tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post112013511500855913..comments2024-03-26T12:23:29.784-04:00Comments on Philosoraptor: Winston Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08780746334199630779noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120406431353316222005-07-03T12:00:00.000-04:002005-07-03T12:00:00.000-04:00Dunno what you mean by "the postmodern center"...Dunno what you mean by "the postmodern center"...Winston Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08780746334199630779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120312832059906162005-07-02T10:00:00.000-04:002005-07-02T10:00:00.000-04:00To pick out one strand of this discussion:Do motiv...To pick out one strand of this discussion:<BR/><BR/>Do motives matter:<BR/><BR/>1. Not in assessing what we should do now in Iraq. We're there, and we have to treat this just like we would if we had ended up there legitimately. What we need is results; we need to focus on the future.<BR/><BR/>2. They do matter, however, in assessing President Bush and his administration. Quite obviously so.Winston Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08780746334199630779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120273476857411732005-07-01T23:04:00.000-04:002005-07-01T23:04:00.000-04:00y'know, tvd, this can be taken two totally differe...y'know, tvd, this can be taken two totally different ways: <I>What is not said is that the Iraqi people as a whole want us out.</I><BR/><BR/>Your idea of "admitting mistakes" appears to be on the order of a poker player announcing his own 'tells' and giving everybody else an advantage over him. When I use those words, I'm usually think along the lines of "this guy knows what he did wrong and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120270315783461452005-07-01T22:11:00.000-04:002005-07-01T22:11:00.000-04:00Prof. WS---Is there a epistemological school whose...Prof. WS---Is there a epistemological school whose inquiry derives from what is <I>not</I> said or done, one of negative inference, perhaps?<BR/><BR/>In this, the age of sheep, brainwashing, propaganda, lies, and massive distrust of the fruits of the Information Age, it seems to me the way to go.Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120243921901843072005-07-01T14:52:00.000-04:002005-07-01T14:52:00.000-04:00I try to shy away from armchair psychology, Duke. ...I try to shy away from armchair psychology, Duke. A biographer of them both said the difference between Nixon and Ike was that Nixon was obsessed by motives, Ike didn't care. Me either. We know what talks and walks, which is why I don't care about "admitting mistakes" in a C-in-C. Such things, especially with today's set of enemies, are seen as weakness to be exploited.<BR/><BR/>That said, Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120234218658205032005-07-01T12:10:00.000-04:002005-07-01T12:10:00.000-04:00tvd, your "someone who lives there" also says: It ...tvd, your "someone who lives there" also says: <I>It doesn't really matter if Saddam had connections with Al-Qaeda prior to 2003 or not and it does not matter if he had the ability to attack the west with WMDs or not.</I><BR/><BR/>'Course I'm biased, but I think this guy has a tin ear for American politics. Probably because of all the rightie blogs that he reads. It matters very much to us if Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120226652135612912005-07-01T10:04:00.000-04:002005-07-01T10:04:00.000-04:00Well, I've seen those sorts of reports tvd, but as...Well, I've seen those sorts of reports tvd, but as always I lack your blind faith. Troops tend to be in favor of whatever action they're in. Many say things are good and it's worth it, but many don't in this case.<BR/><BR/>And the quote you included proves nothing. Whether or not it's "fight 'em there or fight 'em here" is one of the things Iraqis are in no better position to judge than we areWinston Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08780746334199630779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120174642844197552005-06-30T19:37:00.000-04:002005-06-30T19:37:00.000-04:00Sandy Berger and Madeleine Albright? Joycelyn Eld...Sandy Berger and <A HREF="http://dearbaghdad.blogspot.com/2005/06/difference-between-worth-it-in-1996.html" REL="nofollow">Madeleine Albright</A>? Joycelyn Elders? John Kerry, who got worse grades than the current Idiot-in-Chief at the same school? Al Gore, who flunked out of divinity school?<BR/><BR/>I don't think this "best and brightest" thing has legs, WS.<BR/><BR/>It certainly is Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120159934786288342005-06-30T15:32:00.000-04:002005-06-30T15:32:00.000-04:00My brother, who's career Army, was in Iraq for a y...My brother, who's career Army, was in Iraq for a year (starting with the first invasion, etc.) and his response was (exact quote)<BR/><BR/>"IT SUCKED"Aahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00045786882607525394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5264937.post-1120148800625194582005-06-30T12:26:00.000-04:002005-06-30T12:26:00.000-04:00Careful, Winston, or tvd will be sticking you in t...Careful, Winston, or tvd will be sticking you in the Church of It's Bush's Fault with the rest of us heretics. <BR/><BR/>Seriously, tho, I think we have to start looking at it in terms of "what is the least bad option." I imagine it will be some combination of withdrawing our troops, bringing in Nato, UN, or somebody else with a less inflamatory reputation to train and recruit police and we, theAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com