Sipping the Koolaid

"A bold proposal comes from my friend in Iraq, who knows the security situation there intimately. He argues that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki should move his government's 27 ministries, which increasingly are operating in the Green Zone, out into the city. The Iraqi army would protect each outpost of the government, aided by U.S. teams. "The population needs to see there is a government that has the courage to reclaim the city, one district at a time."

My friend likens the current frantic pace in the Green Zone to people in socks trying to run on a slick linoleum floor. "There is a lot of activity, but very little forward motion," he writes. "Hope is not a strategic plan, and the status quo is unacceptable.""  Ignatius 

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Well, that is not going to happen.   Al-Maliki knows that if he did what Ignatius suggests (presumably in a Koolaid induced ecstatic state), then he and his playmates would be the "headless horsemen" of Baghdad in short order.

Tom Friedman (Mr. Flatearth) and David Ignatius appear to be persistent, if somewhat uncommitted, Koolaid tipplers. 

They seem to be disappointed that the Utopian dream of the neocons has come to so little and is in fact is wrecking the societies to which it has been applied for "actualization."  The stubbornness of the Muslims in refusing the gift of "progress" is evidently unaccountable in the context of the "obvious" benefits offered by globalization and inclusion in the "World Culture."   These noted journalists are apparently downcast by the "mugging" that real diversity is inflicting on their view of how things "ought to be."

This understandable depression is, at times, relieved for them by trips to the Koolaid vat in Iraq or in the bosom of the "true believers."  These "treatments" can be charted in the ups and downs in levels of optimism in their writing.

Ignatius clearly needs another Power Point briefing on the subject.

Pat Lang

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060601396.html

Comments

[john pfeifler]

I read his article this morning with a sense of amusement. Seems quite a number of former yes men have begun to reassess their unquestioning support for Mr. Bush. Reminds me of a ten-step program for recovering addicts. At least they (David and Tom)seem to be making the first step. As an aside, are Power Point presentations an adequate substitute for neocon koolaid?

[Fred]

Its easy to be brave with other men's lives. Too bad those who never served have not listened to those who have.

[W. Patrick Lang]

john

They seem to be used to present the distilled essence of neoconthink. pl

[Eric]

Colonel Lang,

It appears you dined on a generous portion of snark this morning.

[W. Patrick Lang]

Eric

Woof! pl

[Curious]

If one follow how effective and bold recent al qaeda tacitc (that is to kill civilian to increase sectarian division. eg. killing students, kidnapping people in broad daylights)

all those are designed to a.) underminded government authority b.) increase social tension a great deal c.) actually kill segment of society that create stability.

It's classic intel operation to create social instability. I bet it's in everybody's operation manual chapter 1. page 1.

obviously by now, nothing changes. (including this "new" government. New to whom exactly, that a big laugh. Do these people actually believe putting same type of illegitimate schmos are going to change thing? We've been going through this how many times? 4? 5 times?)

amazing. simply amazing.

By early winter. we gonna do exact same stupid thing AGAIN. exactly the same, just with different clowns and more dead bodies on top of it.

[Curious]

Well, it was a nice hope for 2 days. Now it all back to square one again.

CAN't this people NEGOTIATE at all? This is friggin' diplomacy 101.

I bet these idiots are the type who keep getting gipped at the flea market while thinking he just get bargain of the century. ffs. seriously, how many idiots do we have up there anyway?

Rule:
1. Nobody TALK/make a peep about anything EXCEPT the guy in charge. (but we got Condi in charge. so that pretty much fubar)

2. Bargain behind door. No effing around using fox news, AP, the blog, rear ends, spies, media hacks, confidential sources, and other stupid media trick. CLEAN deal or nothing.

3. Either make a deal or DON'T. stop effing around like a junior high prom queen. (the point is, there is a long term strategic calculation to be made.)

4. Lying, empty threat, bluffing, CYA are getting old. Everybody knows the neocon bunch can't hack it when push come to shove beyond media propaganda. So either somebody be the adult or at least people on the ground will know where to stand in term of long term strategy.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060607/ts_nm/nuclear_iran_dc_95

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told Reuters suspension is a "firm condition" of the major powers' offer to begin negotiations aimed at persuading Iran to abandon its weapons-related activities and "that condition would have to hold throughout any potential negotiations."

"The suspension of all enrichment-related activity is at the core of what the international community is asking Iran to do," he added.

[zanzibar]

Friedman is such a pompous guy. I never got all his "world is flat" theories. The problem with all these guys are their theories are always the flavor of the month. With all the IT outsouring to India and manufacturing to China, Friedman was big on the bandwagon. Wait until that model breaks down as it will inevitably and Friedman will then be on the next fad as gospel. It reminds me of the late 80s when Japan was riding high and buying up trophy properties in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Hawaii. 15 years later the Nikkei is still 60% below its 1989 high.

His theories about the Middle East during the build up to the Iraq invasion was so incredulous. These guys show up in these countries, stay in the top international hotels, meet a few elites hear their spin and then spout "truisms".

The vast majority of the pundit class have no deep experience in any of the issues they expound on. With "access journalism" and being on the "celebrity" cocktail circuit the primary focus, disinformation has many "credible" outlets.

[wtofd]

"Ignatius clearly needs another Power Point briefing on the subject."

Ahahahahaha! Brilliant.

[Babak Makkinejad]

All:

These two fellows are journalists not analysts. They are entertaining and thus they can help sell news papers. You have to accept them for what they are and not expect too much from them.