June 30, 2004

SPEAKING TRUTH TO PHYLLIS

Arthur Chrenkoff presents a massive haul of good news from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, what do you say to Phyllis Bennis when the addled old mossback starts jabbering about Iraqis being better off before liberation? You say exactly what Frank Gaffney said:

You're crazy, Phyllis, you're just absolutely bonkers.

Posted by Tim Blair at June 30, 2004 07:11 PM
Comments

Christ, can you imagine having to fight WW2 with this constant leftist whining and bitching "are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

At least they shut the fuck up in that war because we were helpng their buddy Stalin usher in his golden prolitarian utopia.

Posted by: Amos at June 30, 2004 at 08:33 PM

Why isn't everything perfect immediately? I want everything to be perfect right now! And it has to be my version of perfection!

Posted by: ushie at June 30, 2004 at 09:54 PM

The thing about that 7.30 Report interview was that Phyllis was a third wheel, you could have had a much better interview betwen Frank Gaffney and Harlan Ullman without having a deranged fool ruining the intelligent discussion of the postwar phase in Iraq since the handover of sovereignty.

Posted by: JBB at June 30, 2004 at 11:04 PM

bonkers. heh.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at June 30, 2004 at 11:11 PM

If I recall correctly (not that I was around at the time), the Communist party in Australia opposed Australian involvement in WW2 until Hitler invaded the USSR.

Posted by: Andjam at June 30, 2004 at 11:13 PM

Unbelievable. I shouldn't be amazed because, unfortunately, views such as hers are all too common.

An excerpt from the transcript:

PHYLLIS BENNIS:
"We have created in Iraq what never existed in Iraq before, a centre piece of this kind of, potentially, global terrorism.
Things are much worse.
Americans are less safe.
Australians are less safe.
The world is less safe over this last year."

What has she been smoking? In what world does she live?

Posted by: Chris Josephson at June 30, 2004 at 11:55 PM

www.aussies.tk

Posted by: aussie at July 1, 2004 at 12:24 AM

www.aussies.tk

Posted by: aussie at July 1, 2004 at 12:24 AM

Allahu Akbar - Iraq wasn't a crossroads for golbal terror before? Abu Nidal lived there, it funded the jihadis in Palestine, it sponsored an AQ affiliate in the north to harass the Kurds, it had a terrorist training center complete with airplane fuselages south of Baghdad, it had regular contact with AQ and sought its cooperation, etc. ad infinitum.

At least now the terrorists are coming to Iraq to die, not for R & R.

Posted by: R C Dean at July 1, 2004 at 12:25 AM

www.aussies.tk

Posted by: aussie at July 1, 2004 at 12:25 AM

I went to that website, Aussie. It's perfectly dreadful!

I so enjoy using the "bonkers" non-argument now. I used to feel guilty about it - shouldn't I at least engage their ideas? Show them facts? Give them the information they need to feel better about the situation?

But it was thrown back in my face and I was told that I was a mindless sheep. Ironically, now, when I tell them they're fucking crazy, they accuse *me* of avoiding argument.

I'm not avoiding argument. I'm avoiding abuse.

Posted by: Brian Jones at July 1, 2004 at 01:15 AM

Old Phyllis may be bonkers. She may be raving. But she sort of has a point. Well, in a nuanced, sophisticated kind of way. Sort of.

I mean, Saddam was better off before the war.

And Saddam pretty much was Iraq. Sort of like, you know, "L'etat c'est moi."

Besides, I think she's merely echoing concerns that, you know, Saddam hasn't been treated all too well and might not (gasp!) get a fair trial.

Big heart, Phyllis has. True humanitarian.

Posted by: Barry Meislin at July 1, 2004 at 01:21 AM

The Left's rhetoric, distilled:

"SOMEthing has to be DONE!"

followed shortly by

"What the FUCK are you DOING?????"

Posted by: Steve in Houston at July 1, 2004 at 01:32 AM

Well, "aussie" has been banned for spamming. If you have something valuable to add to the discussion, "aussie," or even an absurd story that has nothing to do with the topic but which is amusing, you can post here. But if you want to advertise your website, you can pay Tim: see the sidebar ad?

Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 1, 2004 at 01:50 AM

"If you have something valuable to add to the discussion ... you can post here."

Well, that's it for me then.

Thanks guys, Godspeed!

Posted by: Steve in Houston at July 1, 2004 at 02:32 AM

I was working in crayon (yes, Crayola) my sketchbook a fe weeks ago and come up with an image of Saddam H. sitting in his cell whereever, surrounded by Easter baskets. And a menorah. And a yarmulke. One of the chocolate bunnies has been eaten, and Saddam is just sitting in the slant of late afternoon light, fondling an Easter egg.

Those items might make wonderful real-lifesend-off gifts for a certain ex-dictator.

Posted by: Victorious Snipe Hunter at July 1, 2004 at 03:25 AM

I'd rather send Saddam a ham for his dinner, provided I had ironclad assurance it would be his last meal.

Posted by: Michael Lonie at July 1, 2004 at 11:23 AM

Steve in Houston, I was trying to dissuade spammer-trolls like "aussie." Read what I said again.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 1, 2004 at 01:35 PM