Friday, June 27, 2008

Because American Elections are Disgusting, and Get People Killed to Boot; or, a Homage to Pat Buchanan

Everyone's favorite isolationist, nativist, and old-school American exceptionalist. A man especially loved, it turned out, despite decades of criticisms of the United States' alliance with Israel, by really, really old Jewish people living Palm Beach County, Florida.

Worst of all, he works for NBC.

That's right, ladies and gents, Harrogate gives you none other than Patrick J. Buchanan. Harrogate reads his column religiously. This, despite the fact that, to paraphrase Ben Stiller in Dodgeball:

Buchanan loves the red-meat white supremacists, the red-meat white supremacists love the GOP, so ipso facto, Buchanan loves the GOP.

Query: Does Buchanan read the Dictionary to "break a mental sweat"?

But we digress. A blind groundhog will find an acorn every now and then, and Buchanan opposes American military adventurism; on these grounds at least, the man merits commendation. Seeing as how American elections kill people and all.

The current article by Buchanan asks a simple question:

"Who's Planning Our Next War?"


This is a fascinating read, not just for those who, like Harrogate, loathe American politics more and more with each passing day, but also for those who simply think that the question of going to war, the question of mass slaughter, is something of a big deal. Near the beginning of his column Buchanan states:

William Kristol of The Weekly Standard said Sunday a U.S. attack on Iran after the election is more likely should Barack Obama win. Presumably, Bush would trust John McCain to keep Iran nuclear free.

Yet, to start a third war in the Middle East against a nation three times as large as Iraq, and leave it to a new president to fight, would be a daylight hijacking of the congressional war power and a criminally irresponsible act. For Congress alone has the power to authorize war.


Hmmmmm. At the end of the column Buchanan asks an important question. But all things considered, it is also a pretty laughable question.


Is it not time the American people were consulted on the next war that is being planned for us?

3 comments:

solon said...

While Pat seems like the harmless Old Muppet, as he and Mike Barnacle play the role of Statler and Waldorf on Morning Joe, he and his followers have played an important role on the right in fighting against the Neo-Conservative pressure. One of his followers started the site Anti-War.com, which is usually a very good read.

Kristol and others such as John Bolton have started to beat the drum for war with Iran. This needs a serious, and longer post, but the idea is for election purposes only- to lift the sagging campaign of John McCain.

harrogate said...

They started beating that drum a long time ago, friend.

It has less to do with McCain than with ideological doctrinalism. The two assholes named in your comment and a gaggle of others presented a nonplussed President Clinton with a letter in 1998, urging war with Iraq.

These were the people Bush surrounded himself with when he took office.

And BTW, does this not qualify as a long, serious post on the issue?

solon said...

It is not that this is not a long and serious post but there is another over the way in which the Neo-Conservatives are attempting to structure the debate to focus on War with Iran to help McCain.

This is not Kristols first attempt and it will not be his last.