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I want to make it really clear that I like Juan Cole. A lot. Both as a person and as a foreign-policy analyst. But then he writes this, about Bush’s farewell speech, and it just gets my dander up.
When I was at college, I was interested in peace movements and spirituality, in Gandhi and Sufism. Bush was obsessed by demon rum, poontang and carpet-bombing peasants.
To say I deeply dislike both of these personality types is an understatement. What I have learned in my years is that it won’t do to judge someone based on a personality type. Juan isn’t really doing that, in any case, because he’s publicly judged Bush based on Bush for six years. And sometimes, to vent, you need to write stuff like this. I get that. But but but so do I.
If I had to rely on personality types to explain my esteem for Barack Obama, I’d say this. More than any other national politician, he gives off a look like Enough with all this bullshit. That kind of impatience is what I’m looking for.
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You’re not wrong, but I’m gonna say Juan gets a pass.
He’s done a magnificent job of truthtelling and clarifying in the face of first-order atrocities, and by doing so he’s built up (at least for me) a very large reservoir of good will.
That and at this point in the bush/cheney era, if you’re not just a LITTLE bit unhinged in the spitting fire and throwing things sense of being truly pissed off, I’m pretty sure you haven’t been paying attention…
mikey
well, since you’ve just written that you don’t rely on personality types to judge people, how do you explain your esteem for obama?
Like this.
Here is why I say Obama is a chessmaster. He repudiates people who demonize the opposition’s ideology…..all while demonizing the oppositions ideology. For instance:
In the article from the prospect that Ackerman wrote Obama talks about changing the discourse when talking about foreign policy. But at the same time Obama clearly has derided the NeoCon ideology of preemption and not talking to our enemies as being wrong headed and in some cases juvenille.
On the economy he talks about just doing what works but he has clearly repudiated time and again the conservative ideology that “trickle down” economics predicated on tax cuts don’t work and damn near immoral.
He is moving the goal posts right under everyone’s noses and its truly a beautiful thing.
BTW did anybody notice that the House of Reps has already added over $50 Billion to his initial stimulus bill? How about the two polls out reflecting the public’s support for infrastructure spending as a means to stimulate the economy?
You ‘re quite right. On the way to taking the job, he’s shown himself a master at talking the talk.
After these last years, that’s a hell of a start.
After reading tons of shit being poured on his head on some of the other FDL blogs, maybe some of the bloggers and posters of the non-rabid variety might stop kicking at him for a while.
Juan Cole was obviously too easy on fratboy!
selise can you not even spell President elect Obama’s name with a capital letter! Shame.
Well, he’s done that selectively. Much in the same way that JihadWatch or MEMRI does. Magnificent, the lot of them.
Surely you noticed that while this Farsi speaker — someone in a unique position to actually tell the truth and clarify for an English speaking audience — had years and years of time available to continually offer a repeated and stale defense of one single translation of a single Ahmadinejad’s remark about Israel’s destruction, the translation of every single other remark made by him to that same intent since then has just managed to slip by him. Remarkable coincidence that.
I still see people referring to this today. The man never called for Israel to be wiped off the map. As though that was the only time and context he had threatened them with that.
Being a translator who only translates what supports their bias and withholds everything else that contradicts it, to the demonstrable ignorance of their readers, isn’t admirable. It’s pretty much the worst abuse you could put that talent to.
Your search – site:.juancole.com ”the destruction of the cancerous germ of Israel” – did not match any documents.
”heading toward annihilation” – did not match any documents.
Hmmmm….. Maybe he’s faired better with recent Iranian reaction to Gaza….
Your search – site:.juancole.com ”Every time I see that woman, I wish that somebody would expend a bullet on her.” Tsipi Livni – did not match any documents.
”Zionists. If they help them, they will be harmed” – did not match any documents.
”execution of the filthy traitor” Mubarak – did not match any documents.
”The heads of those countries should fear their nations’ uprising and the wrath of God” – did not match any documents.
Europe+U.S. ”Zionists. If they help them, they will be harmed” – did not match any documents.
Magnificent.
What did Cole said about the open letter that Achmadinejad sent to the King of Saudi Arabia this week?
I haven’t read his site in quite a while. I would presume if it reflected badly on Iran, he’d say nothing.
I stopped reading him when he wrote a post about Afghanistan confirming that he supported the 2001 overthrow, but not any US troops being in the country now. “Who signed up for that?” he asked, in possibly the most deranged/dishonest argument I’ve seen about Afghanistan.
The anti-punching babies in the face campaign had less domestic and international support than the occupation of Afghanistan. This guy not only wants to suggest that wasn’t the case, he was asking who’s even heard of that support at all.