For those of you who don’t watch “60 Minutes” (and I don’t - Sunday nights are when I head down to Princeton to teach tomorrow’s leaders of this great country how to write silly, inconsequential, and often lewd comedy sketches. Because I care about America’s future), you should probably check out tonight’s interview with Bush’s former terrorism advisor, Richard Clarke.
Or just read the article linked above. [My thanks to the indispensable Atrios for the link.]
What do we learn from it? Pretty much that when Bush and Rumsfeld told us that the the War on Terrorism is a fundamentally new and different kind of war, they were telling the truth. It’s a war wherein someone attacks us and we retaliate by attacking someone else entirely. That sort of strategy might seem a bit counterintuitive, but you have to admit that it does carry the essential element of surprise.
It really does work, too, and you can prove this by trying it in your own life: The next time your neighbor allows his dog to foul your lawn, march over to your neighbor on the other side and shoot his cat. You’re probably going to alienate a few people with this approach, and you might get invited to fewer parties. But it’s pretty clear that nobody on your block will ever mess with you again.
Fanny Roborat
15 comments
norbizness
March 21, 2004 at 5:19 pm
1The next phase of the War on Terror is going to involve the President walking up to a cave in the mountainous regions of northwest Pakistan, totally unarmed and wearing nothing but a loincloth and sandals. He says “he just wants to talk”…
Tres unexpected!
Murray
March 21, 2004 at 6:55 pm
2I’d comment but 60 Minutes is just starting.
Gotta go.
tim
March 21, 2004 at 7:01 pm
3But my other neighbor’s cat once rooted around in a friend’s garden, and then tried to viciously scratch my dad, so it makes complete sense. And on top of that, one of the neighborhood kids assured me that the cat was keeping a stash of nuclear warheads and anthrax spores in his litter box.
Murray
March 21, 2004 at 8:14 pm
4My God, My God, My God.
Those lying bastards.
It was obvious that Bush wanted to kill the inquiry into 9/11 but I figured that it was for being inattentive, not culpable.
This is what happens when fundamentalist put dogma ahead of Country.
It’s time for impeachment.
Blowing off real warnings about the treat of terrorist, lying and sending American soldiers to their death for no reason has to be a worse crime than a lying about a BJ.
BettieWheelie
March 21, 2004 at 10:33 pm
5And really, what man would lie about a BJ?
littlebit
March 21, 2004 at 11:26 pm
6Thanks for the tip, Adam. Watched it amazed. And grateful. Oh, so theeere’s the liberal media.
And maybe this year’s electoral race isn’t over yet after all.
G-Man
March 22, 2004 at 1:29 am
7It was just after our troops started fighting in Afganistan that I heard a reporter opine that Iraq could be next. My reaction to such an obviously reaching conclusion was, “Not a chance. Bush would never take a detour into Iraq. That would look like nothing more than a revenge hit”.(”My name is George Bush the Second. You tried to kill my father. Prepare to die”).
Murray
March 22, 2004 at 6:47 am
8OK I’ve calmed down.
So what will happen?
According to Murray’s first law of politics:
Republicans are shameless (ruthless)
Democrats are gutless
Americans are idiots
Nothing.
The Bush attack dogs will be released.
Democrats will cower,
The American people will work to keep Janet’s boob off TV.
Mary
March 22, 2004 at 9:36 am
9Agreed, Murray. People are more worried about sex than lies, deceits and deaths.
I think Richard Clarke did a good job of presenting his case. Hope he keeps it up, as the GOPugs aren’t likely to stop nipping at his ankles.
Michael
March 22, 2004 at 11:07 am
10Bring back Chris Regan!
tess
March 22, 2004 at 1:48 pm
11thanks murray for starting my day with a reminder that the last superpower in the world is primarily populated with idiots. this issue’ll be buried in favor of the gay marriage amendment and news about who’s been kicked off of survivor. i think i’ll go and have myself a mid-morning drinkie.
as my broter would say, “americans finally have a president they deserve.”
Kip W
March 22, 2004 at 4:56 pm
12At least they won’t mess with you in any small ways.
Anonymous
March 22, 2004 at 6:23 pm
13Hmm, I haven’t been following this, but are they accusing CBS, the company that bent over backwards for pulling “The Reagans” because they dared show god (a.k.a. Ronnie) in a less than flattering light, of being liberally biased.
Anonymous
March 22, 2004 at 6:33 pm
14What’s this “We cannot find evidence that this conversation between Mr. Clarke and the president ever occurred” stuff? “Well, we checked under the sofa.. we checked in our uncle’s old army jacket that was last worn at the Battle of Verdunn, but we couldn’t find anything…”
Miel
March 23, 2004 at 1:19 am
15Yay! I like your analogy this time. Yes, shoot the guy with the cat. It might have worked…it really might have worked as a deterrent for Syria, Iran, etc. They all might have trembled in fear except this whole this is so botched and now the weariness sets in and nothing will be done no matter how much they all misbehave.
So to finish the analogy–you shoot the guy with the cat but then you have to go on the lam and when you come back your whole house has been looted.