5 years ago, Thomas Friedman said the Iraq War was about telling the Middle East to ’suck on this.’

[NNN0LHI]

Atrios notes that five years ago today, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman told Charlie Rose what he believed the war in Iraq was essentially about telling people in the Middle East to “suck on this” after 9/11:

FRIEDMAN: You don’t think, you know, we care about our open society. You think this bubble fantasy, we’re just going to let it grow? Well, suck on this, ok. That Charlie, is what this war was about. We could have hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. Could have hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could. That’s the real truth.

Watch it: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/30/five-years-ago-today-thomas-friedman-said-the-iraq-war-was-about-telling-the-middle-east-to-suck-on-this/

[aquart]

1. And now, five years later, Thomas Friedman is still an idiot.

Some things never change.

[marmar]

2. Thomas or Milton, which Friedman has been more of a disaster for this country?

They both suck, but "The Shock Doctrine" makes me pick Milton.

[Deja Q]

3. Dunno, but both of them sound like fried men...

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. It was a sentiment that millions of idiot amerikans shared.....

I heard it many times in real life.

[rurallib]

5. Thomas "six more months" Friedman

Whatchya think Tom, six more months and it's done, right?

[KelleyKramer]

6. That is 10 'Friedmans' ago!

1 Friedman unit = six more months to win in Iraq

So that was 10 friedmans ago