"It would be easy to think that Matthews is just one Scotch away from becoming Ron Burgundy."
That was Jon Stewart a couple of nights ago on the subject of the egregious Christopher Matthews. This bon mot was called forth by Matthews' idiotic statement after the State of the Union address that for an hour he didn't "see" the president as "black." Racist? No, just a reflection of an attitude so patronizing and paternalistic toward African-Americans that it has become reflexive. Matthews says that the radical Republicans of 150 years ago are his heroes. I believe that. I also believe that he is just as narrow minded and hostile towards anyone who disagrees with him as they were.
Lately, I have been having a good deal of interaction with various parts of the executive branch of the federal government. The most interestig thing that I have noticed in these dealings is the manner in which people in the assorted circles of interest and activity have adapted to the idea of unending war as a mode of existence. To that end giant structures of expenditure have been built. This is largely evidence of the human tendency to believe that whatever is, will continue indefinitely. It is not really a plutocratic plot. I know that is an unsatisfactory answer to many of you, but.....
I have seen this adaptive behavior before. The Vietnam adventure lasted 12 or 13 years depending on how you calculate. After the first 5 or 6 years much the same thing happened. People came to believe that the war in Southeast Asia would go on forever. I remember many discussions with colleagues, both military and civilian in which it was argued that the war would last 25 years (meaning forever). Various reasons were cited; profits, graft, promotion, ideology, etc. All of that was wrong. In the end, the American people were convinced by skilled propaganda and political operations that the war could not be won. When that happened, all the rest that happened was just a "summing up." Sorry, that's the way I see it.
Now, the giant, ponderous, slow moving governmental, business and academic structures that have been grown to support "the long war" are self aware mature bureaucracies. Self defense is their first imperative.
Some of the more intelligent among the denizens of those worlds can conceive of a time when the takfiri jihadis will be largely killed by JSOC and the like and the inchoate mass of Muslims who give the terrorists a modicum of support will have decided that they can wait for what they think of as "justice."
Against that day some thought is being given to alternative "threats." pl
