The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Glenn Greenwald vs. Andrew Sullivan

Posted on | October 3, 2010 | 28 Comments

Two of the biggest hysterics on the ‘Net have gotten into a squabble that began last week with a dispute over President Obama’s anti-terrorism policies.

We pause to ask the important question: Who gives a rat’s ass?

The notion that the opinions of Andrew Sullivan and Glenn Greenwald could — or should — influence U.S. national security policy is either laughable or frightening. Would any American sleep soundly, knowing that influential officials at the Pentagon or CIA were following an online debate between these two? That neither Sullivan nor Greenwald has any such actual influence, I prayerfully hope we may take for granted.

So we enter this argument with the knowledge that the squabble is moot, as most pundit-fights are, insofar as they have anything to do with what U.S. officials are actually going to do. Rather, Sullivan and Greenwald are in a pissing match, each intending to prove himself intellectually and morally superior to the other. It started when Sullivan jumped into someone else’s argument and concluded:

My concern has always been with the power to detain without due process and torture, not the regrettable necessity of killing the enemy in a hot and dangerous war.

A distinction important only to Sullivan, you see. I’ve often remarked that all these debates about the “rights” of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could have been avoided if a CIA operative had put a 9-mm slug through his skull at the time of his capture. Dead men don’t file habeas corpus complaints.

That KSM is an “enemy in a hot and dangerous war,” who will deny? And if no patriotic person could have objected to the U.S. killing KSM, why these concerns over his being detained and waterboarded?

Despite the questional nature of Sully’s concerns, he was nonetheless arguing in defense of a “hard” war policy, and in this he is certainly right. Our enemies ought to tremble in fear at the thought of provoking our national wrath, and I don’t want the men who wage war on our behalf to be hamstrung by rules designed to protect the “civil rights” of foreigners who are trying to kill us.

(Interrupting myself: Am I the only one who sees a bright line between the rights of American citizens and the alleged “rights” of foreigners who are trying to kill us? To hell with them and their “rights.” They’re foreigners.)

In making his argument, Sullivan had implicitly criticized the thin-skinned and self-righteous Greenwald, who then changed the subject to Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born imam who is believed to have served as spiritual mentor to some of the 9/11 terrorists.

Al-Awlaki is admittedly a special case, although one easily amenable to the Bullet-Through-the-Skull theoryl of counter-terrorism policy, and President Obama apparently agrees: Just shoot the bastard and be done with him.

(Interrupting myself again: Imagine what mischief might have been forstalled had the FBI pursued such a policy with Bill Ayers.)

Here we see the truth of the maxim, hard cases make bad law. Trying to establish a binding policy principle or legal precedent on the basis of exceptional cases is a fool’s errand.

Rather, we ought to consider that the goal of policy and law is to protect the innocent. Is anyone seriously arguing al-Awlaki’s innocence? If we grant that terrorism is a means of war, and that al-Awlaki is an enemy, the case resolves itself quite easily: Bullet Through the Skull.

Yet intellectuals live to argue and Sullivan argued point-by-point in response to Greenwald. Citing legal precedent back to Greenwald — who fancies himself the Clarence Darrow of the blogosphere — is always a bad move. And Greenwald, having already changed the subject once, changes it yet again, going on at some length about a certain African terrorism suspect.

Again, the absurdity of all this is the apparent belief of Sullivan and Greenwald that their dispute has any relevance to actual policy. We have no reason to believe that anyone in authority pays attention to either of these characters.

And thank God for that.

Category: Foreigners, Terrorism

LIVE AT FIVE10.3.10

Posted on | October 3, 2010 | 6 Comments

TOP NEWS


State Dept. May Issue Travel Alert For  Europe Monday

Final decision postponed; action based on recent threats

PLO Sez: No Talks Until Settlement Halt
Oh, wait, that’s not news.

Activists Rally For Beleaguered Democrats
Thousands, I tell you! Thousands!
Rutgers Honors Tyler Clementi At Homecoming Game

POLITICS
Heated Debate On Immigration Highlights Univision Debate

Translation breakdown interrupts fireworks, Anglos y asiáticos fueron golpeados lo más difícilmente posible

Gibbs to DNC, Kaine to Cabinet?

Time to rearrange deck chairs already?

Details Emerge On Cali No-Tax Budget Pact

Daley: Chicago Will Decide Next Mayor, Not Obama

THE ECONOMY, STUPID

Las Vegas Faces Worst Year Since 1940s

Microsoft Files Patent Infringement Suit Against Motorola Over Android

Ford Cash To Exceed Debt By 2011

SPORTS

Padres Win Again, 4-2 Over Giants
It’s down to the last game of the season

#1 Alabama Crushes #7 Florida 31-6
ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Damn Yankees Thump Red Sox 10-6
Open one-game lead in AL East

Phils Shut Out Braves 7-0
Atlanta slips to tie for NL Wild Card

Steelers’ Dixon To Injured Reserve With Knee Injury
FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS

Paris Hilton Show Slated For Oxygen

Reality show to look “behind the scenes”

Britney Spears Sued By Former Nanny

Katherine Heigl: “I Don’t Believe My Own Press”

Eminem Seen As Top Contender For Grammy

“The Social Network” Opens Big On Coasts; Elsewhere In Country, Nobody Cares

FOREIGNERS

Latvian Ruling Coalition Wins Re-election
Voters support harsh austerity measures

Pakistan Border Remains Closed For Third Day

Ecuador To Revise Austerity Laws After Police Revolt
Three police colonels under criminal investigation for failing to prevent unruly protests

Court In Ukraine Reverses Orange Revolution
More power to pro-Russian president

BLOGS & OTHER STUFF

Triple-H Doorknocks For Mother-in-Law Linda McMahon

Photos From The OneNation Rally You Won’t See In The MSM

Government Motors IPO I: IBD Questions The Timing

Government Motors IPO II: NLPC Smells A Union “Pump And Dump” Scheme

— compiled by Wombat

Category: Live at Five

America: Let’s Make Bill Maher Cry!

Posted on | October 2, 2010 | 41 Comments

This is simply beyond description:

“I am not here to carry water for this or any administration, but the facts of the coming election are Democrats have real accomplishments to run on. . . . [W]hen it comes to voting, when we only have two choices, you got to grow up and realize there’s a big difference between a disappointing friend and a deadly enemy. . . .
Of course, the Democrats are disappointing. That’s what makes them Democrats. If they were any more frustrating they’d be your relatives. But in this country, they are all that stands between you and darkest night. You know why their symbol is the letter D? Because it’s a grade that means good enough but just barely. You know why the Republican symbol is R? Because it’s the noise a pirate makes when he robs you and feeds you to a shark.”
— Bill Maher

Don’t you want to humiliate him the way Alabama humiliated Florida? Don’t you want to see that dishonest partisan asswipe crying like the punk he is? Don’t you want to help these Republicans stomp Maher’s Dems right into that “darkest night”?

CHARLES LOLLAR

SEAN BIELAT

RUTH McCLUNG

MORGAN GRIFFITH

DANIEL WEBSTER

ISAAC HAYES

MATTIE FEIN

ADAM KINZINGER

RENEE ELLMERS

PATRICK MURRAY

RAY McKINNEY

Those are 11 — count ’em, 11 — Republican House candidates we’ve reported on here. Just pick one and send them some money. Or send money to all of them, if you can. But do something to help some of these candidates, because otherwise Bill Maher is going to be laughing at you Nov. 2.

Category: Celebrities, Congress, Election

Dateline: ARMAGEDDON

Posted on | October 2, 2010 | 11 Comments

An Anxious Nation Awaits the onset of the cosmic conflict upon which rests the hope of all mankind. Never before in 5,000 years of recorded history have the stakes been so high. Never has the world’s attention been so intensely focused on the outcome of such a struggle.

Unearthly quiet suddenly silences the breathless masses. Now every voice is hushed as the fateful battle grows near. Hearts beat heavy, scarcely able to bear the incredible tension of this impending crisis.

And then the electric moment arrives, as every eye catches sight of the mighty host, charging fearlessly forth to glory or death in quest of the ultimate victory and — as if with one voice — the assembled legions shout the immortal battle cry . . . Read more

Category: Uncategorized

Finally Milano Justifies Retweet Abjurations

Posted on | October 2, 2010 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

Briefly: it looks as though, in trying to work on one issue, I may have caused others. The autopsy is still out, the lesion earnedlesson learned holds constant: there is no royal road to information technology.
Kudos to Silver Logic for remarkable patience in the face of challenging customers. Certainly there are better ways to spend a Friday night than last night.
Got to get this posted and set about fishing out the rest of our bling from a backup.

Black Panther Blowback: Kirsanow ‘This Is Just The Beginning. . .Of The Investigation’

Do You Share My View That Cohen’s Ideas Are Symptomatic Of Why Progressivism Must Be Utterly Rejected?

In Defense of Doug Hoffman

VIDEO: Allen West to Barack Obama: ‘Welcome to the Jungle’

Estimate The Head ‘Splosion If Bubba Saw This

Democrats Unveil 2010 Message: ‘Hope, Change and a Buttload of Attack Ads’

About 250 Sean Bielat Supporters Protest Bubba and Barney’s Boston Blowfest UPDATE: Text of Bielat Speech Added

GOP Shocked as Sex Scandal Strikes Christine O’Donnell Carl Paladino?

Can Charles Lollar Beat Steny Hoyer? ‘Another Marine Reporting, Sir . . .’

Maher: ‘European Socialism Works’

Here It Comes Again: Senate Democrats Posture Against ‘Shipping Jobs Overseas’

Steny Hoyer Drives VodkaPundit To Do What A VodkaPundit Does

Michele Bachmann Endorses Joe Miller

Alan Grayson Is Not Scum

Scapegoating Progressive Bloggers for the Obama Administration’s Failures?

Awesome! Ace of Spades Gets in Touch With His Inner Social Conservative

Nap-Time Tales of Net Neutrality

Bill Clinton Mocks GOP Women Candidates, Tea Party Movement

MD-5 UPDATE: Charles Lollar Endorsed by Ace of Spades and Dude Named ‘Mitt’

A Deeper Meaning To Peter Daou’s Post

EXCLUSIVE: O’Donnell Mailer Slams Democrat Chris Coons on Tax Increases

Obama’s Answer On Why He’s Christian

They Said It Couldn’t Be Done . . .

GOP SCANDAL: Which Senators Are Protecting Backstabber Lisa Murkowski?

There’s Crazy, and Then There’s Crazy

    Guess Who Flew Into The Area For A Bit Of Campaigning Last Weekend?

    Death by Consultantitis (Cont’d)

    ‘White America Has Lost Its Mind’

    AZ-7: Another Democrat in Trouble, Another Excellent GOP Challenger

    In The Dictionary, Between Strychnine And Syphilis. . .

    Lessons of Failure and Hope of Success: Reflections on the Eve of a Battle

    Al Gore Answers Victor Davis Hanson

    Stupidest. Democrat. EVAH!

    Shame in a Shameless Culture

    Props to HotMES for the birthday shout. Remember, RSM himself is on Wednesday. Do him up right and link him mercilessly.
    There is your slightly abbreviated FMJRA. Got to get back to recovering the blog. See you tomorrow for Rule 5 Sunday.

    Category: FMJRA Award

    18 Taliban Killed by AOSHQ Jokes, Hellfire Missiles From Predator Drones

    Posted on | October 2, 2010 | 12 Comments

    But mainly the Hellfire missiles:

    Two U.S. drone attacks killed 18 militants in Pakistan on Saturday, intelligence officials said, after recent NATO incursions raised tensions with an ally critical to Washington’s war effort in Afghanistan.
    The United States has escalated pilotless drone aircraft missile strikes against al Qaeda-linked militants in Pakistan’s northwest, with 21 attacks in September alone, the highest number in a single month on record.

    Thanks for loaning me the joke, Ace. I’d let you borrow one of mine, but I’m not one of those people “known primarily for their funny work.”

    Speaking of AOSHQ, Drew M. brings us this final score:

    Network Running Jews 1
    Rick Sanchez 0

    And a reminder to our Zionist Media Overlords: I’m available.

    Category: Ace of Spades, humor, Pakistan, Terrorism

    Just a Coincidence, I’m Sure

    Posted on | October 2, 2010 | 8 Comments

    Recent headlines:

    Heidi Klum Ends 10-Year Run
    as Victoria Secret Model

    Nearly One in 10 Americans
    Depressed, Study Reveals

    You may have already seen this one:

    Research Confirms: Stacy McCain Sucks

    Not exactly news, but . . .

    Category: humor

    LIVE AT FIVE10.2.10

    Posted on | October 2, 2010 | 2 Comments

    TOP NEWS

    Schwartzenegger, Legislative Leaders Announce Budget Deal
    No details announced

    Unidentified Pakistani Gunmen Torch Fuel Trucks

     Wellesley Professor Discovers Evidence Of 1940s STD Experiments in Guatemala
    Unlike Tuskegee experiments, subjects were deliberately infected

    CNN Fires Rick Sanchez For Bigoted Remarks
    He’ll probably blame the Jews for this too

    POLITICS

    Immigration Lawyers Say Whitman Within The Law
    No MaidGate for you, Jerry!

    Arkansas Turning Red Even As We Speak

    California Downgrades Pot Possession From Misdemeanor To Infraction

    Florida’s Early Redistricting Creates Strange Bedfellows

    THE ECONOMY, STUPID

    Principal Financial: We’re Outta Here
    Iowa insurer will no longer sell health insurance

    FDIC Closes Small Banks in Florida, Washington State
    Number of shut down banks reaches 129

    3M Will Change Healthcare Options For Retirees

    BoA Delays Foreclosures In 23 States

    SPORTS

    Padres Hold Off Giants With Dramatic 6-4 Win
    No bubbly yet for San Francisco

    Lots Of Drama, Not Much Golf At The Ryder Cup

    Changes Impending For Hapless Mets
    “Marmalard? Dead! Minaya? Dead! Manuel? DEAD!” (punctuation added)

    Oher, Zbikowksi Fined $5K Each For Punchout, Unnecessary Roughness

    Some English Soccer Team Playing Somebody Else This Weekend

    Utah State Finally Defeats BYU After Dropping Ten Straight

    FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS

    J.K. Rowling: Hey, Oprah, There Could Be More Harry Potter Stories
    Eighth, ninth, tenth books possible

    17-Year-Old Miley Cyrus Hangs Out In 21+ Bar

    Oksana: My Kid Needs $20K A Month

    Snooki To Find Love On Her Own Dating Show?
    FOREIGNERS

    CIA Borrows Drones From Military For Surge In Pakistan

    Mexico Plans Radical Reorganization Of Police
    Unified force to reduce corruption and increase effectiveness in war against drug cartels

    PRC Spending Spree On Land & Companies Attracting Increasingly Hostile Attention

    Nigerian Independence Day Disrupted By Bomb Attacks

    BLOGS & STUFF

    Eco-fascism Epic Fail In UK: Green Propaganda Flick Backfires Badly

    “Gloria, this is almost delusional.”

    Standing Up For “Dirty Jobs”

    More J Street Scandal

    — compiled by Wombat

    Category: Live at Five
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