FINALLY, thanks to Obama and an increasingly message-savvy Democratic party, the correct approach to dealing with distasteful regimes now has the right rhetorical framework, which can be boiled down to this phrase: “strength is diplomacy.”
Moreover, those who don’ttalk to people they don’t like are …
Politically weak (afraid of a photo opp with a bad guy)
Shameless (pandering to Cuban-Americans in order to win Florida, for example)
Ineffective (not talking has gotten us nowhere)
Those who do talk to people they don’t like(keeping in mind that merely talking is not appeasement) are …
Traditional (continuing the long American tradition of talking with the enemy)
Strong (as in not hiding in Washington behind blustery statements)
Note to partisan hacks: If you’re going to tar someone by calling him/her an appeaser, take the time to learn what appeasement actually means—preferably before going on TV.
A LOT OF FUSS has been made of Barack Obama’s chagrin at the price of arugula at Whole Foods. For the past couple weeks, arugula has been, for McCain and the right wing of the Republican party, a handy emblem for Obama’s alleged “liberal elitism.” Move over latte, arugula is the new gastronomical weapon of the reverse snobs of the right (who are, as it happens, usually beltway insiders who are pretty well fed on fancy food, but I digress … )
[Full disclosure: Three Roads blog loves the lively and spicy taste of arugula but usually buys it at the local Albertson's, not at Whole Foods, so I'm not in a position to bemoan the cost of arugula. I simply bemoan the cost of everything at Whole Paycheck Foods.]
So if we’ve left the era of the latte-liberal, what’s going to be the catchy, reductive and polarizing term that incorporates the leafy green vegetable known as arugula? Here are some ideas, free for use to all conservatives who frequent this blog (I’m looking at you, John Lofton!):
Demarugulas
Arugulacrats
Liberugulas
Hmmm. As you can see, none of these has the same snap as latte liberal. Maybe it’s alliteration that we need! Ok, here goes:
Arugula ahhh … arugula ahhh ….
I’m stuck. Can anyone think of an a-word that describes people who are left of center? Aristocrat could work, but it’s historic ties are to, I would guess, a more conservative political ideology.
On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in 25 years. Yet almost no one noticed.
The radical idea? Basically, President McCain would have us systematically disenfranchise Russia, China and other autocratic regimes we don’t like, who, as Zakaria rightly points out, are the very countries whose cooperation we desperately need to tackle global terrorism and maintain the global economy.
Can we now, as a country, agree that John McCain, war hero and overall war aficionado, is not very smart when it comes to foreign policy? Or do we have to elect him president first and then find out?
[Update: I never meant to become so stridently anti-John McCain on this blog ... ]
CONSTRUCT AN ELABORATE FAÇADE as a straight-talking maverick who battles against the corrupting influence of money in politics.
When your campaign coffers unexpectedly dry up, enter the public financing system and accept the rules associated with taking public funds. Use the funds to keep your presidential aspirations alive.
When donations start to pick up, forget the whole public financing thing (and those pesky spending limits). Raise funds and spend with reckless abandon, taking comfort in the knowledge that even if you’re breaking the law, it probably won’t catch up with you until after the election is over.
With a straight face, continue touting your straight-talking, maverick credentials. And take shots at your rivals for not accepting public funds.
1. SHOULD we boycott the Beijing Olympics? Point:Chinaexecutes about 20 people per day. Counter-point: What a crappy thing to do to the athletes, who have nothing at all to do with China’s human rights record. Plus, we execute people, too. To boycott on that principle would be a little hypocritical, right? Conclusion: Still unsure.
2. WHY did Michael Johns get booted from American Idol?
3. WHY are we still in Iraq? No, really, why? I want to hear good reasons for staying there.
4. WHAT’S UP with that 28 percent that approves of President Bush’s performance? Sub-question: What would Bush have to do to get their disapproval?
5. WHY are you using Evite when you can use Pingg? I can understand using Evite only if you like poorly designed, shaming invitations that are filled with ugly ads.
Also, while I can’t put it into question form, I thought I’d acknowledge how cool it is that Spain recently appointed Carme Chacon as defense minister. Chacon is the first female to become a top defense official—and she also has a bun in the oven.
