This week Thomas Friedman gets it.

[fizzana]

The U.S. war on terrorism suffered a huge blow last week — not in Baghdad or Kabul, but on the beaches of Cancún.

Cancún was the site of the latest world trade talks, which fell apart largely because the U.S., the E.U. and Japan refused to give up the lavish subsidies they bestow on their farmers, making the prices of their cotton and agriculture so cheap that developing countries can't compete. This is a disaster because exporting food and textiles is the only way for most developing countries to grow. The Economist quoted a World Bank study that said a Cancún agreement, reducing tariffs and agrisubsidies, could have raised global income by $500 billion a year by 2015 — over 60 percent of which would go to poor countries and pull 144 million people out of poverty

<snip>

And one thing we know about this Bush war on terrorism: sacrifice is only for Army reservists and full-time soldiers. For the rest of us, it's guns and butter. When it comes to the police and military sides of the war on terrorism, the Bushies behave like Viking warriors. But when it comes to the political and economic sacrifices and strategies that are also required to fight this war successfully, they are cowardly wimps. That is why our war on terrorism is so one-dimensional and Pentagon-centric. It's more like a hobby — something we do only until it runs into the Bush re-election agenda

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/25/opinion/25FRIE.html

He must be bi-polar. This piece hits all the rigth spots and then he goes off about France being the real enemy.

[MattNC]

1. gotta make up

for those two editorials last week, which was some of his worst stuff ever

[Zeke]

2. Freidman's Shit...

He backed Bush Inc.'s war, voted GOP, propogandized every word Bush Inc mutters, and now says Bush can't connectthe dots.

Well, F---you, Freidshit!

Americans are dying in Iraq because you helped Bush lie America into that sand-hell-land!

Tomorrow he'll say Bush should be annointed king---just watch!

[wtmusic]

3. He's f*cking off his rocker

Just can't say he was wrong, he has to sputter across the line like an old drunk

[KG]

4. still playing CYA, tom?

it's not working, we can still you're an ass and full of shit.

[wabeewoman]

5. I think the sound you hear is

his perceptions crashing into reality. He visited Iraq and saw what was happening over there. I imagine its very hard given all the things he has supported to feel like this about a repug president. At least he finds honesty sometimes-the other repug columnists are not even looking. In fact they go to great lengths to deny the truth.