December 19, 2005
Iraq Strategy For Dummies
Ken Summers at It Comes In Pints? has the study guides for the Democratic and Media elites who are generally clueless about the war. Ken got the idea from a comment on Glenn Reynolds:
Some people are asking what's new about this strategy. The answer -- as Jon Henke notes -- is nothing, really. ("Naturallyâ€â€Âafter having paid more attention to the critics claiming there's no plan than to, you know, the actual planâ€â€Âeverybody is acting all surprised and confused. . . .This isn't the 'first time' the White House has disclosed the strategy for victory in Iraq, and the strategy isn't 'new'. This is something reporters really should know. . . . Granted, the White House should have done a better job at spreading this message from the very start. But it's sheer laziness and/or incompetence on the part of the media and critics to pretend that the Iraq strategy hasn't been widely available for a long time.")What's new is that the White House is forcing people to pay attention to the plan, and to the fact that there is, and has been, a plan even though the press has ignored it. That many media outfits, as Henke notes, seem to think this is all new is merely evidence that they've been providing lousy war coverage all along.
But the White House, if a bit late in the day, is doing something it needs to do. You can't rely on bloggers to do it all.
I don't think the Dems will learn anything, even with a tutor, but it was nice of Ken to provide the study materials.
Posted by GM Roper at December 19, 2005 08:22 PM | TrackBackIf it's for the left, does it come with crayons?
Posted by Woody at December 1, 2005 09:40 PM
Crayons and an instruction book of one syllable words on how to use a crayon!
Posted by GM at December 2, 2005 09:13 AM
Bloggers can't do it all? Heresy! (Just kidding)
I don't see the delay from the White House as laziness or incompetence, though. Maybe incredulity or false confidence in the discernment of Americans?
Posted by Always On Watch at December 2, 2005 10:34 PM
I mostly attempt to teach U.S. History, as I am paid to, however, I do constantly tell my students NOT to be lead by the proverbial noses by people with opinions but few facts. Of course, many students are impressed with half-truths, big vocabularies and what appears to be the justified and rightious (sic) indignation of lefty profs. Of course, we quickly get into the "Everybody knows" response if I query just where students got some "information". When I start to ask them questions, amazingly (not) they find that their arguements/positions are based on.....a near total lack of knowledge.
All the "bumper sticker" attacks on the USA's foreign policy are just that. Few can actually explain much of anything, or cite facts. Who knows what WMD actually are? Well, I know more about it, it would seem, than damn near every Democratic notable.
So, dear reader, if you are going to smooze with your extended family during the Christmas - New Year's holidays, you might "turn" them. My bride's family were hard and fast Dems for most of their lives. I entered the large family and turned some of them. It can be done. One must speak out though.
Good Luck. I am not encouraging fistfights, but, hey, if they really become awful in their discourse, next year you don't buy them a gift, card, etc.
Posted by tad at December 4, 2005 11:10 AM
