The unintended consequences were catastrophic and yet the doctrine of neoconservatism survives like a zombie in Washington. Justin Vogt:
As a result of the Iraq fiasco, the direct influence of neoconservatism has clearly waned. But nearly two years into the Obama era, it has become clear that its most lasting legacy is not a set of policies or strategies, but a reframing of debates about American foreign policy around a number of neoconservative assumptions. To a surprising degree, those assumptions – among them, that the current threats facing the US are unprecedented; that, in a time of war, military strategy must guide diplomacy, and not vice versa; and that even modest compromises with opponents would call America’s “credibility” into question – continue to dominate the agenda in Washington and the mass media. The last decade has shown, again and again, the failures of this line of thinking – and yet it continues to haunt American discourse, a zombie ideology that refuses to die.
Yes, two individuals have been fired for being too anti-Muslim:
Ann Coulter was not only fired after an anti-Muslim rant she was fired by a conservative publication, National Review; and radio talk maven Michael Graham lost his job at an ABC affiliate in DC after Muslim American pressure.
Of course, Coulter lost nothing by being cast out of NRO career-wise, but the point stands, especially with Graham. But both said things far beyond Octavia Nasr's artless tweet – subsequently explained.
I have only one thing to add to this argument: To me it seems obvious that there is a range of sexual experience – from random drunken sex with someone whose name one cannot remember to passionate sex between two people who love and trust each other. I've had both of these, and many kinds in between. I have no moral commitment to monogamy, but my experience has been that the latter kind – sex between two people who truly love each other and genuinely want to bring each other pleasure above all others – is so much better than any other kind of sex that it's almost qualitatively different.
That's why, in my eventual marriage, I will insist on monogamy. I don't think I could be that free, sexually, with someone if, in the back of my mind, the possibility existed that they were thinking of someone else. I don't know that total intimacy is possibly without monogamy. For myself at least, I don't think it is possible. And being that filled with another consciousness is so overwhelmingly pleasurable that it's worth controlling my baser urges in its service. The choice isn't even that difficult.
Maybe once I've been married a decade, that equation will change, but maybe not. In any case, that's no reason to preemptively give up on the incredible power of human commitment to enrich our lives.
Today on the Dish we assembled analysis on the DOMA ruling and added Andrew Koppelman's clarifying point. David Boies reflected on the Prop 8 trial and the Vatican kept digging a hole. A big roundup of Palin '12 speculation here; Andrew thinks she's unstoppable. Josh Green started to come around to that possibility. A reader planned to pull a Rip Van Winkle while another called out her record on killing grizzly bears.
Andrew laid into neoconservatives over their failures in the Middle East, detailed his views on journalistic decorum, and reiterated his conservative case for extending marriage rights. The WSJ starts to catch on to that conservative view. Joel Wing briefed us on troop withdrawal in Iraq, Golblog interviewed the UAE ambassador, Governor Lingle played the incest card, and the song "Down's Syndrome Girl" was up for an Emmy. Legalization update here.
In assorted commentary, Bacevich got backlash over calling Obama amoral, Jonah Lehrer jumped aboard the soda tax, Andrew Leonardyes explained the vicious cycle of AC and global warming, and Kerry Howley covered cryogenics. A few readers chimed in on the latest HIV news and another opened up about open marriage.
The double rainbow dude is so hot right now. A heartwarming beagle video here and MSM lampooning here. Christianist watch here and particularly crazy Hewitt Award here. Cool ad here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.
Thursday on the Dish, a longtime CNN journalist, Octavia Nasr, was canned for a controversial tweet. Juan Cole pointed his finger at the Israel Lobby, Stephen Walt also sided with Nasr, Greenwald asked if any reporters have been fired for anti-Arab/Muslim sentiment, and David Carr was on edge. A federal judge ruled against the Defense of Marriage Act. More great news on HIV treatment and some bad news out of Iraq.
In Palin news, she launched her first campaign ad, GOP insiders loved it, and readers observed a lack of ethnic appearances. Doug Mataconis explained how potentially new primary rules could hurt her chances with the nomination, Andrew highlighted her intransigence on defense spending, a reader tore into her special needs record, and Gail Collins noted the creepiness of Levi and Bristol's latest statements.
Andrew went after WaPo for its use of "torture" and showed the consequences of newspapers not calling it like it is. He also sided with Coulter over Steele's comments. Andy Bacevich leveled a serious charge at Obama, James Gibney made the case for ending aid to Egypt and Israel, Yglesias preferred to cut Medicare over Social Security, Reihan tackled sugar taxes, and readers broached sugar subsidies.
Dan Savage joined the monogamy debate, Stephanie Mencimer checked in on NOM, Lindy West told us WTF is up with Gallagher, Dana McCourt commented on why Americans don't watch the World Cup, and a reader had a deep thought about AC. Hathos here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.
Wednesday on the Dish, the Iranian government was set to stone a woman to death, the Uganda beheading turned out to be a hoax, the Hawaiian governor vetoed civil unions, the Louisiana governor called for guns in churches, and raising the retirement age looked more likely. Andrew and Beinart felt that the president further caved to the Israeli prime minister, Andrew confronted Chait over the gulf between Congress and the American public on Israel, and the US inroads into Arab PR continued to falter.
In Palinland, Andrew scratched his head over Levi's sudden about-face, Chris Good explained why it matters, Mercede couldn't understand why her brother would turn on her, and a reader figured it was all part of a custody battle. Hasidic women were crazy for Palin's hairdo, Steve Kornacki took a turn at her chances in '12, readers added on, and Dana McCourt was sick of all the Trig talk.
Andrew circledback to the NYT's application of "torture," called out the AP for the same, examined the evolution of public perception on torture, and mounted a defense of AC. Bernstein and Wheeler jumped on the public perception thread while TNC piled on the NYT. Ambers and Kaplan savaged Romney on his foreign policy and others joined in. Wehner had some wise words on the Steele debacle, Adam Serwer pointed out that more deportations are occurring under Obama than Bush, Frum questioned social mobility, Terry Tamminen proposed taxing carbon on a state-by-state basis, and Robert Wright saw humans as a global superorganism.
A particularly foul Hewitt Award here. Yglesias here. Mad Men fodder here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. The latest winner of the window contest here.
Ithaca, New York, 12 pm
Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew sided with Steele against Obama's war in Afghanistan and spotlighted the extremely small number of enemies there. The president was already beating Bush on the budget and his healthcare bill was growing in popularity. Cameron stood tall against torture and the mayor of London stood up for marriage equality. A gay man was slaughtered in Uganda.
In economic coverage, Hale Stewart showed how the recession has been good to business owners, Brad DeLong pushed for another stimulus, Adam Ozimek weighed the pros and cons, and Howard Gleckman took a turn at the question of unemployment benefits and laziness. Josh Green explained how pot propositions help Democrats on the ballot. Thiessen posed as a tea-partier, Larison voted nay on a Palin nomination, and NRO nominated her for RNC chair. Another big dose of Trig talk here.
In media coverage, new details emerged over Weigel-gate, Chris Beam profiled a humble David Brooks, Chait offered his take, Greenwald defended Nazi comparisons, Howard Kurtz outed personal emails again, and Prince proclaimed the end of the Internet. Readers wondered whether to pray for an atheist and sounded off on the evolutionary case against monogamy. Hilarious tech video here and a funny video on "faggots" here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.
Judge Tauro’s opinions invalidate DOMA on two grounds: it invidiously discriminates against same-sex couples in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and it invades states’ prerogative to define marriage in violation of the Tenth Amendment. Jack correctly observed, in this blog and in statements quoted in a front page story in the New York Times, that the second of these is a lousy argument with mischievous implications. But the bad argument is surplusage. The Equal Protection argument is enough to invalidate the law.
The Dish 