Comments on: Guess Who’ll Say or Do Anything to Get Elected (Hint: John McCain) http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm Thoughts and Asides by Peculiar People Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:54:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: DKL http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75234 DKL Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:36:04 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75234 George Will's latest on McCain: <blockquote>Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, the Clintons should bask in the glow of John McCain's Clintonian gloss on this fact: Ten months ago Romney said that President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki should discuss, privately, "a series of timetables and milestones." That unremarkable thought was twisted by McCain, whose distortions are notably clumsy, as when Romney said, accurately, that he alone among the candidates has had extensive experience in private-sector business. That truth was subjected to McCain's sophistry, and he charged that Romney had said "you haven't had a real job" if you had a military career. If, this autumn, voters must choose between Clinton and McCain, they will face, at least stylistically, an echo, not a choice.</blockquote> That last line is a brilliant allusion to Phyllis Schlafly's landmark book, <i>A Choice Not an Echo</i>, artfully characterizing in a single phrase how McCain will subvert the Republican conservative legacy. George Will’s latest on McCain:

Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, the Clintons should bask in the glow of John McCain’s Clintonian gloss on this fact: Ten months ago Romney said that President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki should discuss, privately, “a series of timetables and milestones.” That unremarkable thought was twisted by McCain, whose distortions are notably clumsy, as when Romney said, accurately, that he alone among the candidates has had extensive experience in private-sector business. That truth was subjected to McCain’s sophistry, and he charged that Romney had said “you haven’t had a real job” if you had a military career. If, this autumn, voters must choose between Clinton and McCain, they will face, at least stylistically, an echo, not a choice.

That last line is a brilliant allusion to Phyllis Schlafly’s landmark book, A Choice Not an Echo, artfully characterizing in a single phrase how McCain will subvert the Republican conservative legacy.

]]> By: queuno http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75200 queuno Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:38:01 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75200 So will Hinckley's death help or hurt Romney? So will Hinckley’s death help or hurt Romney?

]]> By: Dan http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75196 Dan Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:03:20 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75196 DKL, My post on Council of Fifty was in no way a critique of her work. I was merely making a point related solely to our political sniping these days. It is a shameful time when the president of the United States says things as dumb as this president has. I was merely making a point. So don't look at that post as a critique of Ms. Kirkpatrick's works. DKL,

My post on Council of Fifty was in no way a critique of her work. I was merely making a point related solely to our political sniping these days. It is a shameful time when the president of the United States says things as dumb as this president has. I was merely making a point. So don’t look at that post as a critique of Ms. Kirkpatrick’s works.

]]> By: DKL http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75195 DKL Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:38:12 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75195 Dan, go for it. One can define foreign policy theory since 1980 as a reaction to the theories put forward by Kirkpatrick in <i>Dictatorship and Double Standards</i>. If you can finally lay her to rest, you may well be doing the bloggernacle -- nay the world! -- a huge service. As it stands, I've read your analysis on Council of Fifty, and I deem it unworthy of response. Also, I'd recommend you read the entire book, not just the books eponymous essay. Though the essay is certainly a landmark, the book is chock-full of landmark essays, and ones that are likely to problematize your attempted narrow reading of her essay "Dictatorships and Double Standards." Dan, go for it. One can define foreign policy theory since 1980 as a reaction to the theories put forward by Kirkpatrick in Dictatorship and Double Standards. If you can finally lay her to rest, you may well be doing the bloggernacle — nay the world! — a huge service. As it stands, I’ve read your analysis on Council of Fifty, and I deem it unworthy of response. Also, I’d recommend you read the entire book, not just the books eponymous essay. Though the essay is certainly a landmark, the book is chock-full of landmark essays, and ones that are likely to problematize your attempted narrow reading of her essay “Dictatorships and Double Standards.”

]]> By: Dan http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75194 Dan Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:32:41 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75194 DKL, I haven't as yet read Ms. Kirkpatrick's essay (except the first few paragraphs, of which I quoted on Council of Fifty). If you want, I'll read it carefully and make a more careful analysis of her thesis. A comic book being what it is, still adds to the discussion because 1) it was highly influential, and 2) really set the tone of the era. In any case, we're off topic now. DKL,

I haven’t as yet read Ms. Kirkpatrick’s essay (except the first few paragraphs, of which I quoted on Council of Fifty). If you want, I’ll read it carefully and make a more careful analysis of her thesis.

A comic book being what it is, still adds to the discussion because 1) it was highly influential, and 2) really set the tone of the era.

In any case, we’re off topic now.

]]> By: DKL http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75193 DKL Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:25:11 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75193 Dan, What does Alan Moore have to do with Kirkpatrick? Alan Moore is a conservative? He worships a snake God of his own creation that he keeps in his basement. That's kind of out there. Even so, Moore's <i>The Watchman</i> is a masterpiece, the <i>Citizen Kane</i> of comic books. Even so, I'll take your injection of comic books into this political discussion as an admission that you don't have anything substantive to say about Ms. Kirkpatrick's foreign policy theories. Dan, What does Alan Moore have to do with Kirkpatrick? Alan Moore is a conservative? He worships a snake God of his own creation that he keeps in his basement. That’s kind of out there. Even so, Moore’s The Watchman is a masterpiece, the Citizen Kane of comic books.

Even so, I’ll take your injection of comic books into this political discussion as an admission that you don’t have anything substantive to say about Ms. Kirkpatrick’s foreign policy theories.

]]> By: Nick Literski http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75191 Nick Literski Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:00:32 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75191 <i>Really, even suggesting McCain enjoyed working for the North Vietnamese is a scummy thing to say.</i> That's okay. Deity will justify anything and everything, if your objective is to get Romney elected. Right? Really, even suggesting McCain enjoyed working for the North Vietnamese is a scummy thing to say.

That’s okay. Deity will justify anything and everything, if your objective is to get Romney elected. Right?

]]> By: Council of Fifty » Blog Archive : Imagine If A Liberal Wrote This… » Imagine If A Liberal Wrote This… http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75188 Council of Fifty » Blog Archive : Imagine If A Liberal Wrote This… » Imagine If A Liberal Wrote This… Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:34:20 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75188 [...] happened to have brought up Jeanne Kirkpatrick’s Dictatorships and Double Standards in a debate on Mormon Mentality. Having gotten rather caught up in the heat of political debates over these past seven years on [...] [...] happened to have brought up Jeanne Kirkpatrick’s Dictatorships and Double Standards in a debate on Mormon Mentality. Having gotten rather caught up in the heat of political debates over these past seven years on [...]

]]> By: Dan http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75187 Dan Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:53:51 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75187 By the way, I gotta say, couple Ms. Kirkpatrick's essay and Alan Moore's "Watchmen" and it really shows just how pained conservatives were in the late 1970s. You guys must have been traumatized! By the way, I gotta say, couple Ms. Kirkpatrick’s essay and Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” and it really shows just how pained conservatives were in the late 1970s. You guys must have been traumatized!

]]> By: Dan http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm/comment-page-2#comment-75185 Dan Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:41:31 +0000 http://www.mormonmentality.org/2008/01/26/guess-wholl-say-or-do-anything.htm#comment-75185 DKL, No, when I said "A Republican perspective" I really was referring to "the". Excuse my inability to be precise. <blockquote>BTW, I have a more liberal view on gays than you do. Does that make me a moderate?</blockquote> Nope, it just makes you queer, pardon the pun. ;) DKL,

No, when I said “A Republican perspective” I really was referring to “the”. Excuse my inability to be precise.

BTW, I have a more liberal view on gays than you do. Does that make me a moderate?

Nope, it just makes you queer, pardon the pun. ;)

]]>