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Topic: Friedman's best: Intercepting Iran?s Take on Amer
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| UGoGirl | Posted – 12/6/2007 2:08:15 AM | show profile I think this is about the best piece I've seen from Friedman. ******* There are two intelligence analyses that are relevant to the balance of power between the U.S. and Iran ? one is the latest U.S. assessment of Iran, which certainly gave a much more complex view of what is happening there. The other is the Iranian National Intelligence Estimate of America, which ? my guess ? would read something like this: To: President Ahmadinejad From: The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence Subject: America As you?ll recall, in the wake of 9/11, we were extremely concerned that the U.S. would develop a covert program to end its addiction to oil, which would be the greatest threat to Iranian national security. In fact, after Bush?s 2006 State of the Union, in which he decried America?s oil addiction, we had "high confidence" that a comprehensive U.S. clean energy policy would emerge. We were wrong. Our fears that the U.S. was engaged in a covert "Manhattan Project" to achieve energy independence have been "assuaged." America's Manhattan Project turns out to be largely confined to the production of corn ethanol in Iowa, which, our analysts have confirmed from cellphone intercepts between lobbyists and Congressmen, is nothing more than a multibillion-dollar payoff to big Iowa farmers and agro-businesses. ...Second, at a time when America?s bridges, roads, airports and Internet bandwidth have fallen behind other industrial powers, including China, we believe that the U.S. opposition to higher taxes ? and the fact that the primary campaigns have focused largely on gay marriage, flag-burning and whether the Christian Bible is the literal truth ? means it is"highly unlikely" that America will arrest its decline. Third, ...U.S. politicians seem determined to appeal either to the most nativist extremes in their respective parties ? or to tell voters that something Americans call "the tooth fairy" will make their energy, budget, educational and Social Security deficits painlessly disappear. Therefore, we conclude with "high confidence" that there is little likelihood that post-9/11 America will, as they say, "get its groove back" anytime soon. Who needs nukes when you have this kind of America? God is Great. Long Live the Iranian Revolution. New York Times |
| chucho | Posted – 12/6/2007 9:37:20 AM | show profile Remember when Freidman was saying we were "turning a corner" in Iraq, like, every six months? (As the "Get Your War On" guy said about all these corners we were turning in Friedman's columns thoughout 2003 and 2004: Is the War in Iraq A f***king polygon or what??) He's the kind of guy who talks to one entrepreneur on a golf course in Bangalore who has a G3 mobile phone and draws hugely inaccurate conclusions about India. I read Friedman for shits and giggles, but he lost me years ago. Now he's moved on to the latest eco-friendly zeitgeist. That's all he does: follows the trends and makes millions of dollars. And he can't write worth a crap. This is a man who tortures metaphors like they're Al-Qaeda suspects. What crazily ironic is that conservatives think Freidman is a liberal. |
| UGoGirl | Posted – 12/6/2007 11:10:46 AM | show profile No he's no liberal, and I disagree with his views on globalization. I remember when he went on Oprah in support of going to war in Iraq too! I'm no great fan of Friedman, but on the energy issue I do believe he's gotten religion and has passion for the issue. So I'm with him on that. |
