Sunday, June 19, 2016

Think about it: From a humanitarian perspective, the devastation resulting from the effort to prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb may have already exceeded the devastation that would result from Iran actually dropping a nuclear bomb.

That's what Jeffery Goldberg says in his Atlantic profile on Obama.

But I'm reading that quoted in The Mind of the President by David Hazony at the Tower. Hazony is using the Goldberg profile along with the NYT profile by David Samuels to produce his own analysis. And it is quite good. And long. Good Sunday reading.

The best part is, it's all familiar. But with clarifying tidbits like Obama's entire Cabinet is basically a smokescreen. Never has an administration's Cabinet been so useless. They are the signal to the world that everything is business as usual. Another is that Samantha Powers is highly regarded based on her work. She is genuine expert and provided Obama a plan for Syria all in line with her area of expertise and all that Obama rejected to persist with his vision of how things must be, his conceptualization of U.S. power as only entangling draining unhelpful interference. "I know. I read your book, Samantha." Obama is reported to have dismissed. She gets promoted for putting up with that.

Hazony has some great observations. It's good reading. Kate at Small Dead Animals says, "Grab a coffee" and quotes Hazony describing the two interviews:
-have revealed a kaleidoscope of mendacity so sophisticated, creative, consuming, and substantively boundless as to give rise to a sense that something essential has changed in the relationship between truth and falsehood, between the actual policies of an administration and its efforts to sell them.
Hazony's subheadings:

I. Spin is the Opposite of Policy
II. Getting Out
III. The Wrong Side of History
IV. It Must Be Hard to Know Everything
V. The President’s Power Problem
VI. The Disaster Has Already Happened
VII. The Phony War
VIII. The Next Ex-President

19 comments:

edutcher said...

"all that Obama rejected to persist with his vision of how things must be, his conceptualization of U.S. power as only entangling draining unhelpful interference"

IOW the ignoramus is so sure only he knows what's right he doesn't need anybody's opinion.

The last guy that thought like that ended up late for the Kremlin Christmas party and had to sit in the snow.

Synova said...

Wait...isn't he Atlantic a left liberal rag?

edutcher said...

Maybe even they have come to their senses.

ndspinelli said...

I said a couple years ago. The rats would start jumping the Obama ship toward the end of his term. Here's a semi Oliver Stone conspiracy theory. I thought it odd when both Obama and Biden went to Orlando. Then, a couple days later, the 51 State Dept. letter blasting the Prez on Syria and ISIS is leaked to the NYT. That smelled like a Hillary leak helped by her State Dept. loyalists. Obama may have signed off on the Clinton indictment and is putting Crazy Joe Biden in place for the convention. Bernie had to be taken off the table first, and that was sorta done just a few days prior when Obama had Bernie to the WH. Again, this is part Oliver Stone and part wishful thinking. Obama and Joe both endorsed Hillary so they can say, "It wasn't us, it's the FBI and DOJ. Out of my hands."

chickelit said...

Is this the same Obama to whom Clinton II pledges absolute fealty?

ndspinelli said...

Chip, Thanks for the link to the Atlantic piece.

chickelit said...

BTW, Troop, you are wrong. It's Jeffery not Jonah. Only Jonah swallowed the whale.

edutcher said...

Trooper York said...

Wait a minute....the devastation of the Iranian deal is worse then if they actually set off a Bomb...oh wait that was written by Jonah Goldberg.....a moronic douche bag neocon

From a humanitarian perspective.

Research was probably done by this guy.

Trooper York said...

Oh you are right Chickie. I misread that. I thought it was Jonah who is particular bĂȘte noire of mine. I apologize for blaming the wrong Goldberg.


All I can say is ...Iceberg....Goldberg....what's the difference?

windbag said...

If Iran has a bomb, they're not going to stop at detonating one. Duh. They will manufacture and detonate as many as possible. They do not value life. Stopping them is a fairly important objective.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I read there's a revolt by a bunch of state department career people who are upset with the Obama Syria policy.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Link... http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-06-17/untold-story-behind-mutiny-state-department-where-dozens-demand-war-syria

ndspinelli said...

Lem, The revolt has gotten some coverage, but not what one would expect. I always play the fun game, What if it were a Republican President and this happened? Shit, it would be 24/7, when does the impeachment start!

ndspinelli said...

I sort of enjoy watching Chuck Todd. He REALLY REALLY REALLY hates Trump. He's as obsessed as some of the Trump followers. Interesting dynamic.

ricpic said...

Lem - The State Department revolt is - according to Limbaugh - a result of the fact that many in State are Hillary supporters who are desperate to put distance between their candidate and Obama's Syria mess.

edutcher said...

ndspinelli said...

I sort of enjoy watching Chuck Todd. He REALLY REALLY REALLY hates Trump. He's as obsessed as some of the Trump followers

The same can be said of many Trump h8rs.

ndspinelli said...

I agree, ed.

ndspinelli said...

ricpic, I think Limbaugh is correct that this is Hillary instigated.

ndspinelli said...

The motivation?