[This is the text of a comment I posted to this NY Times column by David Brooks. Brooks is, as per usual, well-intentioned but largely clueless, IMO.] ====================== Writes Mr. Brooks: [Americans] lost faith in the idea that American political and military institutions can do much to shape the world. American opinion is marked by an amazing sense of limitation — that there are severe restrictions on what political and military efforts can do. No, Mr. Brooks, I dont think youve got it quite right. What Americans have lost faith in -- and for very good reason -- is the ability of their elected officials to make decisions regarding military actions on the sole basis of what is best for the United States. They see civil government (irrespective of the political party that may be in control at any given time), the military and corporate interests engaged in an incestuous menage à trois in which each of the three parties serves well the interests of each of the other parties, but none of which can be reliably counted upon to serve the true interests of the American people. Having endured a half century of lies from Presidents of both parties about military and national security measures -- from Johnsons fictitious account of events in the Gulf of Tonkin to Bushs selling of a fictitious WMD narrative to justify an unprovoked invasion of Iraq to the current administrations less-than-candid response to the revelations of the NSAs domestic surveillance, Americans no longer trust that their elected leaders will be honest when they make a case for military action.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:40:37 +0000
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