Posted on 03/02/2005 8:56:30 AM PST by pissant
We hardly ever watch Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," but our TV happened to be tuned to it last night when erstwhile Clinton aide Nancy Soderberg, author of "The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might" (foreword by Bill Clinton, blurb by Madeleine Albright) came on. We're not sure what possessed us to turn on the sound and watch, but we're glad we did, for it was a fascinating interview. Here's a TiVo-assisted transcript of most of it:
Stewart: This book--it talks about the superpower myth of the United States. There is this idea, the United States is the sole superpower, and I guess the premise of the book is we cannot misuse that power--have to use it wisely, and not just punitively. Is that--
Soderberg: That's right. What I argue is that the Bush administration fell hostage to the superpower myth, believing that because we're the most powerful nation on earth, we were all-powerful, could bend the world to our will and not have to worry about the rest of the world. I think what they're finding in the second term is, it's a little bit harder than that, and reality has an annoying way of intruding.
Stewart: But what do you make of--here's my dilemma, if you will. I don't care for the way these guys conduct themselves--and this is just you and I talking, no cameras here [audience laughter]. But boy, when you see the Lebanese take to the streets and all that, and you go, "Oh my God, this is working," and I begin to wonder, is it--is the way that they handled it really--it's sort of like, "Uh, OK, my daddy hits me, but look how tough I'm getting." You know what I mean? ....
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
Anyone who cites Germany's 12.8% unemployment rate as a success and an example that we should follow, while at the same time, having worked with Senator Kennedy, Carter, and Mondale, is a FRICKEN LOSER!!!
Rush is all over this.
He pointed out the exact same line I noted.
I know yours was a rhetorical question, but here's the answer anyway, in the form of a more complete excerpt from the transcript:
Soderberg: Well, I think, you know, as a Democrat, you don't want anything nice to happen to the Republicans, and you don't want them to have progress. But as an American, you hope good things would happen.
Soderberg: The truth always helps in these things, I have to say. But I think that there is also going on in the Middle East peace process--they may well have a chance to do a historic deal with the Palestinians and the Israelis. These guys could really pull off a whole--
Stewart: This could be unbelievable!
Soderberg:---series of Nobel Peace Prizes here, which--it may well work. I think that, um, it's--
Stewart: [buries head in hands] Oh my God! [audience laughter] He's got, you know, here's--
Soderberg: It's scary for Democrats, I have to say.
Stewart: He's gonna be a great--pretty soon, Republicans are gonna be like, "Reagan was nothing compared to this guy." Like, my kid's gonna go to a high school named after him, I just know it.
Soderberg: Well, there's still Iran and North Korea, don't forget. There's hope for the rest of us.
All that's left now is for the Democrats to being taking the credit for all the good things happening over there.
John Kerry has already started, saying that the President has finally listened to his advice. The gall of that prick amazes me.
His only "advice" or plan was only to be released after Kerry was elected. And you know if the middle east goes well who will take credit and who will take the blame.
Amazing!
"There are plenty of people on this board, like myself, who used to be fairly liberal. Stewart is at that uncomfortable stage where your worldview is shaken and you walk around in a funk for a while - maybe even years - until you grow so weary of going through the motions of your old beliefs and admit to yourself you were wrong. Then you think about WHY you wouldn't admit it, and you get ticked off at yourself for being manipulated. Then you forgive yourself, and are at peace once again."
Very true. And some people realize they were wrong, but the have a difficult time letting go because they are afraid of how they'll lose face, since they have already invested so much energy into their misguided beliefs.
It's like they know they've messed up, but they've put a lot into it, and they've "talked a lot of smack" if you will, and they feel obligated to see it through, even though deep inside they know they've been duped.
These people need to know that we all make mistakes, and it's okay to make a course correction as you gain more maturity and experience. Many of us have done it.
Free your mind! :-P
Bones
I was just thinking of this today. It is a great example of what is at stake on Tuesday. She is not alone among Democrats, she's just too stupid to keep her yap shut.
How did you dig this up?
I was thinking of that woman as an example of a Dem who wants us to lose, and searched through Google. I then wondered if it was posted on FR, and it was.
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