Tom Friedman voice of reason on MTP

[durrrty libby]

Synopsis: The world hates us because of this administration

The art of diplomacy has no seat at the table of W and pals, and that is bad for the world

Israel must stop and the Arab world must build up, not tear down.

Diplomacy and listening are the priorities. Hatred and bombing

are not accomplishments.

Edited to add: Russert said Tom wrote a scathing column on w in today's
NYT. I hope someone with access will post about it.

[rodeodance]

1. I enjoyed his discussion today.

[redstateblues]

2. Tom Freidman said the Iraq war would solve all the problems

in the Middle East. I respected him at one time but his cheerleading for the invasion of Iraq has discredited him as a clear thinker. Funny how he didn't even mention how the Iraq war has figured into creating instability in the region. He wants to have it both ways- screw Tom Freidman.

[liberaliraqvet26]

3. yeah the Iraq War and "Free Trade"....

but today he did make a lot of sense

[durrrty libby]

4. He does seem bi-polar, but today he must have been

on the good meds.

Maybe he's had a change of heart.Who knows, but at this point, I'll support anyone reasonable

because reason is such a rare commodity.

[BeachBuckeye]

5. Friedman, the every 6 months guy

Every 6 months he has a new take on Iraq. He's been all over the place and his opinions on the subject are meaningless.

[durrrty libby]

6. That may be, but today the discussion was not Iraq,

but Israel and Lebanon.

On this subject he came across quite reasonable.

[hatrack]

24. Do you think Friedman is turning the corner?

Or will the next six months be a critical phase for forming Friedman's opinions?

[karynnj]

9. In fairness, his biggest cheerleading came after we were in

I see that he sees the world, as a novelist would want to write it. He starts where we are and tries to suggest "a plot" where this could end up all having been for the best. (On Iraq, he is toning the "all for the best" down a little.) He is a columnist, so this is his right to do. With his expertise, it's too bad that he's not simply a reporter.

One example was a column, in either November or December, that I think he titled "Crazy like a fox". This was when the inspectors were in and had access even to the presidential palaces and Saddam had agreed to and was participating in destroying some missiles - his top technology - because they were on the border line of legality. (They went too far if they had no warheads - if war heads were added they would go less far.) Freidman suggested Bush was acting crazy to get Saddam to move in the right direction. His view was that by leveraging the view that he could attack Iraq, he was getting results that neither his dad or Clinton got.

In reality, Bush was not acting.

[madmunchie]

23. Friedman said one really good thing, that Bushco was really good at break

ing things. "If you want things broke Bush is the goto guy" or something like that. He hasn't been too swift on his ideas about Iraq. It is just that he is opening his eyes FINALLY so many others.

[Benhurst]

7. When Tom Friedman starts to sound reasonable, I get worried.

I'm worried. :scared:

[mcscajun]

19. We've passed Way the fuck over into Bizarro World if HE is beginning

to "sound reasonable".

Move over. :scared:

[Efilroft Sul]

27. Friedman: The Mustache of Reason.

I forget who said that, but it always cracks me up.

[xchrom]

8. can't stand the guy.

he is a globalism supporter -- and supported the war in iraq.

so now these people who have come over to the side of people who opposed the war from the git-go are more respected?

fuck that!

[Donna Zen]

10. He ignored the idea of dialog

when it was promoted by General Clark. Hey, maybe next week Joe Biden will tell us the same thing. Chris Cillizi can rave about what a foreign policy guru ol' Joe is.

[xchrom]

15. amazing isn't it?

the staus quo johnny come latelys to what the left has been trying -- eloquently i might add -- to tell people.

[Donna Zen]

17. Status suck ups

I'm really ripped today...over the edge. Thousands of people of dying because of bush's failed, destined to fail from April 02 when the plan surfaced, foreign policy. So what do these goons do: they start spouting the words of people they once scorned as if they suddenly had a brain storm.

Oh...and even after everything, they have nerve to call us radical. F'k em.

This is all a piece ya know. If Iran hadn't been strengthened by our illegal invasion of Iraq, we would not be watching this carnage today. Don't worry, they'll rescue bush...ya know, he'll be manly once more.

What really worries me is that the moves on the chess board are becoming fewer and fewer. Would bush try to save his bacon by invading Iran?

[xchrom]

18. if i may -- for the sake of conversation -- people = mines.

then can't we reasonably say -- what with the economy, or our murderous foreign policy, corporate malfeasance -- that the people who represent the concentrated political wisdom in this country are played out?

mind you -- i'm throwin bill clinton on that heap along with bush, condi, cheney, etc.

[oasis]

11. "Arab t.v. is the MUSAC of the Arab world".What'd he mean by that comment?

:shrug:

[durrrty libby]

13. Arab t.v. is the MUSAC of the Arab world".

I think he meant it was on 24/7 and available everywhere.

LIke sunshine, it seeps into one's pores, without one being aware of it.

[karynnj]

14. So, what is our muzak?

For far too many people, it is Fox and hate radio.

[oasis]

16. Thanks. He gave me the impression that people in the arab world

were walking around like zombies.Your explanation clears it up a bit.

[hatrack]

25. You could make the argument that millions of Americans are

After all, a preceding post did mention Fox "News" and hate radio.

[Donna Zen]

26. Friedman's greatest pleasure

Often Friedman, who thinks that he knows best, enjoys no greater pleasure than listening to sound of his own voice. If he thinks "musac" makes him sound oh so cool, he doesn't care what it means. In this case, the phrase is rather demeaning to the Arab world, and would imply the corollary, that somehow that outside the Arab world, people are listening to more substantial information. It is only when the reality of American cable news strikes, that Friedman's statements are shown as silly. The musac-news award would easily go to any American station. Witness: 50% of America now believes that we found WMD in Iraq.

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. Tom typically 20 years out of date in his analysis and analogies

As if anyone in the West has heard anything like Muzack since 1986...:rofl:

[diddlysquat]

12. His article is posted in EDITORIALS

and has been there for a day or two.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x225377

[durrrty libby]

22. Thanks for the link

Read his column people. He got this right

"Ihe world hates George Bush more than any U.S. president in my lifetime. He is radioactive - and so caught up in his own ideological bubble that he is incapable of imagining or forging alternative strategies."

[IndianaGreen]

21. Friedman looked rational because Israel's ambassador was on first

on MTP.

[Donna Zen]

28. Thanks for pointing that out

Propaganda works on many levels. I was casually monitoring the time allowed for the two ambassadors. Israel's 20 min. Lebanon's 7 min.