Im gonna start getting lazy (or lazier if you must) and will be inundating you with numerous excerpts from the only non-biz related magazine that I still subscribe to...The American Conservative (TAC). This should come as no surprise, but whose editor is none other than the esteemend American conservative Patrick J Buchanan. I dont agree with him on all, but he always makes a thought provoking argument and always funny as hell. There has been much mockery of my regard for this man, but I will just say that I have followed PJB for over half my life and along with John H Sununu of Crossfire later on he was instrumental in my transfromation from a dope smoking lax playing skirt chasing slacker (ok not so much of a transformation) into a disciple of the wonderful world of polemic politics.
Here is a great example of why I read the mag, and why Im on the same page of PJB politically, or as we say at the secret rallies...
Say it Loud
Im Buchananite
And Proud
A quick background on the next article for our non-conservatives. The Weekly Standard and TAC have had a bit of feud going on, some going back before TAC was founded. TWS made this statement about Iran...
“Advocates of containment and deterrence should step forward to make their case openly and honestly,” says the Standard, “We look forward to engaging them in a real debate.”
The TAC's Response was....
February 13, 2006 IssueCopyright ©2006
The American Conservative
TAC to Standard—Challenge Accepted
by Patrick J. Buchanan
In the run-up to war in Iraq, The Weekly Standard was the voice of the “cakewalk” crowd clamoring for “Action This Day!” Cawing and cawing, in the end they got, and we got, the war they had craved.
No voice in America was more resolute that the war would be an historic blunder than ours. From our first issue in 2002 until the 3rd Division stepped off, we warned this was an unnecessary war. Though Saddam was a monster, we said, he was no threat to us. But a U.S. invasion would radicalize Islam, increase terror, and leave our troops mired down in a nation whose people would come to hate us. We scoffed at the utopian blather about democracy breaking out as propagandistic nonsense.
Enraged, National Review read us out of the movement. In a cover story, “Unpatriotic Conservatives,” NR charged three editors and four of our writers with harboring a treasonous desire for a U.S. defeat. Said NR, all seven of us “hate” President Bush and “hate” America. A year later, William F. Buckley Jr. conceded that, had he known what he later learned, he, too, would have opposed the war.
History has proven us right....
continue the man crush
41 comments:
This is great. (I'm bookmarking until a more suitable hour.)
On Buchanan: I saw him recently "debate" Tom Daschle.
It was pathetic. I felt sorry for Daschle, who's a decent - if colorless - gentleman. With a college audience, Buchanan drew cheers and ovations.
"A year later, William F. Buckley Jr. conceded that, had he known what he later learned, he, too, would have opposed the war."
While I obviously don't agree very often with William Buckley, I will have to say that as a thinker, as a wit, as a debater, and as a gentleman, it doesn't get much better. His show on PBS (which I grew up watching) included people of every stripe and persuasion. Left, right or center (including fringes on both sides), he brought people into a very lively dialogue. NOW, if you knew your stuff, could back up your opinions with a clear logic, and had done your homework (or, even, if you were just extremely talented in the parry and thrust of the debating art), he respected you. If not, he'd CRUSH you. But hey, that was OK, because if you chose to take your issue to William Buckley, you could not possibly go into the ring not knowing who you were up against or the consequences (although, I admittedly saw many, many pitifully unprepared people die at his stake - metaphorically speaking, that is).
Notice that no one went after Buckley as a "flip-flopper" on Iraq (or at least not that I know of). Rather, it was kind of like, "wow, look, Buckley is changing his mind." He admitted his "mistake" and explained how and why he came to his original conclusion and what led him his new conclusion.
And his son, Christopher, is a brilliant satirist.
oh, and btw, excellent post. the donkey at his best.
I have to say that I agree with Anita, that when you are man-loving you are quite interesting and compelling. I won't reveal some of my secret reads that I hide like porn, but I will say that I can come closer to respecting Buchanan than many others on your side.
"newly acquired yuppie scum dirty habit" I don't know about you Donkey, but for me thats golf. I feel dirty doing it, know its horrible and that the pesticides destroy...I am considering not doing it anymore next season but around here, thats what people do. Go ahead and tell me I am evil...sob..I know it. But there is something about the sound of a ball in the spring time...and I like places that are male dominated.
Admit your scum habit Donkey. Fess up.
Once again i will have to respectfully disagree with PJB and the donkey on this topic.
"History has proven us right"
A premature statement in my opinion. I will also take issue with:
"Though Saddam was a monster, we said, he was no threat to us."
From what we knew at the time, he had WMD, and had contact with al qaeda. We have confirmed since then that he did have contact with them, and was actively working on WMD programs. Since this war was post 9/11, i would say that he was a threat to the U.S.
Finally,
"a U.S. invasion would radicalize Islam, increase terror, and leave our troops mired down in a nation whose people would come to hate us."
I would argue (and only a fool would disagree) that Islam was already radical.Also the terror has NOT increased, at least not here which is the main point, and the Iraqi people do not hate us.
Now of course all of this could change, but as of right now i think it's premature for anyone to claim victory on this subject.
Nothing sweeter than hitting the sweet spot in spring...although I admittedly gave up the habit not because I thought I was better than it but because my friend's father retired from being a golf pro and it's a damn expensive habit...alas my ping copies sit unused in my parent's basement.
Isn't Buckley the one who would say, "Wrong"? If so I remember when SNL was funny and they used to do that skit of the show where he would ask the guests what they had for breakfast...Wrong, you had a bowl of Total w/a slice of Cantelope!
No shame in being a Buchananite and probably more people would be or at least admit it if we didn't live in such a PC world...
it's premature for anyone to claim victory on this subject.
Havent you heard...Mission Accomplished!!!
Thats John McLaughlin of the infamous McLaughlin Group. Sunday mornings at 1130 NBC in the NY/Metro area. The actual show is as funny as the SNL skit. The guy is definitely smoking crack. Plus PJB is a regular (good opp for non Buchananites to see his lighter side) Im telling you, the guy is hilarious.
i love the mclaughlin group. That guy is great. I remember he was out for a while (medical reasons) i think the guest host was PJB, but i could be wrong about that. Bottom line is... he is the show. It isn't right without him
Whats a little anti-semitism amongst friends? You say that like its a bad thing.
Ben, nobody's perfect.
More importantly, i think some of his statements are taken out of context. Except that nature vs gays thing, which is obviously true.
Like most PJB has made mistakes, been wrong and has said things he shouldnt have, but being anti-Israel doesnt necessarily make you anti-semitic, and I dont think he's anti-Israel, just anti US involvement in Israel (which I disagree withh) As a protectionist/isolationist/anti-imerialisism whatever you want to call him, he doesnt believe that we need to be the Worlds Police (FUCK YEAH!!!)whether it be in Asia, Africa, or the Middle East.
Well Benjamin thats why I say closer to "respecting" certainly not a fan either! Respect is maybe not even the right word.
Sort of how I disagree with Donkey every day but I can concede his intelligence, and value his statements. And find reason to give his remarks more than short-shrift.
Benjamin said:"and his desire to use the state to regulate behavior is where he abandons small-govt philosophy, making him inconsistent." Isn't that the problem with so many promising government haters? If they could just be amoral atheists that want to also limit intrusive government. But no, they have to want behavioral control.
Amoral Atheist. I like it. You may be surprised but I would almost put myself in that category. I believe in morality, but to each their own and I believe theres a God, I just dont like him, and thats probaly why I am superior to most. As Melanie Griffith said:
I have mind for business but a body for sin
Did I just quote Melanie Griffith? I apoligize. Im going to put myself in a time out, and suspend my man card for an hour.
I was watching Bill Maher the other night and everyone agreed the war in Iraq was a mistake--but no one thought we should leave. I think we should get out.
In 1967 Howard Zinn wrote Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal at a time that most opponents of the war in Congress were saying that yes, it was a mistake, but but we can't just pull out. That is where we are now in Iraq.
If we don't leave I think we should paint big bulls eyes on the troops--because they aren't serving any other purpose in Iraq.
Gadfly: I hear you. It is very expensive. And its not even a sport since they make everyone use carts so as not to hold up the old men.
Its one of those things that parents start, like a time share or a cabin or an ez pass, that eventually you give up. Its really not my thing these days and it is horrible for the environment. It will be yet another thing to cause a rift, though. Like leaving the Island.
Sometimes I sense that Pat Buchanan says some of his most outrageous stuff with a wink: It's not that he actually believes what he's saying, but he says it purely to get a rise out of people. And he knows he can get away with it because, well, he's Pat Buchanan.
While "Workimg Girl" was ok. "Bonfire of The Vanities" was the only redeeming Melanie movie.
Great, all we need right now is a Druish princess...
That reminds me of a South Park DVD I have where Matt & Trey are being interviewed...well the interviewer asks them what they think about the fact that a lot of people would say their show is anti semitic. One of them says (aren't they really just one person?) they make fun of everyone and that he can't be an anti semite because he's Jewish. The other one concedes directly that he is an anti semite.
I think if any one of us was in the public stage & spotlight all the time w/an uncountable amount of sound bytes, we'd probably get pigeon holed as this or that...I have never heard one politician worth his salt not say something mildly offensive from time to time. It comes with the territory of having opinions on things. In a post from a long time ago, I said that I know cops who were prejudiced...it doesn't necessarily make them racist for beleiving steretypes and I know for a fact that their duty would hold over such faulty beliefs...that is to say, they would do their job regardless of race, religion, creed, etc...I think the same is probably true for PJB...Can we fault him for saying out loud what many politicians think? Wasn't their a word that was recently assigned to people like that...I think it was PUSSILIENCY!?
PUSILLANIMOUS
Ill concede BOTV, but how bout...Body Double, Pacific Heights and the classic Cherry 2000
I liked Melanie Griffith in 'Something Wild' with Jeff Daniels ...
I liked her in Paradise w/Don Johnson...but there was another movie w/Michael Douglas where they were double agents...but how do I get from her to Douglas to Don Jonson to Cheech Marin and finally arrive at Kevin Bacon? And how does Bacon really feel about the Afghanistan situation?
my sources tell me bacon thinks hamid karzai is a shrewd guy, but that he's essentially a puppet of the bush administration.
plus, he's concerned about this year's poppy crops. will they start selling poppy futures on the afghani stock exchange?
Ben,
While I wont and cant deny his obvious disdain for Israel whether personal or political I dont see the problem with calling Jewish people Jews, it is after all what they are. If he had of said
we gave 50 kegs of guinness to the Irish
instead of Ireland
or
we gave 50 wheels of cheese to the the French
instead of France
or
we gave 50 wooden clogs to the Danes
instead of Denmark
would it have been a problem?
Seems a little overly sensitive to me. No doubt the Jewish people have had it rough and more than their fair share of discrimination, but so have others.
As a Jewskie (actually Georgian) in Moscow friend of The Rhino and mine used to say...
In Tel Aviv...
Ben I did not attack atheists or accuse them of being immoral. I did not insinuate or state that morality is based on dogmatic or divine principles. I did not say that one needs religion to establish right from wrong and I am unsure what you are calling me out on. My position is that god,morality, and behavior are NOT the place of government.
My position is that religion does not make anyone moral, religious people can be asstards and atheists can be giving and empathetic. I drew no conclusions and made no accusations.
Government is to provide for the common defense, etc. but thats it.
Why am I always defending against things I did not say? Way back Rhino said that because I support the ACLU I must be against religion. These are not examples of the types of conclusions you can draw, these are absurd assumptions. I think religion is religion and government is government.
Call me out? Whatever.
You let me down Rhino
In tel aviv they love the governor
jew jew jew...
That's one of my favorite ones.
Just so that everyone knows, Donkey and I work in a industry that knows no such thing as political correctness.
We have nicknames for people that are offensive to the outside world, but don't faze us in the least.
We have
Yellow (asian)
Jewish (Jew)duh!
donkey (mic bastard)
Rhino (huge penis);)
Just to name a few.
So my friend from moscow and i used to see where we could put jew into songs and they would still sound ok. It was hillarious.
good times good times
I always liked The Who classic
When I say I love Jews
Jew say
Jew better
Jew better
Jew better
Jew bet
What? We gave 50 jets to the Israelis???? For free???
Damn those Jews really do drive a hard bargain.
And I'm the sensitive one...
I am the Walrus, KooKooKaJew.
no, i'm the sensitive one.
and don't be messing with my walrus lyrics.
(on the blog that is, beyond that i don't know from adam)
Well Benjamin the stupidity of that pisses me off probably as much as it does you. But let the pissants have their monopoly on virtue because it keeps the people tithing.
I'm not trying to be rude but I hate the way people like Coultergeist hijack morality and accuse every separationist of "hating god" instead of looking at the legal issue for what it is. And this is what I meant. As long as you have neocon hagmeat talking about eradicating the first amendment- they will lose the following of people that might agree on some other planks.
I think the "new" conservatives could use some duct tape. These people are to their detriment. Thats all I meant.
Wait- Benjamin, was that Whitney Houston?
And Melanie Griffith? Whatcha smokin?
I guess Lily just won a grammy.
Nice speech
Ben
Ill cut PJB some slack on that as America as new as we are is quite a bit older than Israel and yet some us still dont know what call each other.
No Donkey, speeches at awards shows are gratuitous displays of ego pimping on issues that the little asstards care little about the rest of the year.
At awards shows, the speechranter thinks the audience gives a shit. I have no such delusions about the audience here.
I just didn't want to be mischaracterized in front of Ben. I'm aiming to win his contest.
...because if it was a speech, I gotta be honest, Im a little ticked I didnt get a shout out.
"You like me, you reeeeeeallly like me. I just want to thank Jesus Christ, my family, and of course Donkeyhue- who had me at "EEEEE HAWWWWWW"
But do you know what is going on in Tibet? And notice I am wearing a Mao pin atop my left nipple to show support for the protesters in Nepal..
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