This morning "the gang;" Mika, Barnicle, Meacham and Haas had a great time reviling a fuzzy faced Iranian who was dumb enough to walk into the ambush. This fellow sounded off with the predictable anti-American, anti-Israeli "party line." At the same time he managed to say that although Iran thinks Israel is a bad idea (like Belgium?) Iran would accept any deal that the Palestinians made. "Ah! You see! He does not accept Israel's right to exist! You see!" It did not matter at all that the the man had just said that Iran would like to see Jews, Christians and Muslims live in peace together.
The point?
Perception management is so successful that we Americans just don't listen anymore. pl
PS Does anyone remember that the US refused to recognize various countries, i.e.; China, or Vietnam for decades at a time.
So PL why not ask your readers for their top ten in a list of ingredients not for holiday cooking (plse keep that also) in a new NATIONAL FOREIGN POLICY STRATEGY of the USA.
My lead off would be defend the 1st Amendment in all foreign relations. And rights of women.
And the windup would be no sale of conventional weapons without approval of Congress unless to treaty allies.
Posted by: William R. Cumming | 17 November 2011 at 02:59 PM
when i read the words "fuzzy faced Iranian," of course, i immediately thought of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuzzy_logic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotfi_Zadeh
the subtlety of the Persicos. Sometimes it's not hot nor cold b/ warm.
Posted by: WILL | 17 November 2011 at 05:10 PM
1. Reduce our conventional military overseas foot print by 50%.
2. Reduce our nuclear strategic force to 1500 warheads. If we can't blow them back to hell with 1500 warheads then we are all in sorry shape.
3. Rename State the Foggy Bottom Zoo and charge admission.
4. Zero Tolerance for stupid (NEOCON) wars. Besides we are broke!
5. Ensure that all of our Allies have signed the bottom line to all treaties... This includes Israel. Otherwise no moolah, cabbage, cash or weapons!
6. Get rid of SOLIC or at best rein it in...
7. Actually play the honest broker in the Middle East!
8. Protect the rights of women and children (both abroad and at home)...
9. Stop screwing around with USAID during a disaster (Haiti comes to mind) and have the US Military take the logistics/control lead!
10. Speaking of Haiti...Make Haiti a US Territory then send in the Marines and clean it up, get real help to rebuild and reestablish that Country politically then give it its independence. For crying out loud we Americans should be ashamed!!!
Posted by: Jake | 17 November 2011 at 07:52 PM
Jake
#6 interests me since I was short listed for the job until the Ziocons put their oar in. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 17 November 2011 at 09:00 PM
Colonel,
If you had gotten that position I actually believe that it would have been the worse decision you had ever made. Especially during the Clinton/Bush years...
Posted by: Jake | 18 November 2011 at 08:31 AM
jake
yes. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 18 November 2011 at 08:54 AM
Pat Lang,
I concur. I watched the show and saw that the others around the table were spouting a party line. Haas is unbelievable, in the true sense of the word. I'm glad I no longer am a member of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.
WPFIII
Posted by: William P. Fitzgerald III | 18 November 2011 at 09:55 AM
Jake! Thanks for your list! Note we are more than willing to drown Haitians but not Cubans or shoot Mexicans. Perhaps some could explain to me why that difference? Is it because the Haitians and yellow fever beat Napoleon and became the very first nation-state peopled by blacks?
And the feds are now rewriting post-earthquake history and explaining all they "did" for Haiti!
Posted by: William R. Cumming | 18 November 2011 at 10:01 AM
$30 Billions in aid :(
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/11/dnc-chairwoman-seeks-to-outflank-perry-and-romney-on-the-right-on-aid-to-israel.html
She is as bad as the Congresswoman from Florida !
Posted by: The beaver | 18 November 2011 at 10:37 AM
No, no-one remembers, besides, that was different. When did you stop beating your wife? blah blah blah, sorry outta time we'll be right back.
How do you argue with that?
And it's not a matter of not listening.
Everyone I know has very firm, some fervent, feelings if not opinions. Particularly about economics and politics and the actual doings and sayings of our nabobs. About 85% of them are virtually wholly unencumbered by relevant factual underpinnings as they make ends meet. They are prepared to unequivocally opine, when provoked, as mere engagement is impracticable, with a universal authority that baffles any factual or merely logical argument.
Its not just the absence of reality say, of Chinese nuclear weapons did I hear that right?
It is the widespread positive inculcation of grossly stereotypical counter-factual models sufficient to both insulate the receiver from argument and render emotional attachment to gibberish worthy of avid assertion, indeed, reflexively imperative and rewarding.
It is the stuff we gnash our teeth over here often. It is a mighty and sustained conquering of cognitive dissonance as I understand the term. At least in the audience. Gormless hacks I don't know what they must truly know or think.
Anyway surely all of those think tanks and MSM and talking heads are not just figments of my reptilian brain stem.
Posted by: Charles I | 18 November 2011 at 07:50 PM
It appears that Rep. Wasserman is attempting to make the unofficial aid amount ($26B) official ($30B) and a part-n-parcel cornerstone to our U.S. ME Foreign Policy with regards to the backstabbing postage stamp known as current state of Israel as it now stands. The current unofficial ($26B) with a cover of $3.075 official. Sad, soo sad that Mom & Pop America has to shoulder such an unnecessary burden as Israel.
Israel is a tightwad rich postage stamp that can fund their own nation, and they really don't need financial/military aid/help from U.S. to do it.
Posted by: J | 18 November 2011 at 08:49 PM
Col. sir,
I'm (no fan of either the pretentious ragheads or the israeli neo-con pricks) kinda glad now I don't have cable access to TV programs in the U.S.
As if the inane bull I see on TV my side of the hemisphere doesn't give me an awful morning already.
Happy that I've become a coffee drinker thanks to the old lady who brought me up. Healthy alternative to drown my sorrows, seeing how sh**y the world is (always been this way?)
Posted by: Discourses | 18 November 2011 at 11:24 PM
WRC...
I am very perplexed on why we have not once again made Haiti a de jure US protectorate.... Not like we did back in 1915 either. We are much smarter I think today. We do have an American as it President now. The US Marines are still today held in high regard with Haitian nationals.
We are more than willing to import our brand of democracy to countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. Screw with Syrian and Iran. Run into the middle of Africa with SF to chase a bunch of bandits. But Haiti? Hell why screw with something like Haiti? Its only on our door step and in the middle of drug running Caribbean! Whats the big deal with a bunch of poor black folk who are controlled by a bunch of rich folk.... Maybe that is the problem?
Of course there are no Haitians in the US Senate and their US lobby plainly sucks. So there we have it, in my humble opinion.
Posted by: Jake | 19 November 2011 at 08:03 PM
Na, they do not have oil (in Haiti) or anything else of value.
Posted by: Babak Makkinejad | 20 November 2011 at 11:38 AM
Haiti doesn't even have topsoil.
Posted by: optimax | 21 November 2011 at 02:15 AM