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Pipes certainly stated a very dialectic position; that sort of rationalization is normally the preserve of liberal/socialist/communist sorts of collectivists, although lately corporate management seems to be embracing the philosophy and putting it into practice as well.

I didn't compare Pipes to Potempkin the man, I compared him to the village. Naturally if you don't find his logic "un-conservative", the analogy wouldn't resonate with you.

I wasn't referring to our continued success in Afghanistan; I support the retaliatory effort there, that wasn't pre-emptive. Another name for pre-emptive is "prior restraint." Regarding a Christian culture and a Moslem culture, it's easy to see which one's morality approves of such tactics. Aside from the pragmatics of seeing Iraquis get their delayed justice, one concern I have over this precedent is how the policy will be applied in the future when the pendulum swings and a Demosocialist is elected.

I'll defer to your expertise what the consensus is on the "Arab Street", and hope a behavior change accompanies whatever shift in attitude you are sensing. Why should I care about the change of volume of the stupid rhetoric coming out of socialist Europe?

Pardon me if you think I offended you. I was discussing ideas and Pipes specifically, but I appreciate your emphatic defense of his prophetic article.

Obviously, you can neither write clear and coherent English and don't know what a " POTEMPKIN VILLAGE " is. You can't compare his ideas and logic to a false fronted, nonexistant village.

Pipes is an expert on Islam/Islamonazi fantasists fanatics/and the Middle East. No one is claiming that he is a " Conservative " or a " Liberal "; his politics are not the point.Unlike YOU, he knows what he's talking about. It should; however, give you great pause, that CAIR, Edward Said, etc. hate this man and gripe about what he says & writes.

Your preoccupation with " worry over what future presidents will do ( Dem implied " is factuous at best. Clinton, long ago, pulled what can easily be called any number of things; from " WAG THE DOG ", to yes a " premptive strike " ! He never followed through, though and THAT is precisely WHY we have been viewed , by many others, as a " PAPER TIGER ", decayed, toothless, and easy prey. From Carter and the hostages, to Reagan and the Lebbanon strikes against the Marines , to Clinton and the African embasies, the USS Cole,Somalia, first WTC bombings, our retaliatory actions have been zip, nada, turn tail and run.

" Christian culture " ? Might I remind you of the CRUSADES ?

That you neither know, nor care enough to educate yourself about the ARAB STREET and what the French/German/Belgium group is saying, is proof that you shouldn't even attempt to post your " thoughts " on FR. YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING, YET, IMAGINE THAT YOUR VIEWS, BASED ON NOTHING, MATTER. Of course, you're wrong !

Your comments are OFFENSIVE to anyone who is even somewhat intelligent.