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A Sensible Conservative

00:04 / 28.01.05

End-Timers & Neo-Cons
The End of Conservatives

by Dr. Paul Craig Roberts

"The Iraqi War is serving as a great catharsis for multiple conservative frustrations: job loss, drugs, crime, homosexuals, pornography, female promiscuity, abortion, restrictions on prayer in public places, Darwinism and attacks on religion. Liberals are the cause. Liberals are against America. Anyone against the war is against America and is a liberal. "You are with us or against us."

This is the mindset of delusion, and delusion permits no facts or analysis. Blind emotion rules. Americans are right and everyone else is wrong. End of the debate."

Take the time to read the whole thing. It's definitely above average writing.

15:13 / 28.01.05

Corrected link.

The good doctor is right. What we're looking at is a new thing in our public discourse, and it isn't anything that you could properly label conservatism. It's a curious paradox—a glorification of the State and its power lashed to a me-first inidvidualism: nationalism without any snse of community. It's a curious and poisonous thing. And that's not even mentioning the cult of personality around our Dear Leader.

Unfortunately, the good doctor will very likely remain a voice in the wilderness. Look at the bile being vented against Andrew Sullivan, another free-market conservative, one who actually supports the war, strongly and vocally, who frames it in the aproved neocon context of a clash of civilizations and "death-obsessed Islamofascists who hate our way of life" and all that, but who still has the temerity to be appalled by torture:

Plain and simple: Andrew Sullivan is an "enemy of the state." He has no concern for this nation, and like so many of the "liberal elite," would simply "give" our country away to those who would destroy it...Is it still beyond the pale to suggest that Sully is in the throes of AIDS-related dementia?

Terrifying.

23:41 / 28.01.05

Today, I was amazed to discover myself agreeing with several points of Pat Buchanan.

12:09 / 29.01.05

I've got to say that I have only limited sympathy for Sully. Perhaps I should make clear that I do think he has been brave in taking seriously the torture allegations and in so doing, making himself a target for some pretty disgusting abuse. It is both difficult and honorable to question one's deeply held convictions thereby losing the support of former allies.

But I can't help feeling that any surprise he might feel over his current treatment is only enabled by a less than admirable naivete. Little Green Footballs hasn't started being offensive overnight and the Bush cheerleading media haven't decided overnight that loyalty is more important than fact, that patriotism trumps morality. This has been evident more or less from the start, as Roberts says, and a part of me wonders whether congratulating Sullivan for drawing the line at torture isn't really damning him with faint praise.

13:14 / 29.01.05

Well, duh.

My point isn't that Andrew represents the Great Hope for Sensible Conservatism—I hoped that citing his "death-crazed Muslim barbarians" hogwash made that clear. My point is that the conservative blogsophere is marching in such perfect lockstep that even a war-apologist xenophobe like Andrew Sullivan can be branded a "liberal elitist" and an "enemy of the state."

I'm not trying to say that Sully's not a hawk: of course he is. What I find illuminating—and, frankly, horrifying—is that there are people for whom he is not hawkish enough.

14:53 / 29.01.05

I hoped that citing his "death-crazed Muslim barbarians" hogwash made that clear.

Unfortunately, no. Conservatives - if by that we mean Republicans - who aren't xenophobic warmongers are in short supply. To be fair, the Democrats aren't really much better. You are surprised that Sully is having such a hard time, whereas I'm surprised that he has spoken out at all. (The Robert's article is so surprising that it makes it onto Zmag.)

The political discourse in the US seems so rooted in fear - and one could argue xenophobia - that it is hard to know where one should plausibly look for the "reasonable", at least as far as politics and the media go.

01:30 / 06.02.05

Today, I was amazed to discover myself agreeing with several points of Pat Buchanan.

Weirdly enough, Pat Buchanan has been one of the most intelligent and sensible critics of the Iraq war in the entire mainstream media--Pat's actually out there fighting the good fight this time. His arguments have been straightforward and practical, and despite the fact that he's often saying more or less the same thing as left-leaning war critics, Buchanan's phrasing is infinitely more conservative-friendly (for all the good it's done).

farseer /pokes out an i

15:54 / 07.02.05

L'Anima Sperduta:
political discourse in the US seems so rooted in fear - and one could argue xenophobia Hell yes it is! Fear, Xenophobia, false-flag managed 'enemies', its been America's forte since post WWII (and some argue before then, too- American Indians, Spanish-American War, etc.)

Not all "conservatives" are as bat-shit loony as the Neocons. For example, Ron Paul- wish there were more Republicans like him. And you're correct for calling out the democrats, too- they are all too often complicit with the Republicans on the 'agenda'.

HOPEFULLY this apocalypic end-run is a final dying gasp before the raver kids coup. =)