Comments on: Some follow-up questions for McCain http://www.historyishappeningnow.com/2008/07/22/some-follow-up-questions-for-mccain/ Yet another political blog Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:51:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Ian http://www.historyishappeningnow.com/2008/07/22/some-follow-up-questions-for-mccain/comment-page-1/#comment-34 Ian Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:21:16 +0000 http://www.historyishappeningnow.com/?p=18#comment-34 I totally agree that the phrase "War on Terror" encourages the suspension of thought. And I think it's for the reason you say: because a "war on terror" doesn't specifically identify any enemy in particular. So anybody can be our enemy in the "War on Terror." Islam can be our enemy. France can be our enemy. "Experts" can be our enemy. Cambridge, Mass can be our enemy. Obama can be our enemy. Thinking Americans can be our enemy (which is presumably why they must be spied upon in violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.) Hell, the U.S. Constitution can be our enemy! America itself can become an enemy in the "war on terror." Which leaves us wondering: While Bush and his mysterious cronies are fighting the war on terror, who is fighting to protect this country? I totally agree that the phrase “War on Terror” encourages the suspension of thought. And I think it’s for the reason you say: because a “war on terror” doesn’t specifically identify any enemy in particular. So anybody can be our enemy in the “War on Terror.”

Islam can be our enemy. France can be our enemy. “Experts” can be our enemy. Cambridge, Mass can be our enemy. Obama can be our enemy. Thinking Americans can be our enemy (which is presumably why they must be spied upon in violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.) Hell, the U.S. Constitution can be our enemy! America itself can become an enemy in the “war on terror.”

Which leaves us wondering: While Bush and his mysterious cronies are fighting the war on terror, who is fighting to protect this country?

]]> By: Lee http://www.historyishappeningnow.com/2008/07/22/some-follow-up-questions-for-mccain/comment-page-1/#comment-33 Lee Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:15:30 +0000 http://www.historyishappeningnow.com/?p=18#comment-33 Behind McCain's op-ed is an incoherent attempt--whether cynical or sincere--to lump together the whole of the Middle East (and Afghanistan) into one big bucket labeled Enemy. Our Enemy is Al Qaeda... the actual perpetrators of 9/11... but also Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia... a completely different group, which adopted its name as a kind of marketing ploy... and also Hezbollah... another completely different group involved in the domestic politics of Lebanon... and also Hamas, since we're at it... and also Iran... which has nothing to do with Al Qaeda, as Joe Lieberman had to inform McCain... and on and on. What McCain wants us to do is to forget that there are differences among these groups. That they often have nothing to do with each other. The McCain campaign would have us think that they're all part of one big bloblike Enemy--one of the advantages of a term like "War on Terror" is that in using it, one suspends thought--and that Iraq is really actually front in this broader War. Only if you grant the lack of distinctions among these very different groups does McCain's op-ed approach anything like coherence. Only if you ignore the facts, that is. Behind McCain’s op-ed is an incoherent attempt–whether cynical or sincere–to lump together the whole of the Middle East (and Afghanistan) into one big bucket labeled Enemy.

Our Enemy is Al Qaeda… the actual perpetrators of 9/11… but also Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia… a completely different group, which adopted its name as a kind of marketing ploy… and also Hezbollah… another completely different group involved in the domestic politics of Lebanon… and also Hamas, since we’re at it… and also Iran… which has nothing to do with Al Qaeda, as Joe Lieberman had to inform McCain… and on and on.

What McCain wants us to do is to forget that there are differences among these groups. That they often have nothing to do with each other. The McCain campaign would have us think that they’re all part of one big bloblike Enemy–one of the advantages of a term like “War on Terror” is that in using it, one suspends thought–and that Iraq is really actually front in this broader War.

Only if you grant the lack of distinctions among these very different groups does McCain’s op-ed approach anything like coherence. Only if you ignore the facts, that is.

]]>