I read the post of Glenn last eve. Of course respected Paul Rosenbergs post-letter-comment @ 5:47 and wanted to not go bonkers. Last night I dreamed I "fell-out" with the President and Glenn and sat in jail all lonesome failing in my pursuits to Kim Doan. Kim is the lady who lost homes, laundromat, and in excess of $300,000 plus $80,000 fees-outstanding. Kim eventually lost hope and "blamed" me for making mistakes in my lay advocacy role? People need to blame? I blame the Mr Bush Administration.

Back on topic wisely- Politics has to be, I guess. I shrink from any job where a person needs to know how to be one. I've put my own foot in my mouth and felt the disgust of a unwashed foot or tongue.

I only read one book about what mess would spill from the cupcake tin if Bush invaded even Afghanistan. "Jihad- The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia." Ahmed Rasshid wrote "Taliban" which was a NYT bestseller. Rt/Lf (?), he forewarned of only horror and upheavals, and NO good outcomes. He was interviewed on NPR which got me interested in the read. I do have objection, doubts, even a bit of real disgust in these times we share.

* FREE SPEECH* "parrhesia" is a interesting word. It can be used in the context of 'pneuma' BREATH of fresh air in relation to a intimacy notion of sharing bread with a person or a god Deity. Parrhesia, I've read, is to be in quiet contemplation and willing to act when conveniently in relation to the privileged and fact, we are citizens needing to speak our free mind in general assemblies. The state in Greek societies required people to dutifully address the Greek city state. America is in sad shape. I did read the suggested piece Glenn recommended. I'd make a terrible politician and need to rent a foul foot so I could walk into court?

I am so happy to have found the community with drunks, military patriots, bakers, timber cutters, those who sneer best and still retain a pleasant manner, environmentalist, tatter pickers, and so many lovable character/critters. A God would say, Love 'um all.

Honest. Thanks.

My hands have shed blood. In naivety, in an attempt to do what was right, my heart has been broke. I've closed the stiffened jaw of a dead man I loved and he hated war. The dead persons breath, immediately at the moment of the last exhalation can smell like pure sweet babies breath. You anti-war advocates of peace are sweet, dear, and thanks. I inhale. I carry your thoughts and sentiments (pneuma) with me. Thanks for enriching me. Gads. Often I'll dream of you..in "fig leaf" and "aprons" coming off after some pleasant wine to lift spirits and lighten the heart...a take the edge off/keep the clothes on too, especially on the court day walk to where? I say silly words of innocent endearment too...Peace. gads. frankly. I say it is all your fault for being wonderful. no be pitted against each other all day. O, fig. You know. How does one keep secrets? I hear the bird chip now, 'hush'...ya' in enough trouble as it is and ya' no focus good and no like lawyers? yep. no. yes.

My hands have shed blood. In naivety, in an attempt to do what was right, my heart has been broke.

Look within, and know yourself; there you will find the divine, and absolution. The only law is the law of love; you must love the one, yourself, and others. To love the ineffable one is not hard, and to love others is not hard once you see we all contain a spark of the divine. To love one's self is harder I find; may you find your way.

The Foreign Policy Elite

One of the best movie depictions of these Serious Thinkers is the character of Professor Groeteschele played by Walter Matthau in the 1964 film Fail Safe. The opening sequence with Matthau in his tuxedo entertaining other guests at a tony dinner party which has lasted all night with theoretical discussions about thermonuclear war is, I suspect, rather on the money.

-- Diana Powe

I haven't scrolled past this comment so it may have already been mentioned but both Dr. Strangelove and Prof. Groeteschele were said to be patterned after RAND corporations Herman Kahn.

Kahn was reportedly one of the models for Dr. Strangelove from Stanley Kubrick's film of the same name, released in 1964 (other prominent influences were Edward Teller, Robert McNamara, and Wernher von Braun). It was said that Kubrick immersed himself in On Thermonuclear War and insisted that the film's producer also read it. Furthermore, Kubrick actually met Kahn personally, and Kahn gave him the idea for the Doomsday Machine, which would immediately destroy the entire planet in the event of a nuclear attack. In the film, Dr. Strangelove, portrayed by Peter Sellers (who also portrayed United States President Merkin Muffley and British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake) refers to a report on the Doomsday Machine by the "BLAND Corporation." The Doomsday Machine is precisely the sort of destabilizing tactic that Kahn himself sought to avert, since its only purpose was a threat or bluff rather than actual military application.

Also based upon Kahn was Walter Matthau's maverick character Professor Groteschele in Fail-Safe, in which a nuclear crisis forces the President (played by Henry Fonda) to order the U.S. Air Force to bomb New York in order to avert an all-out nuclear war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Kahn

You will find his "escalation ladder" here.

http://www.texaschapbookpress.com/magellanslog41/escalation.htm

American FP Doctrine since he outlined it.

Can’t tell if Glen is being willfully ignorant, uncharacteristically clueless, or just plain afraid, but Greenwald’s and Power’s premise, and this statement in particular: “As Powers points out, the Foreign Policy Community has proven itself to be reckless, irresponsible and deeply unserious.” misses the elephant in the room: the US “Foreign Policy Community” is none of those things if Powers and Greenwald stop ignoring the motivating influence of Israeli hawks driving American foreign policy. Under a violent militarist pro-Israel motivation, the actions of the US “Foreign Policy Community” and the US government abuse of the US military under bush, both make perfect sense. In other words, the US foreign policy under bush, and actions of both the liberal and conservative Washington foreign policy “think tanks” are all perfectly logical and consistent as enablers of a hawkish Israeli foreign policy.

The alignment of US foreign policy with the single dimension, military-as-only-solution Israeli foreign policy are undeniable. As ugly and taboo as this truth is, it is something that left blogostan ought to be putting “on the table” if they want to be honest, complete, and be true to the self-professed claim to be the realty-based community. It is way too corroborating of otherwise confounding behavior to not be able to even mention it as a possible motivating factor for the foreign policy “unseriousness” of the bush years.

Let the flaming begin.