The Day, The Music Died...
7/30/06-Interesting points brought up by Thomas Friedman on "Meet the Press"
MR. RUSSERT: Let’s talk about the Bush administration and a quote from your column on Friday. And here’s what Tom Friedman wrote: “America should be galvanizing the forces of order - Europe, Russia, China and India - into a coalition against these trends. But we can’t. Why? In part, it’s because our president and our secretary of state, although they speak with great moral clarity, have no moral authority. That’s been shattered by their performance in Iraq.
“The world hates George Bush more than any U.S. president in my lifetime. He is radioactive - and so caught up in his own ideological bubble that he is incapable of imagining or forging alternative strategies.” Pretty strong.
MR. FRIEDMAN: It was strong. It’s meant to be strong. Look at the situation we’re now in. You can’t go anywhere in the world right now—and I travel a lot—without getting that feeling from people thrown in your face. Why is that? You know, I’ve been asking myself that a lot. Some of it’s excessive, this dislike, this distaste, this hatred of George Bush. But what’s it about? Whenever you see something that excessive, you know?
And the way I explain it is this way: Foreigners love to make fun of Americans. Our naivete, our crazy thought that every problem has a solution, that silly American notion, that silly American optimism. But you know what, Tim? Deep down, the world really envies that American optimism and naivete. And the world needs that American optimism and naivete.
And so when we go from a country that, historically, has always exported hope to a country that always exports fear, what we do, and what this administration has done, is actually stolen something from people. Whether it’s an African or a European or an Arab or Israeli, it’s that idea of an optimistic America out there. People really need that idea, and the sort of dark nature of the Cheneys and the Bushes and the Rices, this, this sort of relentless pessimism about the world, this exporting of fear, not hope, has really left people feeling that the idea of America has been stolen from them. And I would argue that that is the animating force behind so much of the animus directed at George Bush.
Read the entire transcript of the interview between Russert and a Jewish-American's take on the situation in the Middle East...
4 Comments:
Very interesting and Very true!! Not surprising, it's Friedman. I will just add, that the couple of people who were named, did take a lot of lives too, you might say, historically, we have seen worse, but this time too many people, in different times and places...But it is very wrong to accuse Bush by himself, it is a huge American political faction formed of evangelical Christians who have believe in the coming of the Christ if Israel is back to the land they left centuries ago...
1:25 AM
Well, from what I've read, it's more that they believe that another war must take place (as described in the book of Revelations), before Christ can come back..something like that.
Anyway, back to that interview..it was interesting hearing about this New York Times writer talking it up with a bunch of Syrian writers in Damacus..it really reminded me of a lot of coversations I've had abroad..and how he stressed the need to just listen to people, something the Bush administration has a point not to do.
On the other side, Friedman also makes some interesting points about the "buzz" arabs get when they Israel getting attacked...
FRIEDMAN: "But there are too many people, Tim, outside of Lebanon, in the Arab world, getting their buzz, frankly, off seeing Hezbollah stand up to Israel while Lebanon gets decimated. Lebanon, the first Arab democracy. And I, I real—I have a real problem with that because it’s time for the Arab world to stop getting their buzz, OK, off fighting Israel and to overcome their humiliation that way. It’s time to start building something.
You know, you ever ask yourself, Tim, what’s the second largest Muslim country in the world? It’s India. It’s not Pakistan or Iran. What do we see in India? Just a couple of weeks ago, 350 Indians killed in what is widely suspected an attack by Muslim extremists in Mumbai in a train station. But the Indian reaction was incredibly restrained. Why is that? You know, why don’t Indian Muslims, you know, get their buzz this way? Could it be because the richest man in India is a Muslim software entrepreneur? Could it be because the president of India is a Muslim? Could it be because there’s an Indian Muslim woman on the Indian Supreme Court? Could it be because the leading female movie star in India is a Muslim woman? You know, when people get their dignity from building things rather than confronting other people, it’s amazing what politics flows from that. And I think that’s something the Arab world also needs to be reflecting on now."
True dat. Certainly there's work to be done on both sides;)
1:55 PM
I hate commenting on this because there is no good answer...it's not like Bush is wrong or the Dems are wrong or France is wrong or Lebanon is wrong. It's fairly clear everyone is wrong. Friedman is even a little wrong in pumping up this crisis as though humankind hangs in the balance.
Things have been worse, things have been better. I think you got closest to the wisest course of action for us now...listening. We need to calm down.
I'm glad you work in the gov't, Pauly. Calm those bastards down a bit.
4:14 PM
I'd disagree with all of them. The sooner we realize we are dealing with a quadrapolar world the better off America (and the Anglosphrere) will be. China, Russia, Europe, and the Anglo-Sphere each have their own agenda and the sooner we realize that fact the better off we will be globally. This is an even bigger point that Mr. Friedman misses.
9:21 PM
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