Month: July 2009

Allah As Puppet President

Abbas Milani provides an "intellectual history of the green wave":

Before coming to power, Khomeini argued that the most important duty, indeed the raison d'etre of an Islamic government, was to implement fully the tenets of sharia. But once in power and faced with the complexities of modern Iranian society, he subtly changed the very foundation of his theory. He introduced the concept of maslaha–interests of the regime–and declared, much to the consternation of nearly every other ayatollah, that these interests, as determined by him or his successor, would supersede even the fundamentals of Islam. In other words, the state was everything–and sharia was nothing but its legitimizing narrative, a narrative that could be suspended at the will of the leader.

The Vote Changed Everything

A writer in Tehran on the moment the regime ended and the coup began:

There's no doubt the vote mattered. Had we not voted, had we not stood in line and suffered this fate together, then we would not have come to the square, we would not be climbing the rooftops every night to sing protests that our votes were so clumsily and needlessly taken away. The fact is that up until four Saturdays ago, Iran's system, with all of its limitations and compromises, was not completely rotten. Our peculiar democracy permitted faith in a residual uncertainty, in the possibility that the guy who can't possibly win, whom they won't let win, still just might. June 12, 2009, ended that uncertainty, brought clarity.

Old White Males And Conservative Hotties

If you wonder why Fox News' newscasters all look like porn-stars, or why batshit homophobes like Ann Coulter retain a following, or Carrie Prejean becomes an instant star, don't forget the starbursts factor. Steve Chapman finally says the obvious. John McCain picked Sarah Palin because he was a) desperate, b) has no integrity, c) cares much more about his career than national security, and d) couldn't take his eyes off her boobs. Chapman:

Palin is not alone in using her looks to enchant the Republican faithful. Carrie Prejean went from being a runner-up for Miss USA to a conservative heroine because she came out against gay marriage in her pageant interview — but also because she wears a bikini well. Ann Coulter would be just another rabid pit bull if not for the long hair and short skirts. Harriet Miers' problem was that she couldn't overcome her deficiencies with sex appeal. When people remain ardent fans of Palin no matter how badly she performs, it's reasonable to wonder what they are thinking. But thinking has nothing to do with it.

Poor Harriet Miers. A few face-lifts, boob-jobs and she could have been a Supreme Court Justice!

Jonah’s Latest

More exhausted, straight-from-the-1970s boilerplate, but this statement really stood out:

In July 2007, Obama said that he would order U.S. forces out of Iraq as quickly as possible, even if he knew it would lead to an Iraqi genocide. This makes Obama the first president in modern memory to have suggested that causing a genocide would be in America’s national interest.

Er, how about George W. Bush?

The first genocide in Iraq took place as thousands and thousands of Iraqis were murdered on sectarian grounds, under the occupation of the US between 2004 and 2007. The genocide of which Obama speaks would be one after the US had left a country invaded under false pretenses. The genocide Goldberg has conveniently forgotten took place while the US president and defense secretary refused to add any troops to stop the massacres. And it was justified as the cost of removing WMDs in America's national interest.

And if a genocide takes place if Obama withdraws troops (which I think he will betray us all on), it will be Bush's genocide, not Obama's. Just as the coming tax hikes necessary to pay for Bush's wars and spending explosion should be named after George W. Bush.

Bailin’ Palin

Frum on Palin bowing out:

Faced with exasperating criticism and the accumulating cares of public office—she quit to cash in. Her admirers can excuse anything, but to the much larger audience of non-admirers, Palin will look  a lot like those CEOs who wrecked their banks and the national economy while accepting huge bonuses for themselves. John McCain’s slogan in 2008 was "Country First." Palin’s in 2012? "I seen my opportunities, and I took 'em."

He takes stock of the remaining viable candidates for high office:

The big question for Republicans is: Which Romney will show up in 2012? The electable or the unelectable, the serious or the cynical, the commanding or the pandering? All Republicans have to hope that Romney brings his best self to the next election cycle—if only because after this week, we are seriously running out of alternatives.

Low Self-Esteem? Good For You.

Angela Duckworth attacks the self-esteem boosters:

Self-esteem has gone up in the United States; achievement has not. If anything, compared with other countries, we have done worse, but our kids feel really good about themselves on average. What seems particularly interesting, and there is an article by J. P. Tangney on this, is that there is an uncoupling between your perception of your own competence and how much you like yourself. Many American kids, particularly in the last couple of decades, can feel really good about themselves without actually being good at anything. This is the problem with the "self-esteem at all costs" message. Self-esteem should be earned.

I worte a rant on exactly this theme a few years back for Time. Here it is. Money quote:

New research has found that self-esteem can be just as high among D students, drunk drivers and former Presidents from Arkansas as it is among Nobel laureates, nuns and New York City fire fighters. In fact, according to research performed by Brad Bushman of Iowa State University and Roy Baumeister of Case Western Reserve University, people with high self-esteem can engage in far more antisocial behavior than those with low self-worth.

(Hat tip: Jonah Lehrer)