Jenkins: Does The U.S. Want The Lab-Leak Truth?

Interesting historical parallels here.

   I've made the comparison to Obama insisting that "Islam is a religion of peace." There may be truth in that--I don't know. There's clearly some falsehood in it. And practical considerations are clearly in play--it's a way to keep moderate Islam on our side in a kind of alliance against violent Islamic extremism. 

   Do we want the truth about COVID origins?

   I say: yes and no. Of course we want the truth, for the reasons we always want it. But also: we don't want to know because it would seem to force us toward a confrontation that would be inconvenient at best and catastrophic at worst.

   Overlaying all this is the bizarre condition of current American politics, in which an extreme leftist worldview inclines toward hyper-criticism of America and the West, and hyper-defensiveness about other countries and cultures--except, y'know, Israel. And to some extent, Russia. 

   The background here is the long-standing clash of tendencies between left (including liberals, in this case) and conservatives. The latter tend toward exaggerated pro-American, pro-Westernism. The former tend toward the opposite in each case.