Comments hilzoy has made

  • Hi Gar

    I did notice the 'cold war', but the mention of Munich and Hitler seemed more striking.

    Still, I'm curious about what it was in my statement that "A good President needs to be able to keep our objectives in Iran, and Russia's role in helping us secure them, in his mind even when Russia is attacking Georgia" suggests even a cold war.

    I mean: surely we have objectives that concern Iran, like the example I used: nuclear non-proliferation. Likewise, if we had a saner government, it would be trying to pursue objectives in Switzerland, namely trying to work for greater transparency in financial transactions. Does this mean we are in a war, hot or cold, with Switzerland? I don't think so.

    There are things we are trying to accomplish. Some of these things involve other countries. We should not lose sight of those things when crises erupt. That's all I said. I don't think it makes me into Charles Krauthammer.On Time to choose between a new cold war with Russia and a new cold war with Iran posted 1 year, 3 months ago 17 Responses

  • Um, no...

    Did you actually read my post? I wrote:

    "A good President needs to be able to keep our objectives in Iran, and Russia's role in helping us secure them, in his mind even when Russia is attacking Georgia. Some of those objectives, like keeping Iran from getting nuclear weapons, matter enormously. It's one thing for William Kristol to have the entire rest of the world fly out of his head in the thrill of the moment. It's another thing altogether for our President to."

    None of this seems particularly controversial to me. And none of it has anything at all to do with wanting someone to be Hitler, or wanting now to be 1938. I suppose you might think so if, say, you read "our objectives" as "our objectives, to be achieved by the use of military force." But why on earth would anyone read it that way?

    I think nuclear nonproliferation matters. I bet you do too. I think that when we decide how to respond in Georgia, it would help to bear in mind the effects of what we do on any attempts we might make to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons, as well as efforts to get Russia's cooperation in securing loose nukes, etc.

    For the record, I do not support war with Iran in any circumstances I can foresee now, I have never compared Ahmedinejad to Hitler, etc., etc., etc.
    On Time to choose between a new cold war with Russia and a new cold war with Iran posted 1 year, 3 months ago 17 Responses