Mickey informs me that the Senator from Massachusetts didn’t even vote on the Medicare bill. After all his harrumphing about the horrors of the legislation, he couldn’t even put himself on the record. Kerry is emerging as the worst of all the viable Democratic candidates. He has the backbone of Clinton and the charm of Gore.
“SACRIFICE”: I don’t disagree with Tom Friedman’s basic analysis of what is now going on in Iraq. If Mosul is turning against us, we truly are in trouble. And the resistance of Ayatollah Sistani to the current transition process is the first real sign that, on top of Saddam’s resistance, we are also about to witness the long-predicted power-struggle between Kurds, Shia and Sunni. It’s going to get tougher still. I don’t buy the argument that the administration never warned of a long and difficult post-war in Iraq, because the record shows it did. Whether it did enough – in emphasis – is debatable. But what I really don’t buy is Friedman’s argument that, somehow, “sacrifice” is a prerequisite for a successful occupation in Iraq. I wish he’d spell out what he means by “sacrifice.” For most anti-war liberals, it means rescinding tax cuts. But they didn’t want the tax cuts in the first place. And, oddly enough, the 8.2 percent third quarter growth rate – fueled in part by the tax relief – does help us in Iraq, not least because it suggests Bush will be re-elected, and so long-term American resolve in Iraq is more credible. And, in any case, there is real sacrifice. Who does Friedman think is paying the bills for the war and occupation? The cost to this country – in terms of current and future fiscal health – is real, and will affect everyone. And that is not to speak of the costs in human lives and injuries. Maybe I’m missing Tom’s point here. But this call for “sacrifice” sounds noble, but, upon inspection, seems like a convenient but empty way to support Bush’s policies, while attacking Bush as president. How about Friedman making the real sacrifice – on the op-ed page of the NYT no less – and confessing that, on foreign policy, he’s now closer to the Bush administration than to any of the current Democratic candidates?
ON THANKSGIVING: I really should sit down one day and re-write and expand this little piece I wrote seven years ago on why I am thankful for America. But it still conveys my essential feelings. Maybe an immigrant feels grateful on this day with more immediacy and awareness than others. But the joy of America is that even the distinction between immigrant and native-born is usually blurred. Anyway, here it is, republished again. Have a great and relaxing day. and thanks for both reading this site and for making it possible to keep on the web.
The Dish 