Orson Scott Card: America just lost. What now?

RhinoTimes / The Ornery American ^ | November 09, 2006 | Orson Scott Card

[Tolik]

I believe in two-party government. I especially believe in it when it prevents Congress from doing anything – because that prevents them from doing stupid things. Of course, the Republicans were already doing a fine job of keeping even one-party government in a permanent logjam. Plus, the Republicans were also proving themselves just as unable to remain worthy of power while holding it as the Democrats did during their decades of dominance from 1954 to 1994.

This election proves only that the monolithically leftwing mainstream media can make the public believe we are losing a war that we are winning. As long as we're getting a two-party Congress, how about getting a two-party press?

If they're really serious about becoming the majority party, what rich Republicans need to do is stop paying for thousand-dollar-a-plate fundraising dinners and start buying up newspapers and networks. The Democrats already own almost all of them, and we have seen in this election how a prosperous economy can be concealed and a successful war can be turned into a "disaster" when you own the public's primary sources of information.

My hope is that the Democratic Party does not really mean the stupid, self-destructive things it has been advocating for our policy in Iraq and that they don't cut our soldiers off at the knees by underfunding the continuation of the War on Terror – including the campaign in Iraq.

The only issue that matters is still the War on Terror. Everybody talks about changing direction in Iraq. I agree. But I doubt they mean the same thing I do.

The only ways to change direction in Iraq are to give up and go home – a militarily stupid and morally indefensible move – or to go to the source of the insurgents' supply and cut it off.

Throughout this election season I have been hoping that President Bush had a bold military move against Iran up his sleeve, and that the only reason he was holding off was that he didn't want it to be perceived as an attempt to influence the election – or because he feared it would influence the election negatively.

Well, the election is over. Will he take the necessary military action to wipe out Iran's capability to disrupt the flow of oil in the Gulf? This would remove any credible threat from Iran (for the moment, at least), making it clear to both Iran and Syria that the way is now open for the US to take whatever action is necessary to stop their support of both terrorism and the subset of terrorism called "the Iraq insurgency."

The way to save the lives of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians in Iraq is to get regime change in Iran and Syria. Syria we could topple quite easily, once Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the Gulf was removed. And without Syria as its surrogate in the Arab world, and without any credible threat to the world oil supply, either Iran's military would change the Iranian government, or the Iranian government would have to face the fact that it could no longer act with impunity.

[Cicero]

I know or have met more than a few of the oligarchs personally over the course of my lifetime. They take things a lot more easily than you might imagine.

But what I would be inclined to say is that most of them have moved further left over the years.

[Mad Dawgg]

"We don't have the men or supplies in theater for that."

Even if we did the MSM would do everything it could to foul up the works from misrepresenting the situation on the ground to outright broadcasting of troop movements and intentions.

Sorry but we can't win a war right now, with the MSM in control of the information stream. It just will not be allowed.

[lentulusgracchus]

Iran is a major problem, but we could have cut the Syrian regime off at the knees a couple of years ago, without breaking into a sweat. Now the window of opportunity appears to have closed.

Concurring bump, with the bullet point that the window flies open again if we are attacked again.

An Iranian-Syrian victory at this point raises the pucker factor to crunchy-leather-plus all around the Arab side of the Gulf. It's Saddam redux, this time with a large fifth column of Shiites to deal with. Expect big purges in the Arab states and forced expatriation of Shiites, if we leave.

Bush made a mistake in retrospect, in not simply turning left and going into Syria while he had his field army still together -- 20/20 hindsight, I suppose. But he took a positive decision at that time to stand down.

[lentulusgracchus]

I see MSM as dominated by leftists with good socialist leaning.

Mary Mapes is your useful prototype. Career woman, hated Bush so badly her eyes crossed. Took her boss down with her...... will spend her golden years doting on cats and her Bush voodoo doll in a jumbled apartment smelling of cat pee.

[investigateworld]

***The fact that some of these people are Republicans and some of them are Democrats is essentially irrelevant.

Truth Bump

Follow the money where Roosevelt threw innocent people into jail.

[Cymbaline]

Thanks for posting this. I like Orson Scott Card, even though I disagree with him sometimes. If more Democrats were like him, the country would be a much better place.