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 : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (17781)	3/8/2003 10:59:00 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Talking Points Memo by Joshua Micah Marshall (March 8th, 2003 -- 2:14 PM EST // link) talkingpointsmemo.com While working away on the soon-to-be-submitted final draft of the dissertation, I've been working on a new article about the hawks' 'grand plan' for the Middle East, of which Iraq is only the opening act. As part of the reporting for that piece, I spoke yesterday to a retired, high-level member of the US Intelligence community who specializes in the Middle East. This is someone who has always been very sour on the idea of invading Iraq. And when we spoke yesterday, I asked him what struck me as the big question: What's your best guess for the near and medium-term repercussions of what we're about to do. His answer, or at least part of it, surprised me. He didn't think the repercussions within the neighborhood -- i.e. in the neighboring Arab states -- would be nearly good as the hawks believe but also not nearly as bad as many nay-sayers expect. No governments falling. And probably -- after a rough few months -- even that much change from the status quo ante. His greatest worry was not in the neighborhood, but the world: the costs -- unreckonable to some degree -- of wrecking the international state system to get this done. The pros and cons of handling Iraq have never been separable from how you do it, the costs you rack up in the doing of it, calculated against the gains you'll get in having accomplished it. At this point, we have truly the worst case scenario on the international stage. And I think the those costs now outweigh those gains.

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (17781)	3/15/2003 10:22:52 AM
From: ecommerceman	Respond to of 25898

You don't think Buffett is a "visionary?" Maybe our definitions are different, but if anyone had a vision of how to invest successfully--and then did it with such wild success as to be beyond belief--then it's Warren Buffett. Additionally, he's a good and decent man who--despite his incredible wealth--has the vision to support progressive policies such as: a fair tax system, opposition to ending estate taxes, population control, etc. _______ Message #17781 from Lizzie Tudor at Mar 8, 2003 8:37 PM I'm getting tired of Buffett at this point. He is no visionary, just a nuts and bolts manager, suitable for oldline companies like insurance.