Freidman decided to write a column write ASAP

[La_Serpiente]

It seems like Freidman has another wild idea: Let Iraq, Israel, and Egypt join NATO.

Here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/26/opinion/26FRIE.html?hp

(Free registration required)

[FDRLincoln]

1. interesting

You know, that's not really a bad idea. It would provide some security for Israel, would likely require at least some liberalization in Egypt, and would make a liberal democracy in Iraq at least somewhat more likely.

Of course, it will never happen. Too many entrenched power brokers in the three states mentioned above would have too much to lose.

[E_Zapata]

2. Iraq IS currently in NATO

as a territory of the USA......they kind of are a NATO member. **rolling eyes**

Friedman is not only mad, he's a dumbass.

[amlouden]

3. yes he is

i used to like him, but i can't read his articles any more since he started supporting the war

[pretzel4gore]

12. in 'from beirut to jerusalem'

friedman wrote that Israel has no need of nukes since the christian nations, including russia, would never allow her to be destroyed, at least in part because of the myth like quality the word Israel has in christian lore.
what has since came over that horrible lil fucker i cannot imagine; just one lie after another. sick jackass ...thinking dishonest reportage could somehow benefit Israel (esp. after he showed he was capable of hitting nail on head, as in the above observation)
fear for her has driven lotsa israel's american/western backers crazy it appears, re: friedman, dershowitz, d.horowitz, the goldbergs, kristols, john mankovitz(?) dennis miller(?) and too many others to mention...

[Bombtrack]

5. Great logic

if someone disagrees with me, they're a dumbass. How many pulitzers do you have?

[wtmusic]

6. Yeah, dumbass is the wrong term

How about a Pulitzer-Prize Winning Pertinacious Hypocrite?

[Sagan]

4. well, that's pretty typical of Friedman

He's been twisting and turning like crazy ever since he's been proved wrong about his war cheerleading.

This "solution" of his is vintage Friedman. It's all about systems and who cares about the people? Friedman will never understand that without the will of the people behind it, the system will never work.

Keep twisting, Tommy boy. You're still wrong.

[robcon]

7. Friedman is the most consistently brilliant op-ed author in the U.S.

His latest article is, as usual, thought provoking, and challenges conventional thinking.

Friedman's defense of globalization has always been extremely persuasive. His explanation of the the Muslim world's backwardness (economy, science, education, political organization) is now the most accepted explanation of the problem, and leads to the possible solution to peace in the Middle East.

The true measure of Friedman's brilliance is that so many of his ideas, which were unique and penetrating at the time, have become the prevailing attitude among educated Americans.

[kodi]

8. pointing out the obvious hardly makes one a brilliant writer

friedman shot his wade years ago. since then he has been an apoligist for israel and real politik (with a distressing double standard towards first world failures)

[KoKo]

9. Friedman "makes up his mind as he goes along." He's "Tweety."

The finger is always "in the wind." :-(

[wtmusic]

10. 'Prevailing attitude among educated Americans'?

Well lah dee dah. According to whom?

Friedman's arguments challenge conventional logic but little else.

[bpilgrim]

11. and here i thought he borrowed it from corp america

turn the whole world into a mirror image of our selves...

sheesh' that idea is as old as EMPIRE.

peace

[pretzel4gore]

13. lying bastard, but brilliant?

maybe....like bart simpson maybe (only bart's not a traitor)
look at the damage bush has done, with frieman et al's abetting. It's gonna take generations of using precious resources (which mankind needs just get by) to clean up bushwacky's mess....even if you lean to lihop (i myself KNOW it's mihop)

[lostnfound]

14. Persuasive, but DISASTROUS

That's the problem with Friedman -- he IS very persuasive, particularly to centrists or moderate liberals, but he's turned out to be dead wrong.

Globalization as it is being practiced has been a DISASTER for many, many people -- particularly the people who can least afford it.
*Poverty doubled from 35% to 70% in Mexico since NAFTA was signed
*Local economies based on small farms in Mexico have been replaced by cheap subsidized food imports from American agrichem companies like Monsanto and Cargill, and massive migrations have occurred within Mexico as a result because the farmers have no jobs.
*IMF-imposed austerity programs have destroyed the lives of millions in underdeveloped nations, while transnationals like Bechtel swoop down and buy up infrastructure at firesale prices.
*Environmental and worker protections are seriously threatened due to risk of corporate vs state lawsuits over free trade.

Friedman has successfully brainwashed his readers over the years, all with a wonderful cheery tone. He had me in his fan club for too many years.

[Lexingtonian]

15. ROFL!

He's sitting around NATO HQ in Brussels watching the Europeans stall their way out of getting into the Iraq quagmire and getting pissy that everyone considers American neocon delusions about as appetizing as fresh turds.

Hey Tom- we'll let you have what you want. But as first move we'll be sending the German and Egyptian armies in to quell all those nasty problems all over I/P. We just can't be having such problems inside member countries! Oh, and we'll be removing all Israeli WMDs and sending all settler terrorists to Gitmo.