Miracle Cure?
Anti-war scribbler goes to Iraq, starts to get it. Fascinating, if foul-mouthed “Open letter to a craven reporter in Iraq” at Huffington Post denounces a lefty darling’s agenda-driven reporting, praises the military’s practical approach, talks about some harsh facts on the ground, and speaks out for doing the right thing by the Iraqi people. Sort of an updated, extended-play dance mix of “Holiday in Cambodia.” We’ll kick it off with his closer, but you’ll want to go read it yourself.
I’m phobically allergic to the conservative Republican types the military is rife with, but I’ve only been in country four months and already I hate liberals.
With a nod to Bruce at Maggie’s Farm, who has some background and links.
G’day Instapundit, etal. Always so good to see you. Happy Presidents Day.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 3:22 pm on Sunday, February 15, 2009
11 Responses to “Miracle Cure?”
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February 15th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
The U.S. is an empire and the Iraq debacle is evidence of 21st century imperialism, no doubt. I still don’t think we should be here. But that debate became passé six years ago. Now it’s a question of how soon the U.S. gets out and what happens before and after it does. I’ve met too many good and decent people here to write this place off, smart and hard working Iraqis that want and deserve a first-world existence.
I didn’t find this particularly instructive, being the words of an avowed Marxist who’s still reluctant to see the whole picture. Yes, S. D. Siddick has been mugged by reality. But he needs a few more years of growing up and assimilating what he’s seen before he abandons worthless Marxism and its attendant juvenile stupidity. Plus, he needs a thorough course in English vocabulary.
February 15th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Actually his vocabulary will deliver his unwanted message to those who would reject his observations summarily. Clothing his argument in liberalisms is the exact methodology needed to maintain the readers attention till the time comes to analyze what was said, and how it stacks up with received (liberal) knowledge.
Don’t get me wrong RebeccaH, I would prune the vocabulary, but he has to deal with linguistic non-gardeners. ;-) Now if you’ll excuse me, after the excursion to the H’ Post I think I’ll take a shower.
February 15th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
But he’s been mugged and is now reflecting on the results of that mugging. Perhaps in time that little seed will germinate into a fully developed plant.
He’s right, of course, that Iraq will be an Arab democracy, whatever that turns out to be. The best we can do is see that it arrives at it’s destination as a result of a decision by it’s citizens. That alone will be a dawning of a new age in the ME.
respects,
February 16th, 2009 at 1:24 am
[...] piece is called “Open Letter to a Craven Reporter in Iraq” (H/T Jules Crittenden and Maggie’s Farm), and it lives up to the title. I give this guy about eight years before [...]
February 16th, 2009 at 9:42 am
[...] piece is called “Open Letter to a Craven Reporter in Iraq” (H/T Jules Crittenden and Maggie’s Farm), and it lives up to the title. I give this guy about eight years before [...]
February 16th, 2009 at 11:10 am
[...] on the article from brother Jules, who calls it “Sort of an updated, extended-play dance mix of ‘Holiday in [...]
February 16th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Oh my, liberal fratricide.
February 16th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Hey, Shane is a really old friend of mine and a former grad student in English. he speaks the tongue better than most.
Look, hes an old school reporter, and as an investigative reporter in the MSM, I can tell you we need a lot more like him. He went somewhere and reported by getting to know the people making the place run. More than that, he opened his eyes, and after a fashion, his heart.
More importantly, we may not like his political orientation, but the plain and direct fact of the matter is that we on the right really should be a bit more humble. Iraq was not sold to the American people as a 6 year war entailing nearly 40k in dead and wounded and hundreds of billions in cost.
the guy came to see a certain rough truth emerging from a chaos; we should be tolerant and respectful of that, knowing full well his rarity, as well as out own faults in the matter.
February 16th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
@Mcgruder: You’re making sense. I think that Jules’ comment is more rhetorical; we haven’t seen much of that kind of internecine food fight in journalism over the last few years, and perhaps we should. There has been a trickle of posts and columns by guys who are struggling to match their observations with The Narrative, and the response among the crowd I’m in is pretty respectful and positive. More importantly, when reading something like this I’ll be more receptive to listen to things I might *not* agree with because it’s not just some guy shouting a preset talking point at me.
@Jules, Thanks much for this. I’ll get the popcorn.
February 16th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Chap brings the PC: extra irony on mine, please. Enjoyed your take at your link above. Re the guy’s Marxist anti-warism, not a big issue if he’s ready to get it where it matters. Awakening is a marvelous thing to behold. Re foulmouthed on-the-ground thing, been there, done that. Ultimately ineffective but is as noted above the lingua franca in some quarters.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Jules, you and I both know that everyone in the military lives like a Marxist and thinks of war as a pacifist.
Except the sociopaths. They start blogging.