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What Greenwald Said

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 07:30:17 AM EST
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I agree with every word of this Glenn Greenwald piece. I have nothing to add to it except to say I wish I had written it.

This is an Open Thread.

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    What Greenwald Said | 19 comments (19 topical)

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    i do have something to add, oddly missing (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by cpinva on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 08:19:31 AM EST
    from his piece.

    bush & co. were not, i repeat, WERE NOT acting on my behalf, no matter how much they tell themselves, and others, that they were. i did not vote for him, and i have never voted for anyone i even thought harbored those types of delusions about me.

    perhaps, having been through and survived the cuban missile crisis (at ground zero), it takes more than 9/11 to cause me permanent incontinence, i don't know. i'm sure there were many chicken littles running around loose, especially in the media. however, the CEO of USA, Inc. isn't supposed to be one of them, or even pay them much attention.

    if that's the excuse the bush crowd is using, than they will have the distinction of being possibly the worst leadership of any country, ever, not just in terms our own presidents.

    not to mention (but i will anyway), that they've insulted a huge chunk of the population in the process, and wrongly made us culpable for their actions.

    Acting out of fear (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by ruffian on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 08:55:12 AM EST
    Greenwald nails it. What a great way to make policy.

    The late Rev. William Sloane Coffin (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 10:25:30 AM EST
    once said, "Everyone thinks they're doing the right thing."

    He said it in the context of interpersonal relationships, but it applies pretty much across the board.

    Greenwald totally nails the issue.

    Reading Greenwald's (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by oculus on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 11:11:22 AM EST
    post made me think of the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.  First to the stables at Santa Anita.  Then to some God-forsaken camp.  My friend's parents were fourth and fifth generation Japanese-Americans.

    It seems to me (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by Steve M on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 01:13:36 PM EST
    that a key part of ensuring that we never repeat tragic errors like the internment of Japanese-Americans is that we understand they were not just aberrations carried out by some evil leader whose likes we will never see again.  In fact, the internment was approved by one of our most beloved Presidents, who surely had the best of intentions.  Despite all that, we understand - well at least most of us do - that it was terribly wrong and can never happen again.

    If you accept that Bush's wrongful acts were genuinely well-intentioned efforts to protect the country, that doesn't make them okay.  In fact, it makes it abundantly clear that we need to reach a national consensus that those acts were wrong and can never be allowed to happen again.  On the other hand, if you think Bush did it just because he was a bad guy, the reaction is likely to be "okay, so don't elect any more bad guys," and everyone just moves on without confronting the reality of what happened.

    Parent

    Where is the American public (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by oculus on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 01:17:45 PM EST
    (or at least those who voted against the GOP this election cycle)?  I think at the point of your seentence beginning "on the other hand."

    Parent
    Well, it's important to decide this (none / 0) (#15)
    by ThatOneVoter on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 01:25:14 PM EST
    point.  I think that Bush is a severely disturbed sociopath. If you agree, then we need to understand how such an evil man was elected.
    If there is a continuum between Hitler and FDR,
    do you think Bush is closer to FDR? I don't.

    Parent
    Oh my. (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Fabian on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 11:56:31 AM EST
    They be Loud and Proud over at dkos.  And jest a bit angry too.  
    Some responses:
    [Minimizing] "It's just a prayer.  It doesn't really mean anything."
    [Diversion]  "Hey, we are in the middle of an economic crisis here!  We have more important things to do than deal with your pathetic whining."
    [WORM]  "It's a stroke of genius!  A masterful strategy to reach out!  Obama is awesome!"
    If I had a time machine (none / 0) (#1)
    by Fabian on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 07:54:54 AM EST
    I would send Greenwald back a decade with the fire in the belly he has now.  It could only help.

    someone going to post on Rick Warren? (none / 0) (#2)
    by sarany on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 08:14:41 AM EST
    I would personally like to see a storm of protest on all the liberal blogs about this astonishingly tone deaf and insensitive choice of Obama's.

    I'd like to see (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 10:26:44 AM EST
    somebody start a campaign for people to send shoes to Obama in lieu of actually throwing them at him.

    Parent
    Sign me up (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by andgarden on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 10:59:14 AM EST


    Parent
    The storm is there (none / 0) (#4)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 08:21:43 AM EST
    I just wrote about it obliquely, but to make a different point.

    Parent
    Was it tone deaf? Obama is not dumb. (none / 0) (#11)
    by ThatOneVoter on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 11:51:32 AM EST
    In fact, I think he is trying to play the right wing nutcases by choosing Warren.
    Could it be smart (but nauseating) politics?
    Either that, or Obama really is a degenerate on religious and social issues.
    There's no tone-deafness though.

    Parent
    I just received an email (none / 0) (#10)
    by lilburro on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 11:29:49 AM EST
    via Hillary Clinton's mailing list from Media Matters, signed by James Carville.  It is about keeping the Media honest...

    and it features a picture of Chris Matthews!!

    I really wonder how he plans to pull off a Senatorial campaign.  I hope Hillary refuses to campaign for him.  

    A question....BTD... (none / 0) (#16)
    by oldpro on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 01:35:41 PM EST
    What about this:  "it isn't really anything more than standard American exceptionalism -- more accurately:  blinding American narcissism -- masquerading as a difficult moral struggle."

    Don't I recall that you claimed to believe in American exceptionalism?  I hope I'm misremembering and that you will explain or disabuse me of this notion.

    Greemwald often speaks for me...certainly nails it this time.

    Fake American Exceptionalism (none / 0) (#18)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 08:17:05 PM EST
    TRUE American Exceptionalism demands MORE from the US. it does not excuse criminals.

    Parent
    Hmmm. OK. 'True' AE (none / 0) (#19)
    by oldpro on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 08:44:05 PM EST
    must be rare...it appears Greenwald refers to what you call 'fake AE' as the 'standard AE.'

    Parent
    Adm. Blair for DNI (none / 0) (#17)
    by lilburro on Thu Dec 18, 2008 at 04:20:55 PM EST
    Reuters

    Announcement expected tomorrow.  

    What Greenwald Said | 19 comments (19 topical)

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