Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (41272)	8/31/2002 11:13:04 PM
From: JohnM	Respond to of 281500

Thanks for the compliments, but I can hardly claim original thoughts on this topic. I introduced you to Pipes, that's all. No, I would never have read that stuff without your posts on SI. I still have very big problems with Pipes, of the sort I don't have with Judith Miller, for instance. But I appreciate the concern. Doran's is the best voice on this topic I've read. Gonna do a google search to see if I can find other work. And talk to Tek who knows him.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (41272)	8/31/2002 11:22:31 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

What's worrying about the Bushies is that they seem much more adept at breaking things than building things. To do nation-building you need to be something of a naïve optimist. I worry that the Bushies are way too cynical for nation-building. My most knowledgeable Iraqi friend tells me he is confident that the morning after any U.S. invasion, American troops would be welcomed by Iraqis, and the regime would fold quickly. It's the morning after the morning after that we have to be prepared for. A bit too glib for me but this is one of my principle concerns. And I'm way back on the wmd issue, back with Buchanan, of all folk. Sort of, let's get clear the pragmatics of this thing before we drop in the manicheanism. That is, precisely please, what are we talking about, what is our evidence (in credible forms please), etc. I'm, whoops, not asking you; just directing questions at the Bush folk. Saw George Friedman of Stratfor on Lou Dobbs this past week. Dobbs kept hammering him on the question of precisely what wmd are we talking about that he has right now and what is the evidence he has it. Friedman simply could not answer the question. Kept trying to change the topic. Dobbs just wouldn't let up. I was, frankly, surprised. I expected, at least, a sort of canned response, hopefully some presentation of evidence. Not a thing. And, as for the 3 months, I assume that's meant once the Bush folk are willing to go public they've decided to invade. And now that looks like it will be after something they call "consulting" with congress and our allies. If you assume it takes the end of October to do that in its most minimalist form and Bush and his friends will try to mine it for all its worth in terms of the November elections, it looks to me you are talking February as the end of preparations.