82 Comments

1. Dan from St. Charles, IL:

Kudos to Dr. Hanson regarding his brilliant insights of the modern political landscape. I especially liked his take on the cowardly Iraqi journalist who threw the shoes at Bush. It reminds me of so many feminists who have no problem speaking their minds in safe and comfy America, but are rarely heard overseas where they’re really needed. There are way too few Phyllis Cheslers out there, who are truly courageous feminists. And there are way too many pseudo-journalists like the dope who threw his shoes. Did you notice how calm and poised President Bush was? He didn’t lose his cool at all. He just ducked a couple of times. There was no worry in his face and no flaring of temper. As usual, he handled himself with class. Way to go Prez.

Dec 15, 2008 - 7:04 pm 2. Athena:

Doc:

Powell isn’t worth the breath it takes and writing about him is a waste of pulp…

Dec 15, 2008 - 8:07 pm 3. MarcH:

VDH – Don’t forget Prince Bandar (Saudi Ambassador to the US) giving Mrs. Powell a Jaguar automobile soon after Gen. Powell resigned as SOS.

But of course it was not an ethics issue.

The below excerpt is from The Independent, Jun 8, 2007 by Leonard Doyle (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_/ai_n19294820):

“Just after resigning as US secretary of state, there was a ring at Colin Powell’s front door. Standing outside, with a gift of a 1995 Jaguar, was none other than Prince Bandar, his country’s Ambassador to the White House and son of one of the seven sons of the favourite wife of the founder of Saudi Arabia.

Alma, Mr Powell’s wife, had once told the Ambassador how much she missed driving around DC in her 10-year-old Jaguar, which she said her husband had sold on. Prince Bandar had noted the information and then bought the Powells an identical car as a gift.”

Dec 15, 2008 - 9:48 pm 4. Rashputin:

Who knows, maybe he regrets not running himself instead of letting a vacant suit be the first black president. Besides, if he can make himself look rehabilitated he can still get invited to all the right parties.

Regards

Dec 15, 2008 - 11:35 pm 5. daylin from MD:

A few years ago, I attended a wedding in Baltimore for a former employer who had became a lawyer in the State Department, dealing with war crimes at the Hague. During the toast to the bride and groom, Colin Powell’s name was mentioned as a testament of sorts to how far she had come in her blossoming career, which earned a roundful of applause from the room. I remember feeling acutely uncomfortable at this reaction, particularly because it appeared the idea of his celebrity among these guests overshadowed, instead of emphasized the bride’s credentials for securing a position in such a bureaucracy. And, that this sentiment seemed shallow, even invented, when contrasted with the reality associated with Powell’s
political ascension. Creepy, I suppose. In any case, he has always struck me as the sort of fellow who belonged to an official capacity somehow – a glaring opposite to the Norman Schwartzkopf type that recognizes the Clausewitz-ian military solution as “politics by other means”, regardless of how it all plays out on CNN…

Dec 16, 2008 - 12:30 am 6. Ron Kean:

I remember the argument that Mahatma Ghandi would have been toast if he had displayed his kind of resistance to any other group than the ever so civilized (at the time) British.

It’s frustrating that Sarah Palin never received the credit she deserved when she sold the Alaskan governor’s plane immediately on Ebay.

Up to this point I thought I was the only one that thought Colin Powell might have been more a product of political correctness and a sort of hidden stratospheric equal opportunity program rather than personal strength, brains or merit. If so, this is the kind of thing Justice Thomas dislikes so much. It’s a cloud that hangs over accomplished Blacks and it should not be. The reports, first in Douglas Feith’s book and now this are disappointing.

Too bad the press continues to want the US to look bad in comparison to other countries. We could use more uplifting critiques like that which we find not infrequently on this wonderful blog.

Dec 16, 2008 - 6:51 am 7. David Thomson:

“Who exactly is this “them”?”

This is all white males who are supposedly a cancer on the earth. We are entirely disgusting and vile. It’s all our fault. Everybody else is our victim. We owe them big time.

“Why, then, the political change?”

Colin Powell is an affirmative action beneficiary. The man seems incapable of engaging in a rational discussion. Has he ever been anything more than a second rate hack? What has ever really accomplished? If his skin were white—would we give a damn? I don’t think so.

Dec 16, 2008 - 6:52 am 8. goffredo:

Iraq really is normalizing!

Dec 16, 2008 - 8:09 am 9. ~Paules:

Professor,

I see something more pernicious at work than government efforts to mitigate the current economic “crisis.” Civic virtue must be the foundation of any republic. When government assumes the duties of ordinary citizens, the body politic becomes corrupted. Such a society moves rapidly from self-reliance to government dependence. The result is societal decadence.

Government intervention in the economy should be spare lest we slay the dragon only to create a hydra in its place. Is the bail-out merely a loan package, or is the Congress creating new fiefdoms of crony-capitalism? Government influence will only substitute one type of corruption for another as corporate leaders learn to make decisions based on political consequences over profit. What our politicians did with Freddie and Fannie will only spread to other industries.

What of ordinary citizens? Does the body politic have the wisdom to understand that debt can never be forgiven? The abolition of debt falls under another rubric; it’s called wealth destruction. The new debt incurred will be political instead of monetary. Such a price will be much higher in the long term than tightening our belts now to pay what’s due.

I am equally worried that many Americans see our president-elect as a benign public benefactor. Where is the spirit of hard work and self-reliance? Europeans show us the future as a coddled and dependent population settles in to simply consume the wealth created by previous generations. Civic virtue is cast aside in pursuit of self-indulgence. Such a populace quickly loses the capacity to recognize danger, much less raise the martial ardor necessary to fight it. Lotus eaters live in a world of absolute decadence.

We will see soon enough if our American republic has the dynamism and discipline to overcome our current time of troubles. I can only hope we retain the vitality of previous generations, and the civic virtue necessary to face the problems rather than renege on our responsibilities. One path will lead to renewal and regeneration; the other goes over a cliff.

Dec 16, 2008 - 8:44 am 10. Charles Gordon:

Bernie Madoff betrayed friends, community, charity, and society.

Please explain how one man can bear such evil to this extreme.

Dec 16, 2008 - 8:58 am 11. The Historian:

NO SHOES, NO GUTS, NO GLORY: LESS THAN A GOODIE TWO SHOES
It takes zero courage and even less intelligence to throw shoes during a press conference:

http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/no-guts-no-shoes-no-glory.html

Dec 16, 2008 - 10:32 am 12. George Best:

Powell is really just another OJ Simpson minus the murder.

Dec 16, 2008 - 11:31 am 13. Peter Boston:

I think that Colin Powell illustrates the ethos of a political class that unfortunately dominates political life in our Republic. Powell’s allegiance is to the class and not to any party or political philosophy.

I suspect if a conservative were awaiting inauguration that Powell’s public pronouncements would be quite different. I have no respect for him.

Dec 16, 2008 - 1:04 pm 14. Sullihan:

Does not the first step out of a crisis require one to take responsibility for the mistakes that created the problem? The bailout form of government certainly relieves us of that necessary first step.

I am reminded of an 18th century anecdote that had King Louis XV and personal friends swapping outrageous stories. Finally, Louis observed that one friend’s conduct was so bad that he would surely be damned. “But”, was the reply, “has not your majesty has done much worse?” To which Louis replied: “True, but I am the King of France. I can not go to hell.”

If we think we can successfully evade the consequences of our mistakes, then have we not adopted this Bourbon philosophy of life.

Dec 16, 2008 - 2:46 pm 15. ET:

What, indeed, happened to the notion of being responsible for one’s own debt? George Bush, who otherwise showed great leadership in deposing Saddam Hussein and taking the war directly to the enemy, completely lost it when it came to spending, and it has absolutely damaged the Republican brand.

When smaller entities and individuals see Federal and local governments acting so irresponsibly with other people’s money, the lesson tends to trickle down; thus are we faced with a subprime meltdown, a mass-default on mortgages, and a Fannie/Freddie implosion, with the perpetrators not only *not* being jailed, but declaring themselves the victims while continuing to pocket money from donors, developers, and God knows who else – and yet, somehow, “Deregulation” and “Republicans” are depicted as the criminals – such topsy-turvy logic can only be accomplished in an environment where the “Free” press has abandoned its old mission of uncovering unpleasant truths in favor of becoming little more than a P.R. machine for its selected Gods – in particular, the Democrat party, Barack Obama, and the entire agglomeration of grievance mongers.

Turning then to the Republicans, why is Colin Powell even quoted as an authority on any matter of interest to the party? This question answers itself, but what I’d really like to know is this: How many of those who criticize Rush Limbaugh have actually listened to his program? Not many, I’ll wager – it’s much easier to dismissively refer to Rush and his fans in terms of “Divisiveness”, “Hatred”, and other vagueries that don’t stand up to even a moment’s reflection.

You’ve got to hand it to the mainstream media – they’re on a roll, and they must be drunk with power right about now. Thank goodness that the NYT share price reflects what’s *actually* happening, since the “Journalists” refuse to do the work!

Thanks again for the blog entries; they’re always a welcome haven of common sense in a world gone mad.

Dec 16, 2008 - 2:47 pm 16. The Economics thing. « Truth, Lies and In Between:

[...] Lala Land [...]

Dec 16, 2008 - 5:45 pm 17. TLM:

“Have we made failure obsolete?”

Well, we’re certainly trying to, in the name of some greater good, apparently. We’ll keep working at it until… the whole system crashes. Then, failure will no longer be obsolete. But we may be.

When part of the body politic is malignant — an industry, for example — it should be amputated. Chemotherapy does not work for all cancers. It may induce remission, but (depending on the tumor) relapses are common.

The real cancer afflicting this society is our willingness to shirk our responsibilities. Not paying our debts is but one example. Relying on bailouts and increased government spending are another. We are determined to repeat the mistakes of the 1930s, and, regardless of outcome, I guess we’ll just deem them successful. Failure, after all, is not an option, since it no longer exists.

VDH: I respectfully take exception to you referring to the USA as a meritocracy. That was once true. The future is an open question. I’d hedge my bets on continuing to use that appellation.

Dec 16, 2008 - 6:32 pm 18. Pajamas Media » The Mysteries of General Colin Powell:

[...] Read the entire post here. [...]

Dec 17, 2008 - 3:05 am 19. glenn:

Biggest problem Colin Powell has is he’s not a smart man. He came to my community several years ago to speak at some sort of political event. We have a large and influental Chinese community and in the course of his remarks he used the term “chink” If he had surveyed the audience before speaking he’d have known not to do that. Like I said, not smart.

Dec 17, 2008 - 4:22 am 20. k. pablo:

General Powell has in large part escaped scrutiny, despite the major damage he has done to the Bush Administration and to the US in general.

First on the list here has to be The Powell Doctrine, that Maginot Line of defense policy. In articulating this dogma, whose validity on the world stage proved ephemeral, Powell convinced our enemies we were defenseless against any threat except an old-school major powers tank battle. He also raised an entire generation of voters to have unrealistic expectations of warfare, that in the future these should only last five minutes and involve minimal risks because Ours was the Side with Overwhelming Force.

Another way he has undermined our republic is documented in Douglas Feith’s War and Decision. It was an abject failure of his mis-managed State Department that led to the Turkish denial of transit rights for the 4th Infantry Division to invade Iraq from the Northwest. This in turn led to the delay in pacification of Fallujah and the subsequent unpleasantness.

Powell is an over-rated pompous ass.

Dec 17, 2008 - 5:40 am 21. maurice:

RE: Don’t Tread on Me

Would it be untoward to suggest that the courage displayed by the Egyptian “journalist” in throwing shoes at GWB is a clear manifestation of a specific ethnic and religious courage?

Yes, I guess it would.

Dec 17, 2008 - 6:32 am 22. Lynn:

I couldn only watch a few minutes of his interview on CNN this past Sunday, any more and I risked having a lousy day. When he lectured that the USA has to stop SHOUTING at the world I wanted to hurl a brick at the television thought better, and shut it off. I guess I should thank him for affording me a day without CNN.

I wonder and heard whispers in the press that he was embarrased by what he thought would be his big moment before the UN with the photos of a possible WMD site that turned out to be false intelligence and never forgave the administration. If that is the case, I still do not accept his turning against conservatives because it seems too self-serving.

Dec 17, 2008 - 6:46 am 23. uburoisc:

And above all, I said, and as the result of all, see how sensitive the citizens become; they chafe impatiently at the least touch of authority and at length, as you know, they cease to care even for the laws, written or unwritten; they will have no one over them.

The King of Smiles is coming.

Dec 17, 2008 - 7:39 am 24. Lynn:

The Turkish denial, I have thought, was the fact that the Kurds in Northern Iraq had been living under United States freedom and protection and they absolutely did not want the news media exposing signs of what freedom brings to citizens since the Kurds (rebels) are a thorn in their side. I recall that there were Kurdish citizens who named their children after George Bush and Dick Cheney, news that floored me. I also think that the government of Turkey holds a precarious balance between freedom of religion and it’s resulting secular government and crazed islamic sharia law.

Dec 17, 2008 - 7:47 am 25. MarkD:

He’s the man who knew Armitage had outed Valerie Plame and let Scooter Libby swing in the wind. I’d not want his ilk on my side. Good riddance, sir.

Dec 17, 2008 - 7:53 am 26. Jack Marcotte:

Essential vdh

Comments by liberals are for the most part a study in cognitive damage to the frontal lobs. Or a lack of integration of their reasoning power that shows up as the inability to see cause and effect in the real world.

That is why some of our great conservatives when they were young played around with the ideas of communism.

They of course in their study of communism began to see the weakness of the ideas of socialism and how far removed it was from the real world rational actions and needs of humans.

They became some of our best conservatives and proponents for conservative ideas simply because it was a rational and mature thought process that drove them. They understood what communism and socialism was about. How damaging to humans it really is. It is and was a simple formula for chaos and revolution. Group against group. A way to “change” the existing political structure pitting group against group.

There are two categories of liberal left wing humans that exist. Those that have permanent cognitive damage and those political extortionists who are knowledgeable about what they do and are driven only by their self interest. No concept of fair play involved.

An example of those with cognitive dysfunction would be a Bill Ayers, he is very likely psychotic, should have went to jail for his role in the killing of a police officer. He is a professor at the U.of Chicago.

Another example is Ted Kennedy, he is an example of both types. He suffers from cognitive dysfunction due to chronic alcoholism and because he is a Kennedy is also cynical and is aware of most of his positions. He also should have gone to jail during the Mary Jo drowning incident. He has been a senator from Mass. these many years.

A Colin Powell suffers from a mild form of cognitive failure. He does not see any conflict with any of his recent statements even though within the same session of talk he will conflict with himself.

Powell does not know what a conservative is or what conservative values are even though he thinks on some issues he is, and some he is not. He thus can say about anything and of course the MSM would not be able to pick up any kind of conflict due to their own limited capacities and self interest.

People like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Durbin and some RINOs are within the second category. They are opportunistic, lower than average intelligence, that’s why they insult ours with their comments, and due to their limited awareness think of themselves as saviors of American Ideals that never existed, never built the country, and if implemented would destroy it. In this they are simply ignorant and see no reason to throw off their ignorance. It serves their purpose.

A Barack Obama is a result of Affirmative action. He is a product of anti American conditioning. He has had to condition himself to believe these anti American ideas other wise he would not have thought about taking advantage of Affirmative Action like he has. His wife also suffers from the same anti American conditioning. The anti American ideas are not true but serve self interests.

Barack of course is part of the Chicago Klepto “mafia” gang that has been part of Chicago politics for the last 80 years. It has been controlled by the Daley’s for at least 60 years.

Barack has a problem in that his conditioned beliefs are not true. It is hard for anyone to deal with the real world when his view of the world is less accurate than the Alice and Wonderland fair tale.

The justification of this anti American view is of course self serving. It allows the extortion of money from American Companies and taxpayers without “guilt”. Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and the Rev Wright understand this position very well and how “profitable” it is to them both politically and monetarily.

Dec 17, 2008 - 8:08 am 27. Martge:

When you had a democratic leaning individual such as Powell turn republican to improve his stature you can see he is a person who is for CHANGE. Change to anything and everything to put himself ahead.

And then we see him deserting the administration he embraced to go to the ethenic group that he is is. Like the rest of his people, they don’t care if they elected a serial killer as long as he was one of them.

Dec 17, 2008 - 8:27 am 28. Wolf Bron:

Despicable conduct. Hanson, thank you for speaking up. Colon Powell deserves no accolades, unless it is to be named “Traitor Of The Year”.

I am all amazement by his daring to lecture me upon the various ills ailing the Republican party. Will SOMEONE in the public eye PLEASE stand up and lecture me about listening to this faux Republican who refuses to give up or hide his harlotry with the Democrats. And now I am only to be ashamed of my former feelings of admiration for this blithering idiot.

Dec 17, 2008 - 8:56 am 29. Tex Taylor:

Why is Colin Powell even an issue of discussion? I can’t think of anybody in this country more overrated, who has been wrong about any issue of substance, and is nothing but a self-promoting pimp, cloaked in faux righteousness by an equally worthless and self-serving MSM.

Powell is the Spinal Tap of generals and politicians.

Dec 17, 2008 - 9:14 am 30. Grover:

Powell’s actions are eerily similar to Mc Cain, who regularly throws his friends and supporters under the bus re Palin. That makes Powell a McCain Republican, a RINO of the first order. Let’s not waste any more time on this political opportunist and turncoat “republican”.

Dec 17, 2008 - 9:16 am 31. Brian Richard Allen:

Dear #4, Rashputin:

How we will come to wish the first (mobbed-up Marxist murtadd Muslim Arab-African) was even capable of pretending to the office usually occupied by “a president.”

But, to be as fair to the fellow as is reasonable, you do empty suits a gross disservice by suggesting him such.

For he is no such thing!

B Hussein’s not an empty suit.

He’s an empty galabiya!

Just as surely as the multi-role-playing Mr Powell is but the long-time occupant of both the Republican Party’s and the Bush family’s blind spots — and is the Peter Principle’s life-time poster person — and is the perfect example of everything wrong with affirmative action.

The Mr private-jet-setting inspirational speaker “Caribbean-American” son of relatively well to do British migrants, Powell, that is, who, lest we ever forget, hedged his Bush Administration bet until after Gore’s effort to steal the 2000 election was defeated and — all the while being an accessory after the fact of DNC-activist Patrick Fitzgerald’s pathological-ideology-driven persecution of Scooter Libby — systematically leaked anti-Administration (and anti-American) information, while, as that Administration’s Secretary of State, otherwise simply projecting the Alger Hiss-descended Foggy Bottom brahmanas’ systemic un-and-anti Americanisms.

That Mr Powell.

Brian Richard Allen
Los Angeles – califUBAMAcated 90028

Dec 17, 2008 - 10:35 am 32. The Historian:

NO ROYALTY NEED APPLY
The American system of government is built upon the will of the people, not celebrity elites:

http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/citizen-not-celebrity-legislators.html

Dec 17, 2008 - 10:51 am 33. Jim:

Wow. This is easy to figure out. Colin Powell wants us all to forget the lies he told in front of the UN…that led us into Iraq by mistake. History ought to be very unkind to Colin Powell. He’s a shape-shifter, and NOT to be trusted!!!

Dec 17, 2008 - 11:22 am 34. Magic:

Colin Powell has been a failure at everything he has tried since leaving the military, but still desires to appear important. He has not shown any conservative values and doesn’t really support any coservative positions. He voted for Obama for the same reason 90% of blacks voted for Obama, because he was seen as a brother. He is still viewed in the black community as a free ride, I guess they aren’t paying much attention to his choice of advisors, or they would kknow they have been bought and conned.

Dec 17, 2008 - 11:33 am 35. Luke:

I just have one gripe with conservative commentators. Believe me I have a very healthy radio addiction myself. I know Wright/Flager, Ayers where important issues. I feel there was a bigger issue which is being ignored by these same commentators and even the GOP. That is the Fannie Mae/Freddy Mac issue. This issue has a much bigger impact on my daily life and I know it is mentioned by the the big three talk show hosts on occassion, but I would make it a daily drum beat until it can no longer be ignored. By doing this I think the GOP could have a bigger impact on the future direction of government bail out.

Dec 17, 2008 - 11:58 am 36. 12-17-08 | Drive Time Happy Hour:

[...] Victor Davis Hanson: Lala Land [...]

Dec 17, 2008 - 11:59 am 37. Scott:

God Bless you Victor.

And to think that I once served under this guy in Iraq and had the utmost in respect for him. I would have even voted for him for President at one point. Yet were he to die tomorrow however, the line to piss on his grave would run for miles. And I would stand out in the freezing rain without a jacket to wait my turn. Powell is living proof that just because you call yourself a Republican, does not mean you are a Conservative. I honestly cannot think of a single good thing to say about him anymore

Dec 17, 2008 - 12:18 pm 38. Greg:

“As bad as the condition that confronts the US, we are better off than most others.”

Ay – there’s the rub. You presume a common definition of ‘better.’ In the commonly accepted world of moral relativism, there can be no commonly understood ‘better.’ the only definition that matters is my personal one. What do I care about national debt level or global starvation or rising unemplyment? As long as my immediate desires (not needs) are met, I’m ‘better off.’

Our primary crisis today is not a financial one, nor even a political one. It is instead a world view crisis brought on by a unwillingness to confront the incompatibility and impossibility of providing an infinite set of ‘betters.’

Dec 17, 2008 - 12:44 pm 39. david:

I’m afraid “Lala Land” is disarmingly humorous. In fact, the evidence is mounting for the existance of a world wide collapse of rational thinking. Polorization and irrational panic are to be seen every day in the media who trumpet every change as being apocalyptic. The harmonic effect is made much worse by the age of instant information. Rumours fly around the world in minutes rather than days, weeks or preferably months. Perhaps we are about to take up where we left off May 4, 1945.

Dec 17, 2008 - 12:50 pm 40. PD Quig:

The “bailouts” are theft, pure–but not so simple. $8.5 trillion is enough to pay down every mortgage in America 80 percent. Did you get that? EVERY SINGLE MORTGAGE IN THE COUNTRY could have been paid down 80 percent–not just the subprime, Alt-A or delinquent mortgages.

If every homeowner in America could have had their monthly mortgage payment reduced to 20 precent of their current payment, an immense amount of cash flow would have been freed up for investment and economic activity. The average mortgage payment of $1,200 could have been reduced to $200, with the $1,000 going into the economy. No more bad mortgages undermining the economy.

Instead, what has happened? $8.5 trillion has gone to financial institutions who are either sitting on it or paying out bonuses to executives. All of the derivative securities that were in essence side bets and insurance against the failure of mortgage payers to perform are being paid off by the U.S. taxpayer.

Let’s say we completely write off the 10 percent of bad mortgages and the houses that are the collateral. 100 percent write off. That would have required “only” $1 trillion
to resolve 100 percent. So, why the $8.5 trillion?

It is the greatest ‘bank robbery’ of all time: the robbery of the American taxpayer at the hands of the bankers, the Fed and our corrupt politicians.

Call out the instigator. The revolution is near.

http://www.financialsense.com/fsu/editorials/shepherd/2008/1215.html

Dec 17, 2008 - 1:02 pm 41. Dissappointed:

I have tried to hold General Powell to the same standards of integrity that I would hold for any center-stage player in these trying days. I am most sadly disappointed. There is no apparent or provided explanation for his timely endorsement of Barack Obama and I can only hesitate before I label it racist.

One of the great consolations in these times is the voice of VHD. AS an agnostic I can only say “God help us”.

Dec 17, 2008 - 1:28 pm 42. Anonymous:

Re: Colin Powell

he was embarrased by what he thought would be his big moment before the UN with the photos of a possible WMD site that turned out to be false intelligence and never forgave the administration.

Don’t forget, his big performance at the UN was at HIS OWN insistance. Bush admin did not think we need another round of UN resolution, Sec. Powell with his fwench pal insisted on goin back there. Stabbed in the back by his european pals and made to look like a big fool (the ONE thing any progressive couldn’t stand), he turned on President Bush instead.

Not to mention the Plame/Fitzgerald investigation.

To accept otherwise would be to admit one is (has been) wrong. And it would take a stronger and better man to do that.

Dec 17, 2008 - 1:32 pm 43. always right:

Re: Colin Powell

he was embarrased by what he thought would be his big moment before the UN with the photos of a possible WMD site that turned out to be false intelligence and never forgave the administration.

Don’t forget, his big performance at the UN was at HIS OWN insistance. Bush admin did not think we need another round of UN resolution, Sec. Powell with his fwench pal insisted on goin back there. Stabbed in the back by his european pals and made to look like a big fool (the ONE thing any progressive couldn’t stand), he turned on President Bush instead.

Not to mention the Plame/Fitzgerald investigation.

To accept otherwise would be to admit one is (has been) wrong. And it would take a stronger and better man to do that.

Dec 17, 2008 - 1:32 pm 44. perries:

This great column kicks ass from A to Z.

Dec 17, 2008 - 1:49 pm 45. How Deep Is the Sea:

Sarah Palin is an honorable governor, a decent human being and a credit to the Republican party. It is strange that Colin Powell uses his new podium as the token conservative to criticize someone who has served in office with more integrity than he has, and weeks after the election ended, no less. It is extremely petty of him.

Dec 17, 2008 - 2:04 pm 46. don L:

As Geraldine Ferraro commented so honestly about Barrack -he wouldn’t even be where he is if it wasn’t for the color of his skin.

Dec 17, 2008 - 2:06 pm 47. Jim:

As usual, Mr. Hanson’s analysis hits home with the power and accuracy of a JDAM, and buries the likes of Colin Powell in his own BS.

Even when all instinct and reason indicated it to be the case, I had always been reticent about awarding Gen. Powell the rank of “Perfume Prince” among political Generals, out of respect and perhaps, a bit of denial. His tenure at State, and behavior since then has well and truly cured me of this. The man is just as much a (excuse the term) slave to his own naked ambitions as Wesley Clark ever was.

I hope previous commenter Scott saves this old Staff Sergeant a place in the piss line.

Dec 17, 2008 - 2:08 pm 48. tanstaafl:

Colin Powell has never struck me as particularly bright.
His waffling around “opinion wise” goes with the territory.

His 11th hour endorsement of Obama seemed like the sheerest pandering to continue to ride on the Wash. DC social circuit. His recent observations about Rush Limbaugh are laughable.

As for the shoe throwing guy, I’m sure he wouldn’t have dared throw his shoes at Saddam Hussein. Or Uday.

Saddam’s son fed his love rivals to the lions

Dec 17, 2008 - 2:24 pm 49. Mike Hicks:

Just about everyone on here has echoed everything I can think of. I would expect a lot more substance from a person with his Military status, and he appears to be a pretty shallow person. Being a person with the low down on Valerie Plame, and he holds onto that info, while Scooter Libby has to be ostracized under an unnecesasary cloud of gloom never made any sense to me. I sure hope President Bush pardons Libby as he goes out the door in 34 days. Collin Powell, just like McCain, are has beens, we have had our full of these guys, and it’s time move on with better people.

Dec 17, 2008 - 2:38 pm 50. Attic, a part:

“Powell with his fwench pal insisted on goin back there. Stabbed in the back by his european pals and made to look like a big fool (the ONE thing any progressive couldn’t stand), he turned on President Bush instead.”

BUT, did anyone find the WMD ??? that were sold to Saddam by a previous US administration during the Iran vs Irak war, he was a good “friend” then (that contained the evil jihadists)), until, that another also good friend, murmured to the empathetic Bush ears that Saudi Arabia was goin bankrupted ; supposed that bloody Saddam had the biggest oil reserves, he, imagine, if that secular Saddam would have got the idea to control the fondamentalist Saudi ! over the Mosquees, over the palaces around the world, might be also that Saddam had socialist ideas… so the fwenchs, as you said, but not Pals, only in your obsessive mind), know how to deconstruct (Derida, LMAO) an obscure discourse, especially from a muslim country, (more than a millenarium of neighbouring witht’em put some lead in their brain)

your Powell, as the french surburbans would say, is a Buffoon, that Bush found convenient to demonise the recalcitrant Europeans

So where are the terrorists now ? still in Afghanistan, in Saudi Arabia, in Pakistan… oh, I forgot IRAN ! where they already were prior 2003 !

is the world a better place today without that bloody Saddam? NO

so always right, you only got a bit of the story, there are things that are not told to the good ol boys, otherwise, they wouldn’t go into crusades

https://www.web-purchases.com/OST_Oil_Hoax_POP5/WOSTJB29/landing.html

Dec 17, 2008 - 7:57 pm 51. Jim Rockford:

Colin Powell only got the big jobs because he was black. And now he stabs in the back the side that gave him the opportunities. He has no class.

Dec 17, 2008 - 8:52 pm 52. fred:

The few occasions I have heard Mr. Powell deliver a speech or appear on some Washington talk show, he failed to impress me. He is actually rather boring and says very little of anything substantive. I think he was more cut out for Foggy Bottom than the Pentagon, insofar as he is evasive. The man was pretty much a staff officer his entire career. His two tours in Vietnam were staff assignments. He never had command in actual combat.

Clearly, someone was advancing his career. He was a bureaucrat who obviously had some kind of talent for getting his ticket punched up the ladder. He’s never taken a risk or stuck his neck out. At the U.N. in February of ‘03 he was ordered to do what he did, and the word is he hated every minute of it.

He and Alma’s friendship with the Saudis is very telling, and it dovetails with the views he and his wife have expressed about Jews and Israel. That’s music to the Saudi prince’s ears.

It was Norman Schwartzkopf who made Powell look good, ultimately. But the Pentagon bureaucrat who outranked a man who actually had combat experience and was a fighter got the glory.

Dec 17, 2008 - 10:34 pm 53. Leftist Antics, Babes, & Corruption « Mark Epstein:

[...] moving east from Ohio, the federal thugs raping our pocketbooks to bailout slick wall street shysters and dumb US automakers continue to play a shell game. First [...]

Dec 18, 2008 - 4:33 am 54. misanthropicus:

RE #32/The Historian: “NO ROYALTY NEED APPLY
The American system of government is built upon the will of the people, not celebrity elites [...]”

Not anymore – unfortunately, the American political system is inexorably morphing in a populist/ authoritarian landscape, and amongst the many factors that cause this I will mention:
1) human nature;
2) lack of national ethos;
3) education lammentable, disabling the students’ critical thinking;
4) number (1-2) alowing for national fragmentation and manipulation of various groups and sub-cultures;
5) cult of celebrity;
6) popular culture which absorbs/ echoes any form of deviancy;
7) academic culture which legitimizes number (4),
objective circumstances (geopolitics, climate changes, etc.) which are responded to with superstitions, and yearning for messianic figures who might solve said problems;
9) increasing “naivity”;
9) etc, etc…

I won’t say that an American Mussolini is in the waiting room preparing his inauguration speech – but I can say that Obama being chosen as president shows a certain slippage toward populism/ authoritarianism.

Dec 18, 2008 - 7:21 am 55. Dave:

You people don’t understand Colin Powell at all.

Firstly, at his core he’s an independent who accepted the label “Republican” only as a Washington necessity. He has an established lean as loosely conservative, but he never signed on for lock-step support of the Republican platform. His position on any particular topic is likely to traverse party lines, and to change over time from one apparent extreme to another as times change (as in the VAST changes paradigm shift from Reagan to… Palin).

Secondly, he certainly isn’t pandering for attention or grasping at ambition. Colin Powell effectively turned down what looked like a very promising Presidential candidacy in 96 and 00 when he evaluated the hassle and disruption it entails. The Presidency is a pain in the ass. Colin Powell has publicly stated his desire NOT to be called into service by Obama.

Finally… what to say about the UN meetings… The failure there lies only in poor intel, or alternatively in a failure to find WMDs that were actually in place. How can you hold Colin Powell personally responsible for this? Do you think he was claiming first hand personal knowledge that WMDs existed and that US forces would find them several months later?

I don’t understand all this bitterness toward Colin Powell. I think I must have stumbled upon some wildly Republican website full of folks angry about Powell’s endorsement of Obama. Note that I voted for McCain personally, but I don’t hate anyone who voted for Obama.

Dec 18, 2008 - 8:23 am 56. Jim Treacher:

“Colin Powell has publicly stated his desire NOT to be called into service by Obama.”

He’s done his part already.

Dec 18, 2008 - 9:29 am 57. tanstaafl:

Colin Powell has publicly stated his desire NOT to be called into service by Obama.

As I recall, when his name came up for a possible Pres. run (2004 ?), he demurred that his wife Alma nixed the idea. She was concerned about his health and welfare as a candidate or something.

Maybe his demurrals are part of his personality complex. Kind of a “hey, I want to stay in the game, I just don’t want to do anything” syndrome.

Dec 18, 2008 - 11:17 am 58. Ron Kean:

Dave,

It isn’t necessary to be a Republican in Washington. It never was. We choose. He chose. Military men take orders from presidents of either party. After leaving, they’re free to choose and choose he did.

He’s been given every opportunity a Washingtonian can hope for. Judging from his post-military performance in office, I believe he was wise to stop when he did.

I wish him well but he may learn that he can’t be everything to everybody. Good luck to him if he wishes favor from Republicans in the future.

Dec 18, 2008 - 11:49 am 59. Fred2:

Powell is not an experienced domestic politician. His “Powell Doctrine” for foreign wars avoids the internal politics of other nations.

The cancer didn’t start on September 14th, the pain did. Oh, maybe you meant some other year?

Dec 18, 2008 - 1:14 pm 60. The other side of the coin:

Can we please remember that Gen. Powell served our country with distinction as a career soldier for 35 years? Among his achievements are decorations for bravery and valor, single-handedly rescuing several men from a burning helicopter, including the commander of the Americal Division. Serving two tours in Vietnam as a junior officer, he was wounded by the enemy, awarded the Combat Infantry Men’s Badge, Bronze star, Purple Heart, has a Ranger Tab, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom and countless other achievements. Let us not forgot we can disagree with the man’s politics but we should try and refrain from bloting out his entire career of service to the nation.

Dec 18, 2008 - 3:24 pm 61. Dave:

Ron, I think you miss my reference. No, its not required that one declare a party affiliation. But in Washington, regrettably drawn along party lines, with us or against us, it became necessary for Powell to best serve the administration for Powell to more formally align with the Republican party in the mid or late 90’s I think. Prior to that, he was clearly and publicly independent, however somewhat defined toward the political right as a conservative and a military man.

So he’s certainly not a party-line guy, or even particularly Republican for that matter. Most importantly, he doesn’t seek to be everything to everybody, he doesn’t seek to be anything to anyone, except to his family, to his country, and to his President. Powell is about service and integrity. He has his point of view, framed in his own experiences and opinion, and he’s willing to share those thoughts, without any party-line filter. He doesn’t try, he just is. He’s unrehearsed and sincere — its what’s so refreshing about him. Listen to him speak — he does not spin or bullshit, he just speaks. Listen to how candidly and quickly he answers. He’s not carefully crafting some line of politician’s bullshit.

Being angry at the man for endorsing a particular political candidate is absurd. Why shouldn’t he? I’ve voted for Bush, Perot, and Clinton (among others). Shouldn’t people vote for the best candidate, without blindly following party affiliation? I voted for McCain, but I was so concerned by Palin that I actually paused to consider Obama.

Finally, and not addressed to Ron: Accusing Powell of racism for his Obama endorsement is obtuse and repugnant. Those who see racism in everything need to ask themselves why their own lens produces that response.

Dec 18, 2008 - 4:29 pm 62. Therese:

Re: Colin Powell

I think that Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama was for one thing and one thing only – MONEY. Powell is a strategic limited partner for a venture capital firm in Northern California. (Kleiner Perkins Caulfied and Byers)

Kleiner Perkins has money invested in companies that need the government to mandate things that will help these companies become huge financial successes. How do you do this? By getting close to the people who make the laws, which is what I believe Colin Powell’s limited partner job responsibility is all about.

Kleiner Perkins doesn’t appear to have military defense investments, but they do appear to be invested in “green” or “alternative energy” companies. Hmmm…what has Obama promised to do? Move the country towards alternative energy sources which means government legislation, which in turns means that one or more of these companies will be worth millions (maybe even billions) when they go public.

All Powell needs is just one of these companies to go public and he becomes a mega-millionaire as a limited partner in the firm.

So, I believe that all of this Colin Powell stuff is about money. All of this other stuff is useful distraction from the real truth – Powell has sold himself out in order to make sure that he and his family are set financially. (Also, he’ll probably use the money for a Colin Powell foundation so that he can feel good about what he did and then keep his name going in perpetuity.)

Follow the Powell money trail, Obama legislation over the next two years and you’ll see.

Dec 18, 2008 - 4:44 pm 63. Posts about Social Media as of December 18, 2008 | The Lessnau Lounge:

[...] [...]

Dec 18, 2008 - 7:59 pm 64. Wolf Bron:

“Dave (you great humanitarian): Most importantly, he doesn’t seek to be everything to everybody, he doesn’t seek to be anything to anyone, except to his family, to his country, and to his President.” …No doubt that was the reason he so advantageously jumped on the Obama’s campaign wagon and literally endorsed him days before the election.

“Powell is about service and integrity. He has his point of view, framed in his own experiences and opinion, and he’s willing to share those thoughts, without any party-line filter.” …When babbling on and on about Palin and Rush Limbaugh, he has nothing good to say; yet when praising Obama(accomplishments?), he has nothing bad to say. If that is not biased, please enlighten me without patronizing me with your stellar intellect.

“He doesn’t try, he just is. He’s unrehearsed and sincere — its what’s so refreshing about him. Listen to him speak — he does not spin or bullshit, he just speaks.” …I suppose that would depend on which American is listening. I don’t recall having heard as much bullshit since the last time I listened to Bill Clinton nuancing his sexual conduct in the White House. Unless of course, you happen to be listening the fawning left-wing media and several psycho celebrities. Wait…, the Chicago political circus is in the clear lead now.

“Listen to how candidly and quickly he answers. He’s not carefully crafting some line of politician’s bullshit.” …You sound like someone in love. It’s OK, love tends to blind even the most egregious flaws.

ALL CLEAR…, davey you can remove your head from… now, damage has been done. Don’t thank me, you’re welcome.

Dec 19, 2008 - 7:24 am 65. cdor:

Very good post #60 (The other side of the coin). General Powell has served our country honorably all of his adult life. He has earned the right, given to all of the rest of us freely, to speak hs mind.

I have mentioned elsewhere, and have never seen it stated in any of these discussions, General Powell’s best moment as SoS. He was at some conference in Europe where the effete elite were roundly crticizing American imperialism. General Powell stood and said (I paraphrase)

“The only land the U.S.A. has kept, while saving people like you on numerous occasions, is the land our troops are buried in.”

That statement, spoken by a proud American who had walked the walk, shut up the room. Kudos to General Powell.

That being said, I agree with everything Mr Hanson has stated in this article by way of criticism of Gen Powell. He has every right to support Mr Obama. However, his publicly offered reasons for doing so seem very weak to me. And now his advice to Republicans to be DemocratLite in policy verges on absurdity.

Dec 19, 2008 - 8:00 am 66. Tom Perkins:

Dave wrote:

“Accusing Powell of racism for his Obama endorsement is obtuse and repugnant. ”

Except there is no other rational explanation for that endorsement other than that he was racist or a deeply invidious, self-serving hypocrite.

Both of course are possible.

Dec 19, 2008 - 8:56 am 67. Ron Kean:

Dave,

It’s not right that one reply to your post was itself obtuse and repugnant.

It takes a special patriotic American to fight like he did. He risked life and limb like the best. And he is considered one of the best in that field. So be it.

Unlike his manner of speaking, my objection to his post-military career has been a lack of speaking. He headed a ‘volunteering’ effort. To my knowledge, it went nowhere. In Douglas Feith’s book, he was either called upon to give his thoughts or sat silently while crucial decisions were made and his silence was disappointing. Then, after Armitage, his close associate, tipped off Robert Novak on Plame, again silence.

When he was given the order, he threw everything but the kitchen sink at the emeny. But I believe after that, he might have been the right face at the right place. The image of a black man in a good place has rewards of its own.

Now, the image of Powell at State, Ms Rice’s elevation, and even Justice Thomas’s appointment pales before the president elect who up to now has little to show for himself other than speaking, throwing lots of tainted money at voters and winning.

But it’s early.

Dec 19, 2008 - 11:17 am 68. DavidN:

Several observations, which I think need to be made here in order to counter some of the excesses posted by other individuals. For one thing, the old accusation that Powell’s rise was largely due to his skin color is I think, best relegated to the dustbin. Regardless of what you think of his performance as a Secretary of State, he was (for the most part) an excellent Secretary of the Joint Chiefs. Someone above commented on his tenure there, asserting that ending the Gulf War with Sadaam still in power was a mistake, as if Powell had made the decision (George Bush pere being on the hook for that one) and as if it were a given that it was a bad idea (we would have had no allies, and would have been at best in the same shape we are now; almost certainly we would have been worse off). The most interesting part was someone contrasting Powell with Norman Schwarzkopf. Neither man is without flaws, and Schwarzkopf apparently wasn’t that popular with (especially) his subordinates. He had an unfortunate habit of lording it over them, and needed anger management classes to avoid Patton-like explosions of vitriol and disgust with people who didn’t do what he wanted, regardless of the circumstances.

Powell isn’t, as I said, a flawless individual. It seems obvious that he endorsed Obama because they share a skin color, regardless of what Powell says in the matter. Relatively few elected officials who are black will admit to that; those who are white will run in fear from the question. His reluctance to answer the question honestly, then, isn’t unusual: instead it’s rather a given. As to him changing parties in the past, and endorsing a Democrat: in 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992 he was still in uniform. It’s considered improper for soldiers to endorse any candidates for office, and they typically don’t. You could probably make the argument that Powell at least bent those rules by letting people know he was close to Reagan. However, this sort of thing (tacit endorsements through “closeness” or repudiations through public spats between the military and the White House) has been going on for decades, if not longer. The most famous incident in recent memory is Maxwell Taylor lighting into the Eisenhower administration in the late 50s, in a book he wrote (An Uncertain Trumpet). He left the Army, but was brought back and became a very close adviser to the Kennedy White House (to the point that one of Robert’s sons is named for him). Shades of Shimonoseki, isn’t it?

Dec 19, 2008 - 11:39 am 69. Marino:

“He(Powell) has earned the right, given to all of the rest of us freely, to speak his mind.” – CDOR

Who said anything about taking this right away? Or do you really mean to say “the man is above criticism”. To which I’d reply – no he is not.

Dec 19, 2008 - 12:04 pm 70. Colin Laney:

Powell is a liar. Notoriously.

The whole world saw him stand in front of the UN and make one blatantly false claim after another about Iraq. Do diplomats from other countries believe what Americans are telling them now about Iran?

Why should they?

Dec 19, 2008 - 12:54 pm 71. Ben Florsheim:

Powell has always been a political chameleon, changing the color of his spots to suit the environment.

Powell’s actions are entirely consistent if one ignores his pretense at policy consistency. Colin Powell has been consistent on only one issue – his tireless advocacy for Colin Powell.

Dec 19, 2008 - 6:09 pm 72. Dave:

Powell isn’t angling for any advantage, he’s not jumping on a bandwagon, or looking for personal gain. He doesn’t seek any of that stuff. That’s the difference. He’s not looking for anything.

Powell doesn’t make sense to you or to the author of the article here because you’re looking too hard. Powell is actually telling his own straight truth, unfiltered. If you look at him in that context, he makes sense. He concluded that the Republican party is going in a troubling direction, so he said that. Simple. Based on those concerns, he chose Obama, so he said that too.

That’s neither racist, nor self-serving. He just chose a candidate, and then shared his thoughts.

Its no different than any of us on this website. I’m certainly not angling for anything. I’m just expressing myself. Is it racist when white people prefer McCain over Obama? Of course not.

Wolf: You’re an angry, bitter, unhappy person. Soak in it. I’m certain you don’t have many long conversations with people who don’t see things the same way you do. You’re the most dangerous kind of asshole. Well spoken, impassioned, and completely lacking in balanced perspective.

Dec 19, 2008 - 8:00 pm 73. George Best:

Dave, youre a typical liberal. If someone sees you for what you are, you call them what you actually are.

Powells military service does not give him a pass to use his race to his advantage. His last minute endorsement of Obama is like a football player switching teams with 2 minutes left in the Super Bowl.

Behavior like that makes us wonder why we always ignored the elephant in the room when discussing his abilities or future or lack there of..his race.

Atleast with Obama we arent afraid to say his race is a huge reason for his success. We should have done the same with Powell so we created our own monster.

It should be a lesson to Republicans, dont put minorities on your staff trying to please liberals who think you are racist. Pick the best people. This political correctness has killed us.

Dec 20, 2008 - 6:32 am 74. Wolf Bron:

Dave: I’m flattered.

…or looking for personal gain. He doesn’t seek any of that stuff. That’s the difference. He’s not looking for anything.” …Your passive aggressive attempt in presenting Powell as this disarmingly charming statesman who means to put us on our guard against certain evils, might work – were in not that his oratory skillfulness diverges from his actions. What a splendid humanitarian display of betrayal with such …such “charming disinterestedness”.

Sigh, your cognitive reasoning baffles. No doubt you’re gently pulling our leg for some mischievous reason of your own.

Dec 20, 2008 - 8:14 am 75. Dave:

That’s the thing George, I’m not liberal at all. John Kerry scared the hell out of me. I don’t trust Obama. I believe in free market economy and taking the fight to the bad guys. I voted for McCain, but I was leery of Palin, and, as an aside, I think Rush is a horse’s ass. I’m very much a white male conservative, but not mindlessly so.

I’m not here to debate the merits of Powell’s diplomatic career decisions and results. I only know this — he didn’t seek personal gain in his endorsement of Obama. He just felt the man was the better candidate and he felt compelled to tell people why. I just want people to consider the possibility (which I know to be true) that he is just saying what he thinks — that there’s no hidden agenda.

Switching teams? What team was he on? Are you on a team? I’m not. In my opinion that approach is blindly partisan.

When people keep bringing up race… Its just so offensive. Its as obtuse and damaging as Jesse Jackson and Charles Barkley playing the race card at every turn. How does it appear to you when you hear it from them? You’re doing the same thing.

Dec 20, 2008 - 9:20 am 76. Dan from St. Charles, IL:

If people on this website didn’t like Powell’s last minute endorsement of Obama (which I didn’t either), why must they reflexively invoke “race” as the primary reason? How do you know what his primary reason was? It could have been any number of things: disappointment with the present administration, disappointment with McCain’s campaign, wanting to be on the side of who he thought would win, wanting to “clear” his name, wanting a future role in Obama’s administration? Who knows for sure, we can only speculate. Personally, I think it cheapens the debate when “race” is brought in as the primary factor. If race was the primary factor, my guess is Powell would have endorsed Obama much sooner. So it was more likely a combination of factors, some of which may have been self-serving. That shouldn’t be a news flash to anyone, since the self-centeredness aspect of human nature is no respecter of race, class, and of course, political party affiliations. The fact remains that Obama won the election, Powell changed “sides” – at least for now – and we as Republicans need to accept the defeat, take our lumps, rise above the pettiness, re-group, re-focus, re-organize, and more importantly, craft and shape our conservative philosophy in such a way that wins Independents and moderate Democrats over to our side. Thoughtful and compelling ideas and dialogue can certainly affect the political landscape over time, but it will take a lot of patience and a lot of hard work. Which is probably why so many of us appreciate Dr. Hanson’s commentaries so much. He represents, and articulates so well, what many of us believe, but cannot as effectively put into words. Moreover, we reap the benefit of gleaning wisdom from a professional historian of the first order, who not only sheds light on complex historical events, but also brings much needed clarity and common sense to the contemporary issues of the day. Thanks, Dr. Hanson, for the continuing education. It is much appreciated.

Dec 20, 2008 - 11:16 am 77. Anonymous:

Colin Powell is an overblown affirmative action mediocrity,elevated beyond his mental and ethical powers. He’s angry that he refused to run for president when he had the chance,becoming instead a shill for the Iraq war,and now he wants to change the republican party into a democrat lite party so that they can nominate him as an Obama alternative.

Dec 20, 2008 - 4:04 pm 78. joeblough:

Re. Powell

It’s only stunning to the extent that one has been unwilling to believe ill of the man on the basis of his rather sketchy virtues.

He may have been a good soldier, I’m no military expert so I can’t say. He seemed like a more or less effective soldier to me. But what do I know of such things?

But other than that there was simply no there there. The guy was a political empty suit of the first quality.

Few of us wanted to believe the evidence of our eyes, largely, I believe, out of patriotism.

Other than that, there was really no surprise.

Dec 20, 2008 - 4:20 pm 79. happy1ga:

I do indeed remember Powell’s military service! As a woman whose brother served with Powell, it would be hard for me to forget the racist, and misogynistic things he said. My brother, and others, HATED to be around Powell, he called people chinks, hos, niggas, dagos, etc. I heard him say he hated this guy who was Italian, myself! He called him a wop, and I was there with another service man’s wife, and she said she didn’t know what the word meant. I was so embarassed explaining to this chinese-amer. woman what the general that she admired had said. Powell was considered cancer to his underlings. I will never understand his rise.

Dec 21, 2008 - 8:47 am 80. Burkewitz:

Sorry for the blatant “off-topicness” of this intervention, but I felt this news could be of interest to Professor Hanson and some of his readers, with whom I share a genuine interest in military History.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3869117/General-George-S.-Patton-was-assassinated-to-silence-his-criticism-of-allied-war-leaders-claims-new-book.html

Of course, this may well be yet another piece of casual conspirationism… But that could make a lot of sense too… Any insight or information on this will be greatly appreciated by this reader.

Dec 21, 2008 - 2:50 pm 81. Minerva:

i HOPE you can spare some CHANGE — Obama mantra

Jan 3, 2009 - 11:59 am 82. The Spinal Tap of Zoology and Other Caged Kooks | JamsBio Magazine:

[...] 17, 2008, Pajamas Media) [...]

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