Posted on 01/28/2011 5:48:53 AM PST by radioone
The Washington Post, which never passes up an opportunity to attack Sarah Palin, has gone after her for criticizing President Barack Obama’s “Sputnik” reference in the State of the Union Address. Palin noted accurately that what Obama was calling for was “big government” as the solution to our problems. She further pointed out big government socialistic solutions are what in part did the Soviet empire in. Those comments sent Steve Stromberg at the Washington Post into a hyperbolic fit, declaring that her analysis is “weird.” But his response indicates that he knows as little about the Soviet Union and Sputnik as President Obama’s speechwriters.
Stromberg says that Palin misconstrues Obama’s main point that “the Americans who responded to early Soviet success in space exploration by educating themselves and out-innovating the Soviets.” But Stromberg misses Palin’s larger and more important point about history: Sputnik was really meaningless in the larger scheme of things. It was all hype, and it was basically used by people in Washington to advance their own political agenda. Perhaps Stromberg should have consulted the Post’s own archives before he went after her. As Newsweek (which the Post used to own) wrote on the fiftieth anniversary of Sputnik:
Less than a week after Sputnik began orbiting Earth once every 96 minutes, politicians and the press had spun it into a shocking symbol of Soviet superiority that could soon lead to nukes falling on American cities. But far from being alarmed by Sputnik, newly released archives show, Eisenhower and his military and intelligence advisers welcomed it. The terror triggered by the uninstrumented, 184-pound silvery satellite, roughly the size and shape of a blue-ribbon watermelon and emitting an A-flat beep from its rudimentary radio transmitter, had little basis in reality.
Newsweek goes on: “With Sputnik’s 50th anniversary this week, we’re in danger of getting it wrong yet again, for the supposed lessons of Sputnik are ones we should actually unlearn.” Ouch. Memo to Stromberg: Read some history next time. Memo to President Obama: quit the myth-making.
Palin is right: Sputnik was the typical government solution; symbolism over substance. The Soviets did not really create a satellite, and Washington really wasn’t threatened by it. They “welcomed it.”
Palin’s other point is that Sputnik was the sort of government bureaucratic program that got the Soviet Union in trouble; it’s an example of what eventually did them in. Citing Wikipedia (what journalistic ingenuity!), Stromberg argues that actually the Soviet Union didn’t have a debt problem until some “thirty years after” Sputnik. Perhaps instead of relying on Wikipedia, Stromberg might have consulted Robert Gates’ book From the Shadows which chronicles, in part, his career as a Soviet analyst at the CIA. (Just in case they are unaware at the Post, this is the same Robert Gates who is now the Secretary of Defense.) On page 173, he accurately points out that the CIA knew early on of the “Soviet economic crisis. From the late 1950s, CIA had clearly described the chronic weaknesses as well as the formidable military power of the Soviet Union.” Hmmm. Do you think this “chronic weaknesses might have had something to do with excessive bureaucracies and the size of government? Note to Stromberg: you will have to close Wikipedia and actually crack a book for this one.
Intellectual debate is well and good, but if you’re going to condescend, you better have something to condescend about. In this case Steve Stromberg of the Washington Post just got schooled by Sarah Palin.
Most unfortunately, mr. stromberg will never read this, will never hear of this, and will learn nothing. Further, the WA. Post will never read this or hear of it.
This piece...while truthful, fact based, and well written will never make it to the light of day. This piece will never appear in the editorial pages of any of the MSM newpapers or magazine.
More's the pity.
We need to cut and paste and send top every newspaper, journalist and publications. Why not? Add it to your facebook send via email. Your point is taken now lets see that everyone does read it.
I am going to make an “actually...” file. What Newsweek wrote here will be in it, the quotes from Frederick Douglass that were on Glenn Beck this morning will be in it for example.
pissant needs to read this.
He was parroting the liberal B.S. about Governor Palin and ‘Sputnik’ yesterday, proving he is an easily manipulated sheep, just like the groupthink morons on the left.
Hey pissant, WTF?
There is no lack of idiots who will defend anything she says.
There is (obviously) no lack of idiots that will misrepresent and attack anything she says.
Her natural goodness and character shines a bright light on their shame and unworthiness, which they try desperately to deny.
All your attacks on her have revealed your character. Thanks for self identifying.
It’s all in my tag line...
I quoted her directly. Pure unadulterated gibberish.
Nor is there a lack of idiots who will attack everything she says and does.
FYI — you might be interested in this considering the author of the piece is Peter Schweizer. He has written the defintive accounts of Ronald Reagan’s 40-yr. battle against communism. His books on the subject are “Reagan’s War” and “Victory”.
There are plenty of those too. Then there are honest people who will give her props when she is right and point out when she is blowing smoke.
And then there are those who sit on a computer all day throwing out their nonsense, kidding no one but themselves, just waiting for some attention.
And then there are idiots who support amnesty queens.
YOU LIE!
LOL
We ain’t buyin’ your B.S. Not that you would notice.
Just last week Jim DeMint reiterated on CNN he will not run...get ready for the pizza maker, he’s you’re man this time! I wonder if he can break 1%?
With Huckabee not running and Romney bleeding support, the primary season may be over before it starts.
But, but, I have read in so many places that this person is a dumb chick getting by on her looks.....:>)))
Sounds like an idiot to me. /s
Like I said, no shortage of idiots who will run interference for any retarded thing she says, including her pimping of amnesty.
He just pretends to be conservative for his own drama queen self aggrandizing agenda.
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