Sunday Afternoon Sullivan Dope Slap
Just for fun. Protein Wisdom re what a moron Andrew Sullivan is for thinking, breathlessly, that 50 long-term bases = empire. Karl wonders what Sullivan thinks multiple bases for six decades in Japan, Germany, South Korea equals. He left out Spain, Italy, Diego Garcia, Australia, the Philippines, etc. But the Sullivan piece is actually more deeply moronic than that:
From the current issue, Ross’s take on Bush’s legacy:
Bush’s hopes for vindication depend on the Middle East’s following a gradual, Fukuyaman track toward free markets, democratic government, and the “end of history.” And just as crucially, they depend on American troops’ staying in Iraq for as long as it takes for that to happen. If these events come to pass—if the Iraq of 2038 or so is stable, democratic, and at peace with its neighbors, and if American troops have maintained a constant presence in the country—no one should be surprised to hear hawkish liberals as well as conservatives taking up the idea that George W. Bush deserves a great deal of the credit.
It seems to me that if a policy can only be judged from the vantage point of thirty years into the future, the possibility of any sane or rational judgment of it as we decide is impossible. Such time-lines make such decisions close to meaningless, and remove all proximate responsibility for those making them. If Iraq does end up as Ross and I hope, I see no reason to congratulate George W. Bush for botching the start of it.
I’ll be charitable and presume that Sullivan thinks free markets, democratic government, etc., are good things for the Middle East. A bit of a stretch as it is impossible to tell what Sullivan thinks is a good idea these days … everything and nothing. However, any action taken to effect same will only be supported if it leaves intacts dictatorships that cannot be gently coaxed into self-removal; does not encounter difficulties; and entails universal likeage of us.
Topics: moronocy
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 5:28 pm on Sunday, June 1, 2008
8 Responses to “Sunday Afternoon Sullivan Dope Slap”
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June 1st, 2008 at 6:16 pm
The United States is not an empire. It is *something*, though, far beyond a simple sovereign nation - I just don’t think we have an agreed name for it yet. Pax Americana accurately describes the result, but does not define the thing itself.
June 1st, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I can remember when Andrew Sullivan was worth reading. Now he just annoys me.
June 1st, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I stopped reading Sullivan years ago. The man is suffering from dementia.
June 1st, 2008 at 8:30 pm
If Obama - or whoever Sullivan endorses in the future - supports having 10000 bases in Iraq, he’ll support that position if it furthers Sullivan’s larger interests.
Sullivan will, in other words, use the views of any person at any time as long as it forwards his worldview. Even if he dismissed that person previously.
Yesterday someone is gobsmackingly vile; today he or she is used as authoritative voice.
That’s his M.O.
June 1st, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Sullivan’s bum boys have to take a share of the blame for his present mental state.
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:34 am
“it is impossible to tell what Sullivan thinks is a good idea”
The last time I read his bilge, what he thought was a good idea would make most of us heteronormative types toss our cookies.
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:58 am
If you disagree with Sullivan, you must hate gay people. Andrew told me so himself. Also, if you think we should stick it out until we win in Iraq, you must hate gay marriages. Again, I heard it from Andy.
I forgot to mention, Andrew Sullivan is gay. Weird that he makes such a big deal about it though.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:45 am
Andrew Sullivan Syndrome (ASS) is an exalted manifestation of Bush Derangement. Beware the true believer’s disenchantment! He was blind, but now he sees. Narcissists are at high risk for this cognitive disorder; onset is typically preceded by an outraged sense of personal betrayal, followed by a form of political disassociation known colloquially as jumping the shark. Confirmed ASS suffragettes (ASSs) include Peggy Noonan and Scott McClellan. While they pose no serious threat to others, anecdotal evidence suggests that the emblematic impairment of ASSs’ logical brain function is organic and likely to be irreversible.