Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Vicious Bloodlust of Moderate Centrism

Ross Douthat:
Hitchens is absolutely right that paranoia can lead to disastrous follies, and crackpottery to violence. But do you know what else has often led to folly, disaster, violence and human misery? The “moderation” and “centrism” of the Western governing class. It wasn’t Glenn Beck who mired the United States in two neverending overseas occupations, where “gun brandishing” is the least of the everyday horrors that flow from our policy failures.
On the one hand I wish to LOL at Ross Douthat and on the other, um, well done moderate centrists.

8 comments:

Hamish Mack said...

The first reaction of these bloviators is to lie. He is saying that moderate centrists got them into the wars? Rumsfeld, Cheney Wolfowitz the mod. centrists. And Dontdouthat reckons he is different from them...
Is that some Christmas Ale I see before me? Inject it into my eye, please nurse.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

The fact that he has a paying gig at the Paper of Record makes me want to hurl a bottle.

fish said...

He is getting abused in comments. And probably by his priest.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

David Brooks is worse, but of course that is no consolation.

I love S,N!'s characterization.
~

Substance McGravitas said...

That is indeed a great picture.

Hamish Mack said...

Oooh the comments were not kind!!
Hah Hah

Er Mr McG the capcha is Talban, cover is slipping...

bjkeefe said...

Anyone can point out how things are bad. One would think it wouldn't be that much harder, especially for someone who is Reasonable™ and who has earned (?) a plum opinionator gig, to imagine how things could be much worse.

Anonymous said...

Never thought I'd hear a leftist critique of establishment liberalism from Ross Fucking Douthat. Not that he really means it.

For "moderate centrists", please read "Hillary Clinton/Joe Lieberman/DLC/etc.", who really are responsible for letting the war happen as much as Wolfowitz/Cheney/Perle.