Comments on: The View From Lebanon

By: Rueful Red

Rueful Red — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 10:52:59 +0000

I find the Jimmy Buffett oeuvre somewhat ad rem at such times.

By: wf

wf — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 09:58:53 +0000

Don´t forget "This country´s going straight to hell" and of course the classic "Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of Kings".

Once I´ve brought everyone down, I´ll feel much better myself. Har har.

By: ninme

ninme — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 00:10:13 +0000

No, I think you've got it about covered. I'd add food, maybe throw in some singing while drinking over your dinner, elbows on the table, weaving back and forth in your chair, eyes mournfully lifted to whatever light fixture is on the ceiling, then you can spin around, barely righting yourself just in time to save yourself from plunging off your chair into your neighbor's lap, and ask your neighbor, "D'yeh know we'll be dead soon?! All dead! hic"

By: wf

wf — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 21:24:18 +0000

Don´t worry, long term means well within our lifetime. I hope that we will at least recognize long term consequences when we finally get to see them.

In 1991 I thought (if I thought anything at all) that it was a wise decision to leave the Saddam regime as is, at a time when Iran, Russia and China were weak and the army was much bigger. What a fool I was. I believe some people who should know better are even bigger fools today. First time, you retreat for the sake of convenience, second time out of mental fatigue, the next time may be when things get really ugly.

I´ve become quite the doom-monger. Must drink more. Perhaps sing while driving. Any tips?

By: ninme

ninme — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 18:27:17 +0000

I don't think they're kidding themselves that Syria or Iran would help the coalition in Iraq, just that they'd help with Iraq. Get rid of it, sweep it under the carpet, do with it what they will just as long as the politicians can get back to raising the minimum wage while keeping the price of strawberries still low and letting the adulations and votes come rolling back in.

And long term consequences... I've discovered that it's a rare soul that even understands what that is.

By: wf

wf — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 17:13:39 +0000

Don´t you know the “adults” are in charge know? Their chief weapon is realism. Realism and cynicism. Two! Their two weapons are realism, cynicism… and ruthless opportunism. Their three weapons are realism and cynicism and ruthless opportunism…and an almost fanatical impulse to suck up to our enemies. Their four…amongst their weapons are such diverse elements as realism, cynicism, opportunism, sucking up to our enemies and a complete disregard for long term consequences. Oh damn!

By: Rueful Red

Rueful Red — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 17:13:04 +0000

What beats me is the way that people can somehow kid themselves that either Syria or Iran would see it as being in their interests to lift as much as a little finger to help the coalition in Iraq. It ain't.

Letting liberals engage in wishful thinking, on the other hand, most definitely is in their interests.