A War to Be Proud Of - [Christopher Hitchens at his best]

The Weekly Standard ^ | September 5, 2005 issue | Christopher Hitchens

[roses of sharon]

The President and Mr Blair have and did honestly explain to the entire world, until they were blue in the face, the reasons to disarm and depose Saddam and Sons.

Which has been done.

If Amercians now choose to shrink into their lazy boys, and dream of utopia, perfection, with their sitcom mentality, that leads to an "oh gee, we must have been wrong, since we are not perfect" attitude, then so be it.

If they prefer to be led by the nose by their media masters, in all manners of culture and policy, then so be it.

If they choose to now defend Saddam, believe that the Islamic cults are somehow "winning" by blowing up innocents, and to diss our soldiers as men who are fighting an ignoble war that was a mistake, then so be it.

They will have to pay for that weakness, over and over.

[Thorin]

Hitchens is a Reagan-hating, Catholic-hating Commie. Always has been. Always will be.

[wingman1]

I checked out your personal page. Nice photo of you.

I was in Firenza on Sept 11, 2001. A day none of will ever forget. I've been to Italy two times (the northern parts) and enjoyed my travels there. My ancestry on my mother's side comes from Sicily.

[aShepard]

A bump for later

[Amelia]

I do agree that we tend to have a sitcom mentality, and I agree that we seem to have expected this war to end unrealistically quickly with an unrealistically low incidence of casualties.

Actually we have experienced extremely low casualties, which is not to disrespect the losses we have incurred.

[IncPen]

... an excellent read indeed ...

[an italian]

Thank you. I was in NY when I took that photo.

Did you like Italy?

I enjoyed America so much. But you have already read it on my home page...

I was home on September 11 2001 and... Yes, it was a day I'll never forget.

[an italian]

Well, the first pic was took in NY... The second one of course in Washington dc...

[cgk]

bflr

[Nicholas Conradin]

In Saki's short story The Lumber Room, the naughty but clever child Nicholas, who has actually placed a frog in his morning bread-and-milk, rejoices in his triumph over the adults who don't credit this excuse for not eating his healthful dish

Nicholas Conradin is outted!

The first name of my screen-name "Nicholas Conradin" is in fact taken from the name of the character in the Saki story. "Conradin" is from "Sredni Vashtar," another story by Hector Hugh Monroe (pen-name "Saki"). Both characters are autobiographical, with Conradin being Nicholas' dark side.

[rogue yam]

Ping for a later read.

[sirchtruth]

What more is there to "understand?" Really, explain to me what Bush should be explaining about this war? It's very simple we are going to fight a war no matter what, why should we not fight it away from this country? The terrorist as well as the Taliban, AQ are not only in Afganistan, Iraq and Iran, they are all over the middleeast. It's a culture we're fighting not a paticular country. We're kind of fortunate that they are basically all coming to Iraq and not continually hitting us all over the world.

We're not a nation of 3rd graders (Maybe the left is...) where Bush has to sit down and explain everything to a bunch of spoiled rotten brats. If you don't get it, or think that Bush hasn't explained to everyone's satisfaction then YOU get out there and explain it!

The President doesn't have time to baby sit this nation, he's too busy protecting it!

[Allan]

Both characters are autobiographical, with Conradin being Nicholas' dark side.

Conradin is not dark he is a positive figure.

Mrs. De Ropp is the dark one.

[Maigrey]

placemark

[Shawndell Green]

"The training and hardening of many thousands of American servicemen and women in a battle against the forces of nihilism and absolutism,"

The most important benefit.

[wingman1]

Italy is a beautiful country. Belle Italia!

Both of my trips began in Munich and we rode in camping caravans through Austria and down through the Tyrol into northern Italy.

I have been to Venice and Florence, but mainly we were interested in the Italian countryside. There is a WWI monument, similar to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in DC, near a little town called Bassano Del Grappa. It is way up on a mountain called Monte Grappa. Quite a solemn, moving place.

The furthest south I have been in Italy was Lago Bolsena. What a picturesque place.

[shield]

He's a socialist...but he's one smart cookie...I liked his statement regarding the clintoons'...he said they've sold their soul to the devil for power...in his english disgusted way...that will cut the legs off anyone ...

[mother22wife21]

After reading this I am ashamed I pinged you on that sketchy article earlier. Apologies are tendered.

[mother22wife21]

I was pinged to this and am paying it forward.

[Fred Nerks]

Hey, no apologies required, I was tempted to write more in reply and decided against it simply because the article was so lacking in depth; this tragic event was reported on Australian TV news, and for the life of me I couldn't understand why...we had a similar tragedy in this country not long ago, three or four children died in a housefire - a sleep-over, and I bet you not one word was printed about that in the US press! Am I becoming paranoid? Does your MSM take delight in bad news to the extent that family tragedies must we broadcast worldwide?
Whoops, I wonder if they have house-fires in socialist countries? (Of course not, LOL!)