least once, possibly twice, maybe thrice, in previous posts (no, I'm not going back to find it).
Yet respond to this, please: Mormons recognized the Black Man only in the late-1970s. WTF? And they also believe Jesus Christ dropped some Jews off in the New World back in the day, and they now take the form of the American Indian. And they also sport their holy underwear so that when rapture comes, the Good Lord knows who is chosen and who isn't. Polygamy, of course, was banned some time ago (Mormons who practice it are excommunicated). Yet fringe Mormon groups practice it in southern Utah, forcing cousins to marry one-another under pederast hedgemony. Excuse me? Yup. It happens.
Perhaps living in Dakota and closer to Utah the majority of my life has put me in closer contact with these loons. Please be empathetic towards that as well. McCain, hanging around in the Hanoi Hilton while Jane Fonda spouted valley girl Marxism against a backdrop of NVC anti-aircraft gun... that doesn't grab your attention?
Mormon Mitt is affiliated with his religion, its a part of his being, and he was indoctrinated with it, so far as I know, well beyond the age of 25 (the age that Ortega y Gassett argued is when the majority of individuals form the World View for the remainder of their lives, I believe, from memory, in his History as a System).
There will be no way to wage a war against Islam Militant if things go to hell here at home.
AA, you likely have more geographic accessibility to dialog with AI than I (please correct me if my assumptions are that). So I understand AI can speak for himself, and I apologize if I haven't been able to fully realize his position in my attempts at keeping up with this blog.
I read the article that attempted to slam McCain as being against empathy, and empathy, arguably, is the primary reason that Jefferson penned a Declaration of Independence in the first place.
And what's with the quotations around empathy?
AA, AI is making no sense. I have no idea why you defer to him on everything respectfully and peacefully though he is as being as bullheaded and silly as Pepe. At least Pepe was funny on his bullhead and gratuiously offensive attacks. AI pulls chains too.
Look, fuck Romney. mft can't stand him for his reasons, and I think it ludicrous that anyone bash McCain for not being conservative enough only to back a carpetbagger from Massachusetts in his place.
If he wins anything today it will be from the extremists that populate LGF.
If Romney does win, though, Hitchens's pen is gonna run a Mencken/DeVoto-style field day... just like shooting catfish or carp in a barrel. Blam! Blam! Blam!
...and on that note, the same goes for Holy Huckabee.
might even be worth it, mft...
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