2 Responses to “John Derbyshire Just Had a Heart Attack”

1. SteveMG says:

   January 16, 2009 at 4:44 pm

   It’s important to recall that Matthews, whose stated hero is John “We will pay any price, bear any burden in the defense of liberty” Kennedy, was a vehement opponent of the removal of Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1989 as well as the overthrow of the Baathist regime in 2003. In both instances, he was more concerned with the policies of Cheney (he has some bizarre fixation with the VP) than he was with the actions of expansionist dictators.

   This is cold-hearted, amoral realism that believes that the US will be safe as long as brutal repressive regimes are keeping the “Arab street” quiet. One would think that a speechwriter for Jimmy Carter would remember what happened in Iran with the Pahlavi dynasty.

   JFK would be appalled at Matthew’s immoral views.
2. SteveMG says:

   January 16, 2009 at 5:12 pm

   JFK would be appalled at Matthew’s immoral views.

   Make that “amoral” views.
3. Alex says:

   January 16, 2009 at 5:53 pm

   A foolish and apologetic consistency written by someone who is obviously complicit in the idiotic “Freedom Agenda.” Bush and Rice’s insistence on the election of Hamas and Hezbollah completely destabilized the region, bringing us to mess we are in now.
4. SteveMG says:

   January 16, 2009 at 6:31 pm

   Bush and Rice’s insistence on the election of Hamas and Hezbollah completely destabilized the region, bringing us to mess we are in now.

   Bush and Rice insisted that Hamas and Hezbollah be elected? Or that the people be allowed to choose those who would govern them?

   The alternative, then, is to continue to support repressive dictatorial regimes to keep the Arab people under control. Realism they like to call it.

   Yeah, that’ll win the hearts and minds of the Arab people.
5. Cleo'sMuse says:

   January 16, 2009 at 6:48 pm

   One of the factors – among many of course – that helped lead to the rise of radical Islam was the existence of brutal, corrupt and repressive regimes, some of which was supported by the United States. The Islamists could rightly point out the corrupt nature of those government.

   There’s no easy answer to how to deal with this complex problem and while the Bush Administration warrant great criticism for being too reckless with their “democracy promotion” a return to the realist approach to Middle East matters will not, it seems to me, make the dilemma go away.

   Realism, like Keynesianism, may help us short term. But in the long term we’re all dead.
6. Nolanimrod says:

   January 16, 2009 at 8:23 pm

   Chris Matthews has hosted Hardball since 1999? Really? How does he keep his job? The guy is an idiot. He looks like an idiot. He speaks like an idiot. With apologies to most idiots. I just don’t know a more appropriate word. Moron? His only redeeming feature seems to be a pronounced galvanic response in one of his legs, and he seems mum on which one it is.

   MY Question IS … why are decent writers in respectable publications ever, ever, mentioning the guy or what he has to say?
7. Lt. York says:

   January 17, 2009 at 1:36 am

   “A foolish and apologetic consistency written by someone who is obviously complicit in the idiotic “Freedom Agenda.” Bush and Rice’s insistence on the election of Hamas and Hezbollah completely destabilized the region, bringing us to mess we are in now.”

   Sorry to cognitively challenge you, old chap, but wasn’t it the daaaaahhhhhhhhhlings on the left who have been bloody well agitating for a “homeland” for the Palestinians for the past 30 years?

   Well, they got themselves a homestead, and, lookeee here, boy…they go on and elect themselves a terrorist organization for a government.

   Seems like ChimpyMcHailliburtonBlackwaterLibbyEvilDarthRovetorturewaterboardingrenditionboy
   didn’t have so much to do with that little bit of balloting.

   You reap what you sow, and Hamas has sown sh*t.
8. It turned out to be one of those all-night wicker places says:

   January 17, 2009 at 1:06 pm

   “The Bush administration’s real foreign policy shortcoming”…

   In Eric Trager’s opinion, it’s

   not that it promoted democracy naively, but that it promoted democracy inconsistentl……
9. RepublicanTeacher says:

   January 17, 2009 at 1:28 pm

   Like Olberman, Mathews can no longer be considered a journalist-or even a commentator. After the “leg-tingling” and the “I’m going to do everything in my power to make this work” line its clear he’s simply another DEM hack who’s agenda is to spew propoganda that supports his party.