Is the G.O.P. getting too cocky, after a deserved moment of triumph in Iraq? The signs are not looking good. My take posted opposite.
BAGHDAD BOB AND THE BLACK KNIGHT: Finally, a cartoon.
AMERICAN EMPIRE: As a practical matter, I agree with Niall Ferguson (and not just because we’re old friends). The concept is an oxymoron. But it is a necessary oxymoron. I have no more helpful suggestions than Niall does on how to make sense of this, except the obvious. American imperialism will be an essentially negative rather than positive phenomenon. It will intervene to remove dangerous threats, and its overwhelming military power will, with any luck, deter such threats from achieving critical mass in the future, thus minimizing still further intervention. That’s the best we can hope for. The guarantee of control is a solid military presence. Look at Germany. It’s not a colony, but it does house many American troops. That’s more like the model we’re looking at than the Brits in India. Is Iraq more like post-totalitarian Germany than eighteenth century India? The answer to that question is what we’re about to find out.
The Dish 