My laughter still hasn't subsided from the last post. I told my research assistant, who happens to be an atheist, that many of his fellow non-believers were too dumb to recognize even the most blatant irony and satire. He refused to believe it, until he saw it with his own eyes. He's a believer now, at least in the fact that there are plenty of atheists who are as clueless as the most ignorant fundamentalist.
Now that I've established that beyond a reasonable doubt, it's time to move on to the latest political news. In his latest speech, Obama confidently declared that America's war in Iraq is a "distraction" from our involvement in Afghanistan.
Leave aside the problem that Obama's Iraq views and policy all seem formulated prior to actually finding out what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama is scheduled to go to Iraq later this month on a "fact finding mission." He will also visit Afghanistan for the first time. Couldn't Obama's wisdom on Iraq and Afghanistan have waited for what he might find when he's over there?
Liberal Democrats like Obama keep saying Iraq is the "distraction" when, from the point of view of the Islamic radicals, Iraq is absolutely crucial. Al Qaeda has publicly stressed that Iraq is the global center of the war on terror, the staging ground for the beginning of World War III.
Why is Iraq so important to Bin Laden? Because since 1979 the radical Muslims have controlled only one major Muslim country, and that is Iran. They are desperate to get their hands on a second one. They have already said that if they get Iraq, they will focus next on Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
For America, Iraq is crucial for a reason regularly stressed by real estate agents: Location, location, location. Here are the names of Iraq's neighbors: Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia. Is there any doubt how important it is to have a pro-American Muslim government (or even better, a pro-American Muslim democracy) in that neighborhood?
By contrast, it is Afghanistan that is quite frankly a "distraction." Afghanistan was chosen as the launching pad for the 9/11 attacks because the Taliban government provided rent-free accommodations there for the Al Qaeda training camps. It was essential for the U.S. to get rid of the Taliban, and I'm glad the international community is keeping an eye on the place to prevent a return of those fanatics. Even so, anyone who thinks Afghanistan is strategically more important than Iraq needs his head examined.
If Obama's dismissal of Iraq seems like the unserious speculation of a novice, McCain has shown the prudent judgment of a real statesman. When almost everyone was against the surge, McCain pushed it. It wasn't that Bush talked McCain into supporting the surge. The truth is actually the opposite: McCain sold it to Bush.
It is the surge that seems to have changed the facts on the ground, and that is a testament to McCain's political bravery and strategic far-sightedness. Let's hope Obama finds out what is really going on before he issues more pearls of unwisdom.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 15)
31. "...If you vote for a politician and they kill people in your name you are responsible for those deaths just as they are..."
Peter at 1:39AM on Jul 16th 2008
**********************************************
Peter,
Obama wants uniform abortion on demand in our 50 states. Abortion kills more daily than any number of soldiers killed in battle over the past few years. Abortion is murdering our next generation.
So, you do even worse in voting for him.
It is a shame that we are in the Iraq war. We made our bed and now are lying in it.
Pulling out will cause a literal bloodbath of tens of thousands and will also cause the terrorists to come running onto our soil, with a vengence never before seen, killing way more innocent people in staggering multitudes. And, they won't stop until they've brought this nation to its knees.
Obama knows this. And, just like Bush, he'll listen to his generals and advisors.
Most likely, he'll cherry pick a troup here to come home and one there to come trickling home, but he can't pull out and he knows it.
Everyone knows it.
The lessened evil is NOT Obama.
And, yes, America needs change, but not the kind he can bring.
In the last state + local elections many voted democrat to make a statement. Weeks later, newspapers all over were slamming the democratic winners for doing this and not living up to that promise and the other.
Politicians are politicians for the most part we don't have much control either way we vote, so, we must make informed, educated and prudent choices in order to secure the future of this nation.
Mccain's old, so perhaps he won't be in office long.
But, atleast it'll buy some time for other up and coming and better-suited candidates to run for office.
Ron at 9:06AM on Jul 16th 2008
32. There has to be a better way.
A better way then sending Americans to another land so all-together different from ours to force feed our democracy to a culture that neither wants it nor understands it.
There has to be a better way, and I for one can guarantee that McCain isn't the man to find it.
There will only be more of the same - and even if the surge is working - it cannot sustain itself - we cannot sustain it in all good conscious.
There has to be a better way. I've voting for at least a chance at that.
TJ at 9:10AM on Jul 16th 2008
33. "Our secularization is their evil - their religious law is our evil.
We're told by our media and government to fear them, and they are told by the Imam's to fear us.
ex-christian at 5:38AM on Jul 16th 2008"
Um, it's more like they are told by the Imams to HATE AND KILL us.
Ron at 9:12AM on Jul 16th 2008
34. Once again all the Dinesh haters can't wait to read his blog. Talk about ironic. Posting boards are a bit like road rage, it seems; we all become emboldened behind the safety of cyberspace. Including me, I suppose, with this post. I will grant the Dinesh haters this, though. At least they are willing to read opinions that they obviously disagree with. But that positive is negated by the fact that they seem to do it with nothing in mind but bitterness and anger, not true dialogue.
Abrondon at 9:13AM on Jul 16th 2008
35. Ron; "Um, it's more like they are told by the Imams to HATE AND KILL us."
we're killing them too.
TJ: "There has to be a better way."
It's almost like we found out someone who we thought might have the ability and inclination to rob our house was going to be at a certain bar, so we blew the bar up. Effective, but not really.
Ryan Anderson at 9:17AM on Jul 16th 2008
36. Da'Dolph D'Itler sez: " told my research assistant, who happens to be an atheist, that many of his fellow non-believers were too dumb to recognize even the most blatant irony and satire. He refused to believe it, until he saw it with his own eyes."
Then the two of you must not be very attentive. The second post clearly begged the question "Satire?" and in my own post I compared your column to the tasteless and unfully current New Yorker cover. I guess we can add that D'Stupid is a Homophobic, Sexist, Anti-Semetic God Nazi Putz who is incapable of writing decent satire.
T.Brough at 9:28AM on Jul 16th 2008
37. 1.Nice generalization but Ryan at least had a clue.
2.Obama is not going to be worth his salt as President. McCain might be worth half a teaspoon, regardless we all know we're going to get shafted...again.
3. Should anyone who reads this post fall into the Obama vs. McCain, trap knowing it is a faulty and useless debate?
4. It might be worth the effort to collaborate with Dinesh on perfecting debate through sneering.
oneblood at 9:23AM on Jul 16th 2008
38. Imagine for a minute that we had reacted in a rational way to the attacks of 9/11. The US with the support of a vast majority of Americans and most of the international community, invades Afghanistan and leaves no stone unturned and no cave unsearched to find those that planned the attack. We let the world know that we may have to cross borders in that search, and our mission will only be to capture and bring to justice those responsible for attacking the US. Then we keep that promise!!
No nation building, and no getting distracted by old enemies, just search and capture.
While the capture of Bin Laden might be considered symbolic, it would be a powerful symbol of the US's resolve to bring those that attacked us and those who harbored them to justice, and not a symbol that the US was intent on dominating the politics of the Middle East.
Instead, like a kid with ADD we chose to take our eye off the ball, and get involved in Iraq, a country that had no role in the planning or execution of the 9/11 attacks.
As a result Bin Laden has gotten his wish. He does not have to go to the trouble of attacking the US, We are bleeding from our own self inflicted wound, the result of the arrogance of our leaders.
shipoffools at 9:35AM on Jul 16th 2008
39.
AND ON THE TOPIC OF McCAIN ADVISOR AND "FINANCIAL GURU" PHIL GRAMM:
The Nation magazine's Max Blumental says, "(McCain financial advisor Phil) Gramm was an accident waiting to happen."
In an exposé of Gramm, in part motiviated by the now famous "whiners" comment, Blumenthal recounts Gramm's less-than-stellar career including his disasterous 1996 presidential bid, close ties to Ken Lay and Enron and the funnest fact of all - his financing of a softcore porn flick pictured - Truck Stop Women.
Who could have known that this loser career politician had financed a movie back in 1973 that had a tagline that read "No Rig Was Too Big For Them To Handle"? Phil's brother-in-law George Caton (why is it always the BIL?) came to Gramm with a great offer - invest $15K in a sure winner.
To entice his brother-in-law, Caton showed him scenes of Playboy Playmate of the year Claudia Jennings displaying her bare essentials (she is naked throughout much of the film).
These scenes "really got Phil titillated," Caton told journalist John Judis in 1995. Gramm enthusiastically cut Caton a check for $15,000. Because the film was oversold, however, Caton returned his brother-in-law's money, offering him an investment opportunity in an upcoming feature.
The following year, Gramm sent Caton a check for $15,000, this time to finance the production of "Beauty Queens," a soft-core flick about pageant judges having sex with contestants. But at the last moment, the director of "Beauty Queens," Mark Lester, decided to shelve his production to make the sequel to his "Tricia's Wedding," a comedy starring the drag queen troupe, The Cockettes.
Not that's there's anything wrong with that, but you can't make this stuff up. The closets of prominent Republicans are stuffed full of goodies!
T.Brough at 9:40AM on Jul 16th 2008
40. Non-believers of your flat-earth theory are correct, regardless of their knowledge of gravitational physics, or bible folklore. This is what you keep wanting to ignore: REALITY. You can spend your entire life promoting ignorance, but that won't change the facts one bit.
Titanium Chef at 10:45AM on Jul 16th 2008
41. Can't we just keep sending candy and toys to these countries until they like us?
Mokele Mbembe at 9:58AM on Jul 16th 2008
42. Satire from the humorless is frequently misinterpreted.
Gritsforbreakfast at 10:48AM on Jul 16th 2008
43. My laughter still hasn't subsided from the last post. I told my research assistant, who happens to be an atheist, that many of his fellow non-believers were too dumb to recognize even the most blatant irony and satire. He refused to believe it, until he saw it with his own eyes
---------------------------------------------------
Wow, DD must be so proud of himself.....Thats satire too.
What DD doesnt realize is that:
1) Many bloggers are humorless blobs who sit by their computer and solve the worlds problems with their keyboards.
2) Many of us did get the joke, we just werent laughing
3) Those who didnt get it had a good reason. DD posts so many blogs that talk about how wonderful he is (very subtly).
It seems that DD does indeed have a sense of humor, for which I applaud him. However he needs to realize that parody and satire is not always easy to get. Emotion is not easy to convey in type.
CaptainCack at 10:35AM on Jul 16th 2008
44.
Dinesh: a swine regarding pearls
Douche, Douche, Douche.
There are so many things wrong with this post. What are we going to do with you?
You seem to have disregarded the fact that on your last post most of us speculated whether or not you were joking and the only reason there was any question at all is that you have sadly proven yourself to be the type of person whose massive ego blinds you to the irony inherent in the contradictions you display in matters of self-reflection.
If your assistant is truly an atheist, you need to replace him with one who will offer you a greater challenge so that you can write posts that will make sense in the real world or at least not fall under the weight of its own internal contradictions in logic. I strongly suspect however that he is a neocon like you and therefore serves double duty as your JO buddy.
There are literally dozens of republican politicians and advisors who actually have a hand in directing our policy toward Iraq and have yet to visit there but I suppose that listing them would torpedo your assertion that you have to have been there to set policy. I shouldn’t be surprised that a Neokook like you is only interested in destroying Democrats and Liberals and couldn’t care less about Iraq or how it’s dragging us down.
Take your pick: either your absolute ignorance about recent events or your willful disregard of certain facts just to engage in partisan pandering is disgusting and disrespectful to the hundreds of thousand dead Iraqi and Americans that have resulted from this distraction.
Time and again you mother fuckers have to be reminded that there was no Al Queda in Iraq until we took out Saddam just because he was hurting our feelings.
Time and again you assholes have to have it pointed out to you that our involvement in Iraq provides the greatest reason for young Iraqi men to join Al Queda.
But I think I understand the logic behind your reasoning here. Your posts, as many of us are fond of pointing out, are rather half-baked and appear to be the product of a disordered mind. Clearly, you are under the influence of some narcotic and I suspect it is in fact heroin since recently Afghanistan has become a chief exporter of heroin this is could be the only reason you would ridicule Obama for wanting to concentrate more on Afghanistan.
Saudi Arabia is already a good friend to terrorists, how many times must Liberals and Conservatives continue to point that out to you neocons. You also seem to be unaware that last week the Iraqi government has stated that they essentially want a time frame as to when they could look forward to us getting out of Iraq soon and that pretty much flies in the face of McCain’s 50-100 year outlook.
No one needs to sell Monkey boy on surges, that cocksucker thrives on death, destruction and human misery and as far as political bravery is concerned, McCain’s real flip flops on matters vital to his image as a so called maverick reveals the fallacy of this label.
Uncle Meat at 10:44AM on Jul 16th 2008
45.
Boy, that world war III reference is way over the top. While I understand you have to keep the party faithful in fear, you should at least try to keep it plausible.
First of all, a claim by cave dwelling radicals that they want it in no way gives them the ability to start it.
Secondly, what countries could actually cause it? Considering that the Middle East holds anywhere between 45 and 66 percent of the world's oil reserves, It won't be us, the Chinese, or the Indians. We need that shit, and aren't about to irradiate what we need to keep modern civilization churning.
Iran? Between us and the Chinese, we could conventionally reduce the entire country to ashes within a month. They don't want it.
The Israeli's? They're surrounded by people who are looking for an excuse to wipe them out. They don't want it.
Irrational fear - the stock in trade of the opportunist.
ex-christian at 10:48AM on Jul 16th 2008