Discussing Bush's speech at IFF
Joost Hiltermann, Reidar Visser, Patrick Lang, Howard Zinn, and I are all discussing the Prez's speech over at this discussion zone established by the Institute for the Future of the Book.
I'm pretty sure more people will join the discussion as we progress. Actually, what we really need are some folks prepared to go there and articulate the best kinds of defense the Prez might mount against what for now looks like a barrage of criticism. (Should I play "Devil's Advocate", I wonder?)
It's an interesting format they have at IFF (and still to be further refined, I think.) My colleagues have all posted some excellent contributions. General readers may-- or may not?-- also be allowed to contribute. Sorry, I'm not quite clear about that, yet.
Helena,
Please try to get into your discussion the classic case of double-bind schizophrenia in which the American Lunatic Leviathan now finds itself. A root discontinuity in American policy now mindlessly prolongs American and Iraqi agony in Iraq -- the same one that perpetuated American and Vietnamese agony in Vietnam three decades ago. On the one hand, the American Lunatic Leviathan has said that it can't quit wrecking a third-world country that never attacked America because to stop wrecking it would bring about more wreckage. On the other hand, the Lunatic Leviathan says that if its installed and illegitimate bad puppet doesn't wreck itself so that America doesn't have to the dirty, pointless deed, then the Lunatic Leviathan might leave and stop wrecking the place. Welcome to the solipsistic, schizophrenic, double-thinking, Kissinger-advised mind of Lyndon Milhous Bush.
I can't read the panel's comments because a good part of the text is off the edge of my screen and it won't move over. Bummer.