Refried Friedman: "Can't Go from Saddam to Jefferson Without Going Through Khomenei"

Today Show/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Today Show/NewsBusters ping.

[proxy_user]

I dunno. In the West we took 600 years, and numerous wars and revolutions, to go from the middle ages to the modern world. So why can;t the guys in the Middle East do it in a couple of months?

[Brilliant]

"the path from dictatorship to democracy in the region necessarily passes through a period of fundamentalist religious rule."





Well, then why is he resisting fundamentalist rule in this country?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Here's the NewsBusters column on Friedman's recent, previous appearance on Today during which he suggested we might be winning in Iraq:

http://newsbusters.org/node/4168

[Steel Wolf]

I dunno. In the West we took 600 years, and numerous wars and revolutions, to go from the middle ages to the modern world. So why can;t the guys in the Middle East do it in a couple of months?

Probably for the same reason that they were able to rapidly go from sitting around watching the fire for entertainment, to watching TV on their satellite dishes, flying to Mecca in airplanes, talking on cell phones, and setting up websites.

[AntiGuv]

I said all along, you don't go in the Middle East from Saddam to Jefferson without going through Khomenei.

It's interesting that Friedman said this all along, considering that no country in the Middle East has gone "from Saddam to Jefferson" by "going through Khomenei"..

[mikey565]

I'm still waiting for Jefferson to appear in the Middle East, wonder if he'll come before breakfast?

[Mi-kha-el]

First of all, it's either Khomeini or Khamenei. Who's Khomenei?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

The correction had already been made in the NewsBusters piece. Anything else to bring to the discussion?

[Mi-kha-el]

Good for them and good for you. I reject the idea wholesale so I'll refrain from analyzing.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Your initial post said "First . . . ", leading me to think that you had something else to say. In any case, if you read the last paragraph of the report, you'll notice I also express serious skepticism as to Friedman's theory.

[Dilbert56]

Friedman is a bit of an odd-ball at the NY Times - he sometimes follows facts to their logical conclusion, regardless of the politics involved. He stated before the war that liberating Iraq is integral to the War on Terror. That oppression breeds resentment and there was no greater place of oppression than Iraq. A modern, well-educated populace. A land with both oil and fresh water. They should have been thriving but Saddam crushed the people and destroyed the country.

The most irritating thing about Friedman is his emphasis on cute phrases rather than letting ideas stand on their own. This is an example of that.

[Wonder Warthog]

"In the West we took 600 years, and numerous wars and revolutions, to go from the middle ages to the modern world. So why can;t the guys in the Middle East do it in a couple of months?"

Maybe they can do it becasue they have the advice and guidance of the most successful large-scale experiment in such governance ever? Switzerland has been as successful, but it's on a smaller scale---though it might be a better model for Iraq than the US.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Interesting analysis - thanks. I hadn't been paying much attention to Friedman, but after his two recent Today appearances, perhaps I should.

[Mi-kha-el]

I had no idea that was your report. Besides, I have a near allergic reaction to anything TF says, which I have developed over years of reading his columns in the Houston Chronicle. I could not agree with anything he said about Iraq, Israel, etc. Sorry, I know it's a disease, but I like it.

[maryz]

I said all along, you don't go in the Middle East from Saddam to Jefferson without going through Khomenei.

Sounds like an "updated" translation of Hegel: thesis-antithesis-synthesis.

[proxy_user]

Those things, I'm afraid, are the mere appurtences of civilization. Savages can learn to use them.

Civilization comes from the character and moral training of the mass of citizens. You can't buy that from an online retailer.

[bert]

The process doesn't include haste. History is not driven by the pundits.

[johnny7]

Couric: "Is it still possible to get to Jefferson?"

Tune into AM radio Katie... they give traffic updates all the time.