or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
•
"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
September 13, 2006
James Baker Raises The Level Of Political Discourse
Some people think American political rhetoric is a complete sham—so transparently dishonest and illogical that it's clear the people who run this country believe we're blithering idiots. Fortunately, this is completely wrong. Just read this interview with Bush family consigliere and current head of the Iraq Study Group James Baker:
TEXAS MONTHLY: Do you look at the world right now—at Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Afghanistan, North Korea, at all the stuff we've come to accept as commonplace in the news—and think, "What happened? How did we get here?"JAMES BAKER: There are a whole host of factors, but the idea that somehow the United States or the West was responsible for the rise of terrorism and what happened on 9/11 is ludicrous. Let me just remind you that in 1986, at the economic summit in Tokyo, the number one political issue on the agenda was the threat represented by terrorism.
Let's follow the logic here, because it's crystal clear and irrefutable:
1. In 1986, countries were concerned with terrorism.
2. This proves the United States can't be in any way responsible for the rise of terrorism.
3. Why? It's obvious: because in 1986, there was no United States.
Q.E. to the g-damned D.
(Interview via Robert Dreyfuss.)
Posted at September 13, 2006 07:55 PM | TrackBackwhat in the *hell* is he talking about?
Posted by: Guest at September 13, 2006 08:41 PMIn 1986 what was then the Reagan administration (of which Mr. Baker was a part) was financing, equiping and training what is now al Qaeda and the Taliban -- as well as providing Saddam with money, WMD and intel (with which to kill Iranians). Or, do I remember wrong?
(Sorry for the compound sentence.)
I think the logic they rely on is that 9/11 reset the clock, cleaned the slate. Nothing existed before 9/11, except events that they pluck back into existence whenever they need to invent a "logical" narrative for their crimes.
Posted by: Bruce at September 14, 2006 08:31 AMLike Henry Kissinger, in a just world Baker should just thank his lucky stars that America doesn't lynch its war criminals. That people still ask these genociders what they think about anything is insane. Even Ralph Nader was suggesting Baker as an envoy to negotiate peace in Lebanon back in July (http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0718-33.htm).
Baker was right there as the Reagan administration supported both sides of the Iran-Iraq war. Baker certainly played a role in arming the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan, helping to found al Qaeda. Baker was there when the Reaganistas were funding death squads in Nicaragua and El Salvador. He was the one who gave the green light to Saddam Hussein to invade Kuwait, and then just days later joined in the "worse than Hitler" chorus. His "diplomacy" failed to prevent the Gulf War (which of course it wasn't intended to do), and helped arrange the brutal sanctions in Iraq which hurt just about everyone there EXCEPT Saddam Hussein. And, of course, Baker was instrumental in stealing the 2000 election.
Any drunk in any bar anywhere has more credibility on world affairs than does James Baker.
Posted by: Bob at September 14, 2006 08:44 AMJames A. Baker to President GHW Bush in 1992: "F_ _ _ the Jews. They don't vote for us anyway." Bigotry aside, Baker apparently believes his own prejudices should trump the national interest.
Posted by: S. Richter at September 14, 2006 11:40 AMJames A. Baker to President GHW Bush in 1992: "F_ _ _ the Jews. They don't vote for us anyway."
Really? That sounds like something said by or to Richard Nixon.
Posted by: Nell at September 14, 2006 07:44 PM
