Mr. Klein and Beltway seriousness;

1. "you study the facts on the ground"

Well, just a few weeks prior to invasion UN weapons inspectors were actually Inspecting and studying the facts on the ground. They found none. Certainly nothing that would/could be a overt (or even covert) threat to the U.S. In fact, contrary to what the Bush Adm. and MSM claimed, I would venture to say U.S. intelligence indicated no wmd threat from Iraq, either. At least, I have seen no U.S. intelligence (to date) to Support such an invasion?

What "facts on the ground" was Mr. Klein studying?

2. "you study the history"

Har. ...well, in the year 1273(ad) Rumi said... oh, never mind. I doubt before the war Mr. Klein knew the pertinent differences between a Shite/Sunni, especially in relation to Iraq. Let alone the historical significance of Islam in that troubled region.

3. "you take into account opinions on all sides..."

Is this a joke of some kind? I am sure Mr. Klein is referring to 'left/right'/'D or R' opinions, but the truth is these opinons do not the world revolve around.

The vast majority of World Opinion did not, does not, support this war in Iraq. There was no United Nations mandate. In fact, I would suppose the Iraq war stands in stark contradiction to the United States stated obligations to the UN.

This kind of "serious" people need to put down the gun before they shoot someone... else.

Regards,

bah.

Centrist! 'There is not a Republican/Democrat/white/black of America - there is the United States of America' (paraphrase, Obama. which I think is pretty dang Centrist?)

Scattered thoughts;

Chris Matthews (who reminds me of Tim Russert) eats 'this thing' up with a spoon. Politicks is his life. The dirty'er the better.

It's all they know, the dirty business of politicks. They love it. They have no other reference point of view. Who listens to these numb-skulls?

Matthews/S. Hayes - 'all around tough guys'? Yeah, and grandma always said i should get a pencil job too. (*btw. I checked out the Weekly Standard. It's not much of a standard either.)

Listen here Glenn: People (which includes Americans) are intrinsically Good, not Bad People. (I have the data to prove it.)

Americans support Obama's pro-diplomacy because they are (given an 'unfettered' political marketplace) Fair, Free-minded and value democratic principles. The problem is; "spending your life and career rooted in [well-fettered] Media and political circles" ... will rot your brain out.

'...and if I never have a dime,

I'll be rich as Rockafeller,

gold dust at my feet,

on the sunny side of the street.'

Unfetteredly yours,

bah.

~aside. Windows pop-up; Windows detects a 'script' error on page and it hurts my motor to go so slow.

I can't say if you are 'right or wrong' concerning the drivel @ModerationInAll, but I, too, have noticed some rather oddly-intense-insider-Salon-commentor-personal... stuff. %^)

...and, can't speak for bebop-o, but thanks to all for the pc help.

brightly,

bah.

Muddy Waters. ...not the singer, just that the referenced NYT's op-ed, "A War We Just Might Win", muddies the already muddy waters. (O'Hanlan see Also, "The River Runs Yellow", by Who P. Freely.)

The problem is Canada never possessed WMD threat, was connected to 9/11 or Al Qaeda.

O'Hanlan (et ilk) is so full of it... it boggles even Glenn's noggin.

Glenn asks: "What is the most vivid and compelling evidence of how broken our political system is? It is those who urged us into war..." Hush: they have you so pissed-off you are not thinking clearly.

It is the hundreds of thousands of dead and the millions more displaced and homeless, the entire mid-east region in turmoil while the rest of the world looks on in fear, the vast increase of terrorism, the clear over-bearing over-tones of religious extremism, the lack of serious and intelligent debate and reason and the destablization of the world's diplomatic machinery - the diplomatic machinery created (ironically, a U.S. idea to 'spread the ideas of freedom and democracy' around the world!) to stop international conflicts Short of War.

And here Glenn states: "As the failure of the war became manifest in late 2004 and into 2005, O'Hanlan began...and did not object to it until the war failed"

Glenn: the war *failed* when 'those who urged us into', did so falsely - either through ignorance or deception. Either way, it was a failed strategy.

I would agree with those who suggest we just can't leave Iraq, cold. I doubt that is even possible in "todays world"! Imo, just as we 'informed' the world we were going to war (whether the world agreed or not) in Iraq, we must now make clear to the world that we are leaving Iraq. We should;

1. set a firm (logistically reasonable) date for withdrawal. And,

2. Ever so HUMBLY Offer the world community our services - both militarily and economically - under an appropriate (read; Legal) United Nations mandate. This, imho, would be a position of strength, not weakness.

jello,

bah.

The American Publishing Company

Then Bliss and the American Publishing Company came forward and established the fact that they had discovered me, later that they had created me, therefore that some more gratitude was due. ...

Webb believed that he was a literary person. He might have gotten this superstition accepted by the world if he had not extinguished it by publishing his things. They gave him away. His prose was enchantingly puerile, his poetry was not any better, yet he kept on grinding out his commonplaces at intervals until he died two years ago of over-cerebration. He was a poor sort of a creature and by nature and training a fraud. As a liar he was well enough and had some success but no distinction, because he was a contemporary of Elisha Bliss and when it came to lying Bliss could over-shadow and blot out a whole continent of Webbs like a total eclipse.

*Mark Twain, about circa 1868