ANDREW SULLIVAN: Blair’s courage makes the anti-Americans look small

The Sunday Times ^ | January 19, 2003 | Andrew Sullivan

[xm177e2]

Yet in almost every recent American intervention — in Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan — it was for the sake of the security of Muslims that American soldiers risked their lives.

We the first three count, but we did not go into Afghanistan to better the lives of Muslims there. We went in shut down a terrorist network and destroy a regime at war with us. We did help Muslims along the way, but that's not why we were there.

[Pokey78]

Pinging the Sullivan list.

[GirlShortstop]

 
There is something truly sickening in the sight of people who call themselves liberals finding more fault in America than in the brutal, misogynist and anti-semitic dictatorships now pitted against the West.

Nice!   Good article and synopsis of the hate that burns in the hearts of Anti-Americans.

[Nick Danger]

what policy exactly would you pursue regarding Korea?

Pretty much what we're doing: avoid direct contact, run around to China, Japan, and South Korea and tell them they should do something about this... leaving it clear that this one's on them.

Kim wants to get a rise out of us, and that's the one thing I wouldn't give him. He's out to derail our plans in Iraq, and I don't have time for that. He can't do anything to us... all he can do is scare the Hell out of the South Koreans and the Japanese. Good -- the South Koreans need a good scarin' anyway; they were getting 'sunshine' in their eyes.

If three or four months from now, with Iraq behind us, Kim's regime hasn't collapsed, I'd take him out. There was a plan on how to do that posted here last week. It's ugly, and Kim's million-man army dies in the first ten minutes, but it would work. No way in Hell do I let that guy manufacture a hundred bombs. No way. Period.

[Torie]

Er, what is the plan to take Kimbo out in 10 minutes with a million casualties? I missed it. You don't really want to go there do you, just as soon as Saddam is l'histoire?

[lawgirl]

There is something truly sickening in the sight of people who call themselves liberals finding more fault in America than in the brutal, misogynist and anti-semitic dictatorships now pitted against the West.

This is fabulous.

[Nick Danger]

what is the plan to take Kimbo out in 10 minutes with a million casualties? I missed it. You don't really want to go there do you, just as soon as Saddam is l'histoire?

I cannot find that thread at the moment... it was something about "smart spears." Part of the plan did involve so-called "enhanced radiation weapons" to, umm, er, kill the million-man army amassed at the DMZ with the 120,000 artillery pieces. They could basically be made to die before they could get off a shot. At that point, Kim's worst is not that bad.

Do I want to go there? Of course not. But... do I want a nutcase who sells weapons on the open market to have a nuclear bomb factory and plutonium-extraction reactors? I want that less. The world will be one terrible place if Kim Jong Il gets an atom bomb factory. So, I do not let him have an atom bomb factory. Not at any cost. No way. No how. No matter what anybody says. Kim Jong Il does not get an atom bomb factory. Period.

You'll thank me someday.

[section9]

Actually, you don't want to go there, either.

"Smart Spears" are super-dense projectiles that would be fired at extremely high speeds at the core of the Pyogbyon Reactor from, say, a B-2 or an Aurora. The object of the exercise is to cause a core meltdown, thus making the plant unusable.

Problem is, we don't know how widespread the radiation would be. We do know that with Smart Spears, you don't get explosions with flying radiation. Rather, you get deep holes in the ground.

Using ERW's against masses of DPRK infantry before they've attacked would turn the South Koreans against us. Remember, deep down these people are family.

Agree that we hold the fundamentally stronger hand, btw. As I wrote in another thread-Kim is lots of loud, angry, aggressive intimidating talk. A guy who talks loud like that has one of two things in his hand: a busted flush or a small penis.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Nick Danger]

Using ERW's against masses of DPRK infantry before they've attacked would turn the South Koreans against us.

OK, we'll leave the million-man army there and the South Koreans can deal with them. I'm OK with that, too... I was just trying to save Seoul. But if they don't care about that, I don't either.

The main thing is stopping Kim from being able to make and sell atom bombs. If he does that, the atom bombs will be going off over here, and if I'm Bush, I'm not going to let that happen. So his reactor has to go, and frankly, his regime has to go because I don't know that he doesn't have other reactors.

We simply cannot allow that man to produce atom bombs for money. He already sells missiles to anything that walks, the nukes will be the same way. We just can't care what anybody thinks or says... we're talking about atom bombs going off in American cities. Nope. Not gonna have it. Wouldn't be prudent.

[ccmay]

I think Tony Blair gained the respect of many Americans when he declared his intention of standing by our side. Not via communique, but he came directly in person.

I agree. There was something very reassuring about his presence at the speech to Congress the week after Sept. 11th. I think it was good for the personal morale and resolve of Mr. Bush.

Nothing would have been easier for a Labourite baby boomer PM than to follow the lead of the Guardian and the loony Left, which is much more powerful there than here. He did not have to do this to keep himself in power; quite the contrary in fact, he may get the Churchill treatment at the end of the day.

I did not think much of Blair before, due to his cozying up to that pants-dropping hillbilly whose name escapes me at the moment, and I did not expect much of him after September 11-- but since Sept. 11 I have come to have a pleasantly surprised respect for him.

-ccm

[Kenny Bunk]

Nice post, Ivan.

But, don't let me catch you falling into an "I Love Tony" frame of mind. This ferret-faced lying weasel was given a whole new lease on life by Osama bin Ladin andf 9/11.

Previously joined at the hip to The Foul Arkansas Scumbag, he lept upon GWB after 9/11 with a most unnatural fervor when it looked like he could stay in power by claiming to be patriotic as hell, even though he is a left-wing whiner and loser with a horrible record.

Tony is merely taking the advice of Carville and other Clinton pimps to triangulate his own Conservatives and milk the war on terrorism forever. All of a sudden, left-wing pansy sympathizer, senstive Antony would now have us believe he is Tough-Talking Tony the Patriotic Brit.

In the meantime, Tough-Talking Tony the Patriotic Brit is flooding his country with more and more Muslims and other dangerous Turd Worlders, upon whom he will depend to deliver their votes to him and Labour forever.

A pox on Tony Blair.

[MHGinTN]

Appreciate the ping. [And Nick, I agree 90%. Now, where are those neutron weapons sinkEmperor allowed the Chinese to copy?]

[MHGinTN]

Your name is appropriate to a diminuitive intellect. It is the Brits who have added the vital intel to our equations on Iraqi sponsorship and use of terrorism, dude. When Mister Blair says he would be going after Saddam if we were not, he means it and has the diffinitive proof to back up the reasons for same. Pay attention for the next three weeks and you will awaken to a whole new paradigm.

[BunnySlippers]

Nice find, Ivan. I'm saving this one.

[Brimack34]

As far as North Korea goes: Why not make China, South Korea, Russia and Japan clean up there own mess? The middle east has nobody so we are there.

[MHGinTN]

If it's imminently dangerous to allow a goon the time and space to sell illicit guns, grenades, and ammo in your immediate neighborhood, isn't it just as dangerous to allow a goon to sell WMD to any totalitarian terrorist state on your planet?

[DB]

North Korea is China's baby.

I'd tell China that either they get his reactors under control or they get to deal with the radiation fallout when we take it out, their choice.

[MadIvan]

But, don't let me catch you falling into an "I Love Tony" frame of mind.

You know perfectly well that I will always vote Tory, no matter what. I am an old-fashioned, True Blue, Margaret Thatcher-loving Tory who would like nothing better than to see her back in office.

Blair has moments of insight. They are few and far between. However I am not going to deny that his response in the War on Terror has been one of them.

Regards, Ivan

[fightinJAG]

Yes, the Aussies are stepping up to the plate, too.

[KeyWest]

Most high tech "toys" have a startup of tens of years from concept to deployment. So most of what you see now actually started during Reagan/Bush. There was a slowing during Clinton as he siphoned off money from defense. All the cuts in government spending during Clinton was from Defense.