THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN: Playing the Hand We’ve Dealt

[kevinmc]

Last week, President Bush appointed a “war czar,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, to oversee everything we’re doing in Iraq and Afghanistan — which raises the question: Who was doing this job up to now? The answer, amazingly, is no one. We’re like a fine restaurant that has decided five years after it’s opened — and has lost most of its customers — that it might be good to hire a head chef. Better late than never. General Lute comes advertised as smart and tough. Good. I hope his first memo to the president starts like this:

Mr. President, if you look around the region, all those we’ve tried to isolate — Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iraqi insurgents and the Taliban — are stronger today than they were two years ago. We have to reassess our strategy, beginning by facing up to the fact that we’ve fundamentally altered the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East.

We brought down the hard walls that surrounded Iran by destroying Iran’s two archenemies — the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam’s regime in Iraq. As a result, we are dealing today with an emboldened, resurgent Iran, which has taken advantage of our good works to expand its economic, cultural, religious and geopolitical influence into Persian-speaking western Afghanistan and into Shiite Iraq.

With Saddam gone, none of the Arab states are strong enough to balance Iran. They are all either too weak or too dysfunctional. This means we have two choices. We can be the regional power balancing Iran, which will require keeping thousands of troops in the area indefinitely. Or we have to engage Tehran in a high-level dialogue, in which we focus on our mutual interests in stabilizing Afghanistan and Iraq. You have to choose, Mr. President: I can’t do my job if you don’t face the fact that our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and our energy gluttony — have empowered Iran......

http://freedemocracy.blogspot.com/2007/05/thomas-l-friedman-playing-hand-weve.html

[On the Road]

1. When is the Last Time Iran Invaded Anyone?

[Igel]

18. Early 1800s, IIRC.

Maybe late 1700s. Russia. Got their asses kicked, which just showed what everybody knew: it was so weak that, like Belize and Turks and Caicos, it dare not invade anyone.

And that, my friend, is the spanner in the works. It's possible for a quiet, gentle person to be docile and friendly, but you'll never know until you've taken the gun away from his head and he has one to point at you.

[OHdem10]

2. Perhaps this explains Senator Clinton's and Senator

McCain's positions---

MCCain---We are going to be in Iraq a long time.


Senator Clinton---I will end the war but keep a small contingent
of troops there.

??????????

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

3. So, Friedman's been relegated to a blog, rather than the NYT. Incremental changes, anyone?

:-) MKJ

P.S. Welcome to the real world Mr. Friedman.

[roseBudd]

7. He's still Times Select, some bloggers are just violating the Select part

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

10. Thanks for the clarification.

:-) MKJ

[roseBudd]

12. Times went after papers who had had the select columnists on their web versions prior to Select

and made them stop putting the columns online. Some papers never did have the syndicated columnists on their web versions.

I imagine the Times sees no point in going after blogs that have no advertising. I can't imagine Daily Kos getting away with it

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

15. .

Agreed and :spray: MKJ

[Benhurst]

4. The Mustache In Search of a Brain strikes again.

[Joe Bacon]

19. Tommy is pouting because he isn't gonna be able to play War Czar!

I hope I live to see the day when Tommy and his fellow Press Whores are in the dock before the World Court.

[pretzel4gore]

5. mr president, it's us mediawhores who created you

and the mess yall are in. get ridda us, mr President, however you can! If you must, send us in a pinstriped army, to iraq, and PAY the insurgents for every pair of eyes (genetic material) they deliver to your reg army guys....after killing off 100 thousand of us MEDIAWHORES then you gotta get busy on the next 100k, but meanwhile YOU MUST use police to round up the rightwing media political establishment in the US, Britain, and the rest of the west- leave not one rightwinger in power in newsmedia, not even ONE, Mr Bush, or you'll suffer for it! And humanity will suffer with you (not that humanity matters, sir, but the optics would do you proud to mention it)
this is tom friedman, and i approve this message, mr president
(geez this is good dope- the truth, oh how i love da trut!)

[Warren Stupidity]

6. What? No new demarcation of another Freidman unit?

I am so disappointed. I was sure the next six months would be critical.

[bemildred]

8. Well, hey, for once he is right.

:thumbsup:

[wellst0nev0ter]

9. Yeah, But He's Still The Last Horse That Crosses The Finish Line

If the Bush regime has taught me anything, it has taught me to identify all the worthless hacks who are actually paid to peddle their garbage. I can get more prescient substance reading a random DU thread than by reading these so-called "experts"

[bemildred]

11. Truth is where you find it.

I am as willing to bash Friedman as anyone, but if you shit on the truth because of who says it, you are still shitting on the truth. When someone like Friedman manages to get a clue, that needs to be encouraged. The more mainstream media whores we have talking about dialog, the less chance we have of getting into another stupid war.

[OHdem10]

13. Thanks for saying that , Bemildred.

the truth is the truth--matter who speaks it.

I have believed the reason we cannot get out of Iraq
is we empowered Iran and this throws a monkeywrench in the
whole Middle East.

[bemildred]

20. Well, apparently we are going to talk to Iran now.

It has dawned on our "leaders" that the US and Iran have a common interest in a stable, non-jihadi-breeding Iraq. I think it is too late to un-throw the monkey wrench, but you have to do what you can.

[billbuckhead]

14. This flat earth worshipping whore was such a cheerleader for iraq&globalization

I just can't be objective about him anymore.

[bemildred]

17. Yeah, I know, I know. nt

[Joe Bacon]

16. How many more Friedman Units do the troops have to suffer?

How many more FU's Tommy?

How many more times will you say give us 6 more months you flat headed fool?