But then there are the Utopians.....

Submitted by Diane Alden (United States), Apr 14, 2004 at 12:35

Your analysis is right on as usual. However....policy makers are impelled and guided by Utopians. For instance, in the immortal words of semi-conservative Utopian Charles Krauthammer at the AEI --- our mission is to "spread democratic globalism" by this great "commercial republic" which we know as the United States of America. Those who wheel and deal will not call things by the correct names nor will they face reality when it flies in the face of ideology or a Utopian take on historical or cultural realities.

Therefore, rather than calling Islamo-fascism and Arab militarism by its correct name, we get a unisex "terrorism." By becoming a "commercial republic," we inform folks we are basically a trading nation rather than a nation of philosophical or political uniqueness where the state is less important than the individual.

We also imply that our mission is to spread an economic system rather than a philosophical ideal which in fact can't be done without imposiing a military dictatorship as we did on Japan in post war era. So we get a fascist type system in China and economic feudalism elsewhere.

In any event, when policy and Utopian day dreaming don't work, we start pointing fingers at the other political group -- passing the buck in a tornado of words, accusations, and misinterpretation of history and cultural realities. Because our intellectuals and policy makers live in their own dream world, realistic attitudes towards places like Iraq are hard to come by.

Meanwhile, observing the "Commission" pass blame around for 911 only convinces me that we are run by a bunch of idiots who are opportunists, bureaucrats, or Utopians to the nth degree: an establishment which neither has a clue about instituting needed reforms nor has EVEN a basic understanding of the nature of the REAL problems we face as a nation.

Until we can do that, playing political, cultural, economic arbiter and guide in Iraq is ludicrous.

Thanks for all you do.

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