Strong and Wrong -- Jonathan Schell

I don't think this is a dupe.
If it is, mods please redirect.

This is a pretty good summation of a particular view.

"Military courage in war is honored; civil courage in opposing a disastrous war is not honored."

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0730-14.htm

For the record, I think Kerry gave an excellent speech.
I was glad to hear some positive stuff about the Sixties for a change. (civil rights, women's rights)
I accept as a given that national politics in America requires (always has, probably always will) a macho, pro-military stance, but it makes me uncomfortable.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Except where does Mr Schell find Kerry saying "stay the course" ?

His speech was a departure from the go-it-alone policies of the Bush admin.

This is where I get a bit frustrated...Kerry has clearly indicated that this war cannot be percieved as an occupation and has CLEARLY indicated that we would not have to kiss ass in the Middle East were we NOT so dependent on foreign oil..he CLEARLY indicated a desire to invest in alernative fuel sources and WEAN ourselves from this albatross.

2. At the risk of parsing words

I think Schell might look at this kind of phrasing and think that is not much different than Bush. (from Johnkerry.com)

"Our military performed brilliantly in the war's first mission: ending the regime of Saddam Hussein. Today, Americans share a desire for Iraqis to live with the blessings of democracy and security."

Well, who doesn't? Bush probably thinks exactly this also.

"John Kerry and John Edwards have a practical plan to win the peace in Iraq and bring our troops home.

We must change course in Iraq. Having gone to war, we cannot afford to fail at peace. The United States must take immediate measures to prevent Iraq from becoming a failed state that inevitably would become a haven for terrorists and a destabilizing force in the Middle East. "

This is all fine and well, but from my listening to Kerry's speech last night the only significant difference (and it is significant, I'm not trying to sell it short) that I really heard in Kerry's Iraq policy has to do with internationalizing the effort, bringing our allies into it. But I didn't hear him say how the project itself would be fundamentally different once we get allies on board. This might be a product of the venue itself, but I have been looking around & haven't seen much else other than this. I'll keep looking though.

I also think Kerry's energy policy will be different than Bush's and if followed through will eventually do something about energy dependence,(and this is one of the main reasons I support him) but it's not going to do anything in the next few years about Iraq. It would prevent us from getting into similar fixes in the future of having energy policy drive foreign policy, but it won't do much about the current situation in Iraq.
These things together are probably why Schell has the opinion that Kerry is staying the course.

Regardless of that, I think the rest of Schell's article is more interesting and his points about the direction the Democratic party in general seems to be taking this election are really why I posted it.

[saccheradi]

4. insight...

The one great difference between Kerry and Bush rests in their ability to communicate details of the action they are taking to the American Public. Bush is incapable of presenting any detail beyond cryptic bytes that relay no real information. (This I truly believe is a result of the limits of his intelligence and leadership ability).

It leaves an enormous void in the American conscience for Kerry to fill.

I want to see Kerry flex his communicative agility, and relate a rich tapestry of detail in the actions he will take, the policies he will make, and the methods he will use to bring about a great presidency.

[newyawker99]

5. Hi saccheradi!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[bemildred]

3. I liked the speech, better than I expected.

I expect that Kerry will do what he thinks best once elected.
It will be interesting to see what that really means.

This does have some echoes of VietNam, the situation in Iraq
will only get worse if he does attempt to "stay the course", and
he will pay the price politically for that if that is the way
things occur much like LBJ did. Let's hope for better from Kerry.