Tom Friedman can kiss my asp.

[Plaid Adder]

Seriously. NOW he's figured out that this war was a cynical political stunt that had nothing to do with making life better for the average Iraqi. Wow, and it only took a year of hellish violence and photographic evidence of gross and deliberate systemic human rights abuses to get him to change his mind!

I don't normally pay much attention to the mainstream pundits, but Friedman really gets my goat because he's such a sanctimonious, self-indulgent, I'm-really-much-more-liberal-and-enlightened-than-you-are-because-I'm-not-blinded-by-party-politics-and-someday-all-you-anti-war-people-will-see-the-light-and-become-as-highly-evolved-as-I-am licker of the boots of power. And because every time I talk to my mother about the war she cites that asshole as if he is the arbiter of all that is reasonable and right, and I know a lot of other people who are too smart and too scornful of outright bigotry to be affected by Hannity and O'Reilly bought this asshole's rationale for the war.

Plus for the past month, all of his columns--at least the ones I've seen--have been about him searching his soul to figure out whether he was right to support the war, as if with all this shit going down in the world the thing that matters above all is for Thomas L. Friedman to keep his own conscience pure. Tom! Nobody fucking cares! YOU supported this piece of shit war, so why don't YOU stop wringing your hands and get out there and start whaling on it?

Well, maybe the whaling will begin. I hope so, because Friedman apparently has a fair amount of influence, whereas I have none...which only makes it all more infuriating. Dude, I'm not a professional journalist, I've never been to Iraq, and I don't get paid a dime for the crap I write...but I knew this war was a disaster from the day Bush started pushing it. So apparently, despite all that, I'm way better at this than you are. So can I have your job?

I mean, I don't really want his job; I like the one I have. But it just GALLS me that this jerk who has way more power and influence than I ever will has spent the past year using his powers for evil instead of good and is only JUST NOW figuring out that maybe he's been had.

Better late than never, I suppose. But DAMN!

:argh:

The Plaid Adder

[HFishbine]

1. I strongly disagree with you on two points

1) You have some influence.
2) Your writing is not crap.

[Plaid Adder]

3. Aw, thanks HFishbine n/t

[Lisa]

8. and a third point ...

"than I ever will"
--I don't think I'm going out on a limb to point out that, with your talents, you ARE going to be recognized.

And that's just as inevitable as TF's seeing which way the wind was blowing ... then altering his position accordingly.

[sangh0]

2. "NOW he's figured out that this war was a cynical political stunt ..."

Well, he did say that he was "a *little* slow"

:evilgrin:

[gratuitous]

4. Yeah, like I'm a little bitter

Ass-covering simpleton!

(Friedman, not our beloved Plaid Adder)

[Plaid Adder]

5. Yeah, and Rumsfeld is "a little arrogant" n/t

[Kenneth ken]

6. nice rant

and I agree with HFishbine's comments. :hi:

[w4rma]

7. He sounds like he is ***beginning*** to understand our situation.

I just finished reading his editorial. It sounds accurate and honest. I think he's beginning to get it, much like Howard Stern did. But, it hasn't quite clicked for him yet and it still may not. But, he's on a tipping point.

[Robbien]

9. You are right that the only way he will be anything but a shithead

Is if he now went out hard and fast to help bring this regime down.

Right now saying he is sorry means diddly squat.

[onecitizen]

10. WoooHoooo Plaid Adder........

wouldn't ya just like to slap the snot out of these scaredy cat journalists who were too scared to confront these a--holes? I know I would. They failed us. They did not do their jobs and will go down in history as the worst crop of journalists ever. They were afraid they wouldn't be on the invitation lists to parties and such. Well boohoo. Not gonna be alot of parties in Leavenworth now will there? Where they should all end up someday(soon I hope).

[GreenArrow]

11. Friedman's a propagandist

nothing more, nothing less. There have been no revelations, no epiphanies; he's simply taking dictation and dressing it up in his own style.

[Jacobin]

12. Do you remember the title of his piece in the NYT about 12/02 ?

"Just Give War A Chance"

It is emblazoned on my brain. I read and wanted to punch a hole in the wall. He was likening the voices in the distances warning about quagmire to the Amish who would let the nazis walk across Europe with misguided ideas of "peace", with the violent Vietnam protestors who were so misguided.

I mean, he was on a warfuckingmongering warp. He could not control himself.

He's still in favor of PNAC. He just wants a new horse (Kerry) to do it, because he knows his agenda has smooshed Smirky into oblivion.

Shameless prick. He is a godawful propagandist.

[HFishbine]

13. I'd like to read that

Anybody have a copy/link?