A Willful Ignorance (NYT, Krugman)

[frustrated_lefty]

A Willful Ignorance

According to The New York Times, President Bush was genuinely surprised to learn from moderate Islamic leaders that they had become deeply distrustful of American intentions. The report on the "perception gap" suggests that the leader of the war on terror has no idea how badly that war — which must, ultimately, be a war for hearts and minds — is going.

Mr. Bush's ignorance may reflect his lack of curiosity: "The best way to get the news," he says, "is from objective sources. And the most objective sources I have are people on my staff." Two words: emperor, clothes.

But there's something broader going on: a sort of willful ignorance, supposedly driven by moral concerns but actually reflecting domestic politics. Surely it's important to understand how others see us, but a new, post 9/11 version of political correctness has made it difficult even to discuss their points of view. Any American who tries to go beyond "America good, terrorists evil," who tries to understand — not condone — the growing world backlash against the United States, faces furious attacks delivered in a tone of high moral indignation. The attackers claim to be standing up for moral clarity, and some of them may even believe it. But they are really being used in a domestic political struggle.

Last week I found myself caught up in that struggle. I wrote about why Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's prime minister — a clever if loathsome man who adjusts the volume of his anti-Semitism depending on circumstances — chose to include an anti-Jewish diatribe in his speech to an Islamic conference. Sure enough, I was accused in various places not just of "tolerance for anti-Semitism" (yes, I'm Jewish) but of being in Mr. Mahathir's pay. Smear tactics aside, the thrust of the attacks was that because anti-Semitism is evil, anyone who tries to understand why politicians foment anti-Semitism — and looks for ways other than military force to combat the disease — is an apologist for anti-Semitism and is complicit in evil.

[Room101]

1. Krugman is the man

He makes me feel I'm sane!

[Jack Rabbit]

2. Excellent piece

Thanks.

I posted this in I/P in case anybody wants to discuss that aspect of the work in the proper forum for it.

[dw]

3. "the domestic political strategy of the Bush administration...

— no longer able to claim the Iraq war was a triumph, and with little but red ink to show for its economic plans — looks more and more like a crusade. "Election Boils Down to a Culture War" was the title of Mr. Fineman's column. But the analysis was all about abortion and euthanasia, and now we hear that opposition to gay marriage will be a major campaign theme. This isn't a culture war — it's a religious war."

The end is nigh. Prepare for the Rapture. The lunatics are in the hall...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Bush's tactics

of pandering to the extremist religious right could very well keep terrorism on the rise for years to come. But I really don't think these people care. The leaders are high on the power they derive from hate, and the followers believe interpretations of Biblical passages that were not written by or about Jesus.

[priller]

5. I'm sure this article will be offered as proof

that the left "hates religion". I can feel an Anne Coulter column coming soon. I'm sure Andrew Sullivan will fire off an angry post to his blog in minutes.

What people who are blinded by Bush because "he's not afraid to show he's religious" don't realize is this: we don't oppose Bush because he's a Christian, it's because he's a PHONY Christian. His policies are about as anti-Christian as you can get, his frequent references to religion are used mainly as a way to pacify his extremist base.

I have a good friend who is most definitely in the "blinded by Bush" camp, who goes to a Baptist church that is very politically oriented in favor of Bush and the war. She was all upset back in March because anti-war people left fliers on car windshields in their church parking lot one Sunday morning. "They just hate us because we're a pro-war church." I said, "Does the phrase 'pro-war church' not strke you as just a little bit odd?"

[Brotherjohn]

6. Problem is, the "Christians" blinded by Bush are also usually phony.

They stand behind anything he says and does, no matter how non-Christian, because he is anti-abortion and accepts creationism as a valid "theory". They are perfectly okay with a war, torture, lies, and any number of other evils, as long as "their man" says it's okay. This is not very Christian.

They also, by and large, exercise very un-Christian intolerance against gays, Muslims, Jews, women, and just about anyone else their preachers might be targeting in that week's sermon.

[WENSTJDON]

7. I think the right is scared of Krugman

Today on Crossfire Tucker Carlson made Krugman out to be a loony lefty. I truly believe they will try to make everyone think Paul Krugman is a fringe crazy. Obviously they can't handle the truth.

[tom_paine]

8. KICK

:kick: