Legal Commentary

Best advice (from a GOP perspective) so far in 2008 for the eventual Democratic nominee

By Beldar

Columnist E.J. Dionne, in today's WaPo, gives us an op-ed entitled "A 'Challenge' Worth Challenging," in which he writes:

[O]ne of John McCain's favorite lines ? his declaration that "the transcendent challenge of the 21st century is radical Islamic extremists," or, as he sometimes says, "extremism" ? could define the 2008 election.

Whether McCain is right or wrong matters to everything the United States will do in the coming years. It is incumbent upon McCain to explain what he really means by "transcendent challenge."

Presumably, he's saying that Islamic extremism is more important than everything else ? the rise of China and India as global powers, growing resistance to American influence in Europe, the weakening of America's global economic position, the disorder and poverty in large parts of Africa, the alienation of significant parts of Latin America from the United States. Is it in our national interest for all these issues to take a back seat to terrorism?

There, in three paragraphs, is abundant proof of the power of time and frantic Bush Derangement Syndrome to absolutely block out both the memory of 9/11/01 and the still-looming dangers that terrorists will obtain weapons of mass destruction.

Let's see here, to which of the following worries should I, as a voter in 2008, give a higher priority: That more of my Dell tech support calls in 2009 will be answered by someone in Bangalore instead of Austin? That the newly separated countries formerly known as Belgium may, in 2010, still fail to reliably back U.S.-preferred positions in every E.U. vote on agricultural tariffs? Or that Manhattan, and millions of Americans who live and work there, will suddenly and literally vanish under a radioactive mushroom cloud in 2011?

Oh yes, please. By all means, be it Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, the Democratic standard-bearer ought to follow this advice from Dionne:

A majority of Americans are now prepared to hear (in a way they weren't in, say, 2003) an argument that allowing terrorists and terrorism to define American foreign policy is neither in our interest nor particularly useful in fighting terrorism itself.

From your pen, Dionne, to the Democratic nominee's lips! Yes, let it be so. Let said nominee define American foreign policy under his/her upcoming administration instead as "make everything not-Bush ASAP!" instead of "keep America safe."

Terrorism as the most important domestic security and foreign policy issue? Wow, just as E.J. tells us, that's, like, so 2002!

Surely the Democratic nominee and his/her followers can persuade America that terrorism and even the prospect of millions of us being annihilated really doesn't matter all that much, can't they? Say it with me now, all good Democrats: "Yes! Yes, we can!"

And anyone who argues that we actually need to be concerned that the terrorists will continue to do what they've been doing (making war on us), or do it better and more effectively than even on 9/11/01, as they've continuously declared they intend to do, is just engaged in fascist fear-mongering!

Monger-monger-monger! Yes, that Beldar is one! A fear-monger! Say it with me now, all good Democrats: "Yes, yes he is!" He's a what? "A fear-monger!"

So's John McCain! "Yes! Yes, he is!" What is McCain? Say it with me slowly: "A fear ... MON-ger-r-r-r-r-r!" Non-Hispanic folks, go ahead and practice trilling that final "R" sound, because you'll enjoy it so much more if you do that during the responsive reading portion of the Dem nominee's acceptance speech. Every Spanish language class I've ever been in has dissolved into giggles whenever any of us non-Hispanics try to trill our Rs, and that laughter will help the Democratic Party re-bond and rejoin together, and remind the Latinos that the Democratic Party still thinks it owns their votes relies upon and cherishes them! And yes! Laughter is a weapon against terrorism! And certainly we will be able to keep the nuclear mushroom clouds away from Manhattan if we are all united, not Red America or Blue America, but Oblivious America! Hopeful, oblivious Americans ... United for change ? change from Day One, change you can believe in, change that gives you hope and real hope that's for a real change, not just words of change, but change just like we had in the 1990s! Change back to ... to the thing about which all Democrats can all join hands and rejoice in together: Not-Bush!

(Standing ovation line. Cue the balloon drop! Music up and over ....)

Seriously, with this column, I think Dionne has actually gone all the way around the circle from being a mere "useful idiot" for the terrorists to become such an obvious and spectacular idiot that he might actually be more useful for the GOP.

But what genuinely terrifies me is that in a Democratic administration, particularly an Obama one, this sort of dreck, or similar dreck from the likes of Glenn Greenwald, would pass for intellectual leadership on foreign policy matters.

Full post as published by BeldarBlog on February 19, 2008 (boomark / email).