At
The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates
takes on Condoleeza Rice with
As Though Iraq Never Happened:
I don't really understand how any editorial by Condoleezza Rice on conflict in Ukraine can fail to directly address the failures of the Iraq War. But here is Rice arguing for American godhead:
The notion that the United States could step back, lower its voice about democracy and human rights and let others lead assumed that the space we abandoned would be filled by democratic allies, friendly states and the amorphous “norms of the international community.” Instead, we have seen the vacuum being filled by extremists such as al-Qaeda reborn in Iraq and Syria; by dictators like Bashar al-Assad, who, with the support of Iran and Russia, murders his own people; by nationalist rhetoric and actions by Beijing that have prompted nationalist responses from our ally Japan; and by the likes of Vladimir Putin, who understands that hard power still matters. [...] |
Condoleezza Rice was an important member of an administration that launched a war on false pretense and willingly embraced torture. This was done in the name of the American people. It takes a particular historical blindness to claim that such actions should have no effect on all our crowing over "democracy and human rights."
War-mongering is self-justifying. If you bungle a war in Iraq, it does not mean you need to sit back and reflect on the bungling. It means you should make more war, lest Iraq become a base for your enemies. If Vladimir Putin violates Ukrainian sovereignty, it is evidence for a more muscular approach. If he doesn't, than it is evidence that he fears American power. [...]
|
Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2010—Local Jobs Proposal Demonstrates Smart Approach:
While the worst of the layoffs in the private sector are over, we're on the cusp of major layoffs, furloughs and paycuts in the public sector as states and municipalities face revenue shortfalls that could total more than $350 billion in the next two years. State and local payrolls have already been trimmed by 191,000 jobs from August 2008 until January 2010. How bad the situation may become is illustrated by a story in the San Francisco Chronicle, which noted that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom issued pink slips Friday to 17,000 of the city's 26,000 workers. Most will be rehired for a shorter workweek amounting to a 6.25% pay cut. Los Angeles has begun cutting 4000 city workers from its payroll. And it's the same from Abilene, Texas, to Columbia, South Carolina.
Rep. George Miller is seeking support in the Democratic Caucus for his Local Jobs for America Act, H.R. 4812, a two-year $100 billion that he hopes will leverage a million public and private sector jobs. It's precisely the kind of medicine the economy needs. But Republicans and deficit hawks among the Democrats aren't likely to find it to their liking.
|
Tweet of the Day:
30% turnout in Sink districts, 50% in Jolly's. That's the story of FL-13. GOTV fail and blown opportunity for Dems. Time to regroup...
— @Alan_Covington
On
today's Kagro in the Morning show, the top Twitter talk of the day: President Obama on Zach Galifiniakis' "Between Two Ferns."
Greg Dworkin discusses, and rounds up the New Yorker's profile of Peter Lanza, a big drop in the health care price index, the latest centrism/whatever tract, Boonstra debunked again, and a study showing pols vastly overestimate their constituents' conservatism. (A built-in boost for Tea Partiers?) Then, a little Twitter-watching of Sen. Feinstein's latest complaints against the CIA. And
Ian Reifowitz to discuss "Why are so many conservative politicians brandishing guns?", and his entry in the "how do we move Dems left" sweepstakes.
High Impact Posts. Top Comments.