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• Monday, July 28, 2008 07:11 AM

  Supreme lack of self-awareness

  Wow, Diehl's utter lack of self-awareness is staggering. However, I think we should borrow his phrase of "legal nihilism" because it fits so well with what has been happening, as noted by Glenn, with the full admiration of the WaPoo editorial pages.

  I coincidentally happen to be reading the chapters on Russia in Shock Doctrine. It probably shouldn't be surprising that Diehl would have his knickers in a knot over the possible seizing of oil companies by Russia, given that he undoubtedly was cheering on the privatization of these same companies under reckless conditions in the early 1990's. As Klein notes, these and other state-owned firms were virtually given away through the rapid establishment of "private" banks which were given state money to get them established. These banks then presided over the "auction" of the state firms and made sure that theirs were the winning bids, effectively buying the firms with money they never earned. Of course, the roles of the IMF and World Bank, acting as proxies for the US, in prescribing these "cures" for the fledgling Russian economy should not be overlooked.

  Offtrack (but only sort of): my post this morning at Achieving Our Country describes John McCain's role in enabling torture while being used as a pawn by the Bush Administration. Click on my name.

  —Jim White Read Jim White's other letters
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