From footage from the The Green Room’s Escalation Nation segment:
Sam Donaldson:
“George Will’s gonna vote Democratic in ‘08.”
(snip)
“Did you hear his positions? I mean George Will thinks it’s wrong in Iraq. . . .”
(snip)
[to George Will]: “No, but I couldn’t find much wrong today with what you were saying.”
I guess George Will has joined the Defeatocrats.
In the bit of the This Week show I watched, Will intimated that it was good news that the US was doing so poorly in Iraq and Iran because it was a lesson for the US that it couldn’t control world events.
I wonder why he thinks that anyone needs a lesson that the US can't control world events. I've never heard anyone say we could. But, shouldn’t we at least give it our best shot considering the threat that WMD in the hands of fanatics is to the US--not to mention Islamic terrorism?
One can imagine the modern George Will crowing over bumps in the road for President Reagan’s policy against the “Evil Empire” as a good lesson to the Reagan administration about how the US couldn’t control world events. I mean, dumb Ronald Reagan thought we could actually influence world events and make the Soviet Union crumble.
But, that was another era when “conservative” meant something.
I think Sam Donaldson got it right. It's not that the Left is agreeing with Will, but Will is agreeing with the Democrats and the Left. That's the problem with dancing on the edge of isolationism. Sometimes you step over and find yourself in a whole different crowd.
6 comments:
Will's disagreement stems from a deep Bush hatred, Terrance. He's been this way for awhile now, same as Ingraham, Malkin, Coulter, etc. I was pointing out his jackassery back at Alamo Nation during the Miers nomination.
Hey Terrance, when a bright man like George Will starts agreeing with your despised left-wingers, perhaps you should take note?
Typically we tend to write them off as getting ready to release a book. At least that's what we do with Pat Buchanan, who routinely ratchets up attacks on conservatives about four months before a new book release. Drives up sales from the commies wanting to see a conservative cannibalizing his fellows for some quick cash.
Kaza,
George Will is a bright guy, but there are bright guys all across the spectrum on any given issue.
My point is when someone who under the banner of conservative principles cheered U.S. attempts to control/defeat the Communist bloc in Europe, Asia (if I remember right, Will was against US withdrawal in Viet Nam), and around the world, and now finds problems with going toe to toe with Islamic terrorism, I have questions about what changed in his conservative principles.
Do you agree that he was right to support the war in Viet Nam? If so, it seems to me that there are a lot more positives about the war in Iraq than there were in the war in Viet Nam.
I don't see the conservative principles carrying through in Will's assessment. But, if you do, I'd like to hear how Viet Nam was right and Iraq is wrong.
Thanks for your comment.
George,
Yep. You've been pointing out the errors of people like Will for quite a while. Thanks!
I think some in the conservative "old guard" have lost the will to fight. These guys who fought so hard for staying the course in Viet Nam and winning, and who really seemed to care about the fate of the Vietnamese and the boat people, don't seem at all ashamed at what pulling out of Iraq will do to Iraqi allies. Like the Kurds who have already suffered so much because of our policy ineptness since the first Gulf War.
It's like the Cold War was the war to end all wars to some of these old guard conservatives. They can't get beyond it to see that real danger can come from a source other than a super power.
The argument for pulling out of Iraq is equally good for pulling out of Afghanistan. And, how about pulling out of the Middle East altogether? It's all a quaqmire, isn't it? But, just because something is hard and dangerous doesn't mean it shouldn't be attempted.
It's fine by me if Will wants to embrace Leftist principles. But, it is hypocritical for him to denounce the "neo-cons" for not really being conservatives at the same time that he's shucking his own arguments for involvement in previous wars.
Actually if Will were a "true" conservative... wouldn't he have been against outspending the Soviets on nukes (ergo wining the Cold War) because of all the spending? ;)
Terrance I will be answering Mr. Will's latest bout of jackassitis Wednesday at Alamo Nation. And bring a sack lunch - it's a long one.
George,
Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking forward to the post. The longer--the better. Go get him!
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