Michael Kelly, 1957-2003

FYI, Rod, I posted what is in all probability my last comment about soul competency. And if I may take a moment to step away from this single post and look at the bigger picture, it seems to me that, while you are writing a lot about the Middle East... - Here, marking the four-year anniversary of Kelly's death in Iraq. - The story about Matthew Dowd's recent criticism of Bush and the war in Iraq. - A column for the Dallas Morning News, writing that the National Guard is in trouble, implying that we ought to support them by retreating from Iraq and (whaddya know) raising taxes even though federal revenue for 2006 was apparently over $200,000,000,000. - A column stating the values of classical liberalism aren't universally affirmed. ...you've written absolutely nothing about what I believe are the three biggest stories of the day: Iran kidnapping British sailors, Congress trying to impose a timetable for retreat, and early signs that the surge is producing some success. You write about the new mosque in Clitheroe, England, but not the English sailors held captive in Iran, and that's just odd. Your most recent syndicated column asserts that "dreams of building a neoliberal Arab Utopia are dying in the back alleys of Baghdad," which -- beyond being unfair for the "utopia" comment, which was never a goal -- is written as if events on the ground have not changed a bit since November, even though they clearly have. You've called Iraq a "meat grinder" in which all hope has long since been lost and even supported the Democrats in November, but you're not saying anything about the efforts to wrest control of this war from the Commander in Chief. If someone read your blog as his only source of news, he'd think the most important thing going on around Capitol Hill is the minor controversy surrounding the Attorney General. And, you regurgitate a rumor that the US will attack Iran by April, but haven't written a thing about Iran's most recent act of aggression. It is your blog and you're free to write whatever you want, but I don't quite understand how these big stories aren't being commented on, considering how much you have written and continue to write about the West's fight with jihad.

Like I already said to Rod, "It is your blog and you're free to write whatever you want." You're telling me nothing I don't already know, and you too can read other things if you don't like my wondering the obvious.

Rod can write whatever he wants: I can and often do criticize that which I find deserves criticism. The two concepts are not contradictory, Joel, and I would hope that you would consider coupling your responsibility of smacking down idiots with something resembling the ability to think rationally.

Only if one confuses vitriol for an actual point, tv.

Joel, "it is strange that you haven't written about X" and "you're free to write about whatever you want" are NOT contradictory ideas.

Thanks: maybe you could write a whole blog entry about me. It could be yet another topic to pass the time while you're avoiding more important issues.

It is sad that a celebration of two lives, father and son, is descerated by petty bickering of the political kind. The description of the father by the son ranks right up with the wonderful one that Steve Blow occasionally runs about his own father on Father's Day. I wouldn't want to compare the writing skills nor the talent. But I do love the description of the father as bigger than life in life. Kelly with his concept of the father as the rock that anchors the family. Blow with his image of a boy in a crowd feeling secure because he can see his father's mane not unlike a battle banner in a charge. I personally see a need to teach fathers that it's as important what they are as it is who they are, maybe more so.

Well, you might not have done the spelling right, Harvey, but you're right about what a shame it is that Bubba's obsession may have discouraged reflections about Michael Kelly's love for his father. It can be a violation of Bnet's Rules of Conduct to post off-topic. I wish I had just deleted his post. I will in the future.

Bubba, has Rod blocked your e-mail access to him? Your complaints appear to me to be along the line of man to man stuff. And you're handling like it's woman to man stuff. Nothing against the girls, but men in my world when they have a problem with a man generally do it heads up without the grandstanding you're exibiting. I personally hope that Rod doesn't delete your comments. As I've pointed out, sometimes our examples of how not to act is by how we act. Your choosing this particular important thread to wage your unimportant personal vendetta against Rod reflects poorly upon you more than it does Rod. Is that what you want?

(If Rod's going to delete my subsequent comments, I would appreciate his not letting stand Harvey's insulting me, either.)

My main problem with Bubba, who is a friend of mine, is how much energy he expends arguing with Rod. I'll summarize what he is arguing and demonstrating: Rod's blog is politically irrelevant. I continually to be intrigued by a few of the posts here and a great deal of the heated combox discussions in a Dian Fossey sort of way. But basically the views expressed represent just one more tide pool off the Andrew Sullivan Atlantic ocean of a new, burgeoning business: conservative self-loathing.

Those are some bold assertions, Rod, saying that others cannot see life outside of politics when you've written a book premised on the notion that mainstream conservatives aren't true conservatives because of how they live. To say that many of Bush's supporters are total idealogues ignores the substantial, long-lived disagreements many of us have had with this administration. This seems like a rehash of the canard that conservative pundits didn't criticize Bush prior to late 2005: when I demonstrated the utter bankruptcy of that claim, you clammed up, perhaps because you can't handle evidence that undermines your narrative of being a lone voice of reason and dissent within unthinking, monolithic conservatism. And to object to the charge of loathing your fellow conservatives while simultaneously invoking Lenin... that takes some nerve.

Note that Bubba is now acknowledging that he criticized Rod's posting selection, in spite of having first denied that he said that when I called him on it.

Sorry, that anonymous query was me.