Scheurer represents the conventional wisdom, which is more often wrong than right. I am sure that he didn't predict the fall of the Berlin Wall or the disintegration of the Soviet Union either. I saw and heard some of the political reporting coming out of Warsaw during the days of Solidarnosc and out of Berlin in the mid-80s. I was in Berlin during Reagan's 1987 "Mr, Gorbachev, tear down this wall" speech. No one of any government agency predicted that just two years later, the wall would fall. And in fact the State Department tried to take out that phrase several times because they felt it was too confrontational. The Agency has been wrong too many times to take people like Scheurer seriously.
BTW...kabar, I was the “judge” last week, and I had to debate quite a while before giving you 1st Place...your posts were well thought out..and you didn’t back down from any and all other posters that had different opinions. However, if/when I judge a thread again, I can’t/won’t do that for you or anyone else that chooses to get personal, and make snarky attacks...
I don't respond on this thread to be judged or get awards. I express my honest opinions. I am puzzled as to why you find it necessary to raise this with me publicly. Am I supposed to feel grateful? Who is choosing to get personal?
I apologize if I offended you about doing it “publicly”...I just don’t like to do things “secretly”...
I hope you read what I said, totally....because it wasn’t just aimed at you.
I know what a great contributor you are to this thread..and I felt last week you were above and beyond your usual.
I don’t think YOU or anyone else posts on this thread to get awarded. I think if any of us felt that were true...the awards would have stopped long ago.
No...you don’t have to feel “grateful” if you don’t want to, that is also a good thing about these awards. One can enjoy them and enjoy seeing what happens each week..or, one can ignore them. Freedom of choice and opinion.
This thread is about the last bastion of that here...IMHO