My column from Sunday's Dallas Morning News discusses the unwisdom of the US getting drawn into war-fighting on Russia's periphery, and raises Dr. Bacevich's point that the American people are unrealistic about what the US military can and should be asked to do. It concludes like this:
We are all Georgians now, said John McCain, whose approach to the crisis with Russia differs from his opponent's chiefly in vehemence. Most Americans endorse that confrontational stance. Note that less than 1 percent of Americans serve in the military, which would have to do the fighting and dying should the tie-eating Thomas Jefferson of Tbilisi decide to keep poking the nuclear-armed Russian bear. That's not a coincidence.
The hate mail I got off this column all reads more of less like this one:
I hoped that you were the one conservative columnist on the DMN. After reading your column on Russian genocide in Georgia and your praise of KGB Putin Stalinist punk,i've changed my mind. A "must see television interview with far left Bill Moyers?"No thanks, Dreher. What I would like to see is a trio of F22's blowing those smoke belching T72's off the road. I'm sure most Americans don't appreciate big bad Russia shooting elderly people in the back of the head. Read "The Rape of Berlin." Whining pacifists make me ill.
Or this gem:
Coming from a family of Southern men that stand for America I can only ask that you start each commentary with the note that few people agree with you and you speak neither for the Dallas Community or anyone that loves this country. That having been said It seems you know nothing of world politics and a lot about being a cowardly carpet bagger. For those of us that have travelled extensively and have friends, family and associates in Georgia, Ukraine and other Soviet Era countries I assure you the threat to them (and us) is real. Because of that I trust you will use your influence at the paper to write meaningful articles about the re-emergence of a world threat and less time writing and portraying yourself (and by implication all Dallas Citizens) as sniffling cowards more afraid of standing up for ourselves (and others) who are threatened and bullied by the "Putin's" of the world. We need fewer people like you and more men that will stand for freedom and justice. Cory p.s. I'm copying the newspaper editor because I want him to know I cancelled my subscription today. When he replaces you with someone that loves this country I'll re-start my subscription.
J-I-N-G-O, and Jingo was his name-o...
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Now we have a destroyer in one Georgia port, a Coast Guard cutter with "aid" dispatched to Poti and a Russian missile gunboat dispatched to shadow them.
Now I'll say it: What the freak are GWB and Putin trying to do? See how far we can take this and see who blinks? Frankly, Putin is too tough to blink, and Cheney won't allow Bush to.
We may never even see Election Day.
"I mean, we almost started a damn shooting war over Cuba during the Cold War, and they couldn't put troops in the US."
Good point. That Cuban Troops Crisis sure was scary. Imagine going to the brink of nuclear war over something so inconsequential.
Ah, the sheer loveliness of neo-con foreign policy. Vote for McCain, get more of the same. Vote for Obama and...Jimmy Carter redivivus.
Oy vey.
Forget about who can win what war with Russia- the Churchill/Stalin analogy fits better here.
During World War II, we arguably could not have won WW 2 if Stalin and Hitler had stayed allies.
Similarly, if we're going to win the war on Islamic terrorism, we're going to need at least passive cooperation from Russia - for example, not giving nukes to Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, etc. (let alone al Qaeda, although I doubt they'd want to do THAT).
In 1943, either you were with Stalin or with Hitler, whether you knew it or not.
In 2008, either you are with Putin or with radical Islam, whether you know it or not.
Which side you are on?
And which side is John McCain on?
"The problem is that U.S. is pushing the NATO alliance up to a majority of Russia's Western Frontier. Remembering 1999," DTC
I'm aware of the Russian and Slavic nationalist position. It's good to be aware of it and find a way to deal with it. I just don't personally believe in it and I don't see why I should. I'm not a Russian or Slavic nationalist. I'm a bit confused why any American is one, but admittedly some Paleocons are in that camp.
I think you're going more on non-interventionism, but that doesn't really make sense. If you reject what we did in Kosovo you should reject what they do as well. Or is your position that their interventionism is more "contained" and therefore lesser? If so I think you're deluded. Russians arm as many or more dictatorships than we do. They are involved in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. They may not directly intervene in as far-flung of places, but much of the misery and tyranny in the world is aided by them. And we're supposed to think their intentions are good because they're not evil Neocon Americans? Well I'm not going for that, but you may if you wish.
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