George Packer on Iraq
futureofcapitalism.com

The New Yorker's George Packer comments on President Obama's Iraq speech:

What President Obama called the end of the combat mission in Iraq is a meaningless milestone, constructed almost entirely out of thin air, and his second Oval Office speech marks a rare moment of dishonesty and disingenuousness on the part of a politician who usually resorts to rare candor at important moments.

"Rare," that is, unless one counts how he handled health care, as I described it earlier:

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The New Civility
futureofcapitalism.com

George Packer, writing in the New Yorker:

The Republicans now hold just one house of Congress, yet they have controlled the terms of the debate, because they understand that budget battles are about far more than numbers, and they've made the ideology behind their various bargaining positions startlingly clear: government should be reduced to gasping for air. What's more, they're willing to deploy legislative terrorism—threatening to shut down the government and to allow the United States to default on its debt—to get their way.

"Terrorism"?

And here I had thought President Obama was willing to shut down the government to assure that Planned Parenthood kept its funding.

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Comment of the Day
futureofcapitalism.com

Monday's post on the New Yorker's George Packer accusing congressional Republicans of being "willing to deploy legislative terrorism" to get their way drew the following comment:

I went to the New Yorker's on-line forum with Mr. Packer on this article. Here's my question and his response:

Comment From Andrew

Was it really necessary to use the term "legislative terrorism" in your article? Does that really add to the debate?

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George Packer on Iraq
futureofcapitalism.com

The New Yorker's George Packer comments on President Obama's Iraq speech:

What President Obama called the end of the combat mission in Iraq is a meaningless milestone, constructed almost entirely out of thin air, and his second Oval Office speech marks a rare moment of dishonesty and disingenuousness on the part of a politician who usually resorts to rare candor at important moments.

"Rare," that is, unless one counts how he handled health care, as I described it earlier:

Read More...

The New Civility
futureofcapitalism.com

George Packer, writing in the New Yorker:

The Republicans now hold just one house of Congress, yet they have controlled the terms of the debate, because they understand that budget battles are about far more than numbers, and they've made the ideology behind their various bargaining positions startlingly clear: government should be reduced to gasping for air. What's more, they're willing to deploy legislative terrorism—threatening to shut down the government and to allow the United States to default on its debt—to get their way.

"Terrorism"?

And here I had thought President Obama was willing to shut down the government to assure that Planned Parenthood kept its funding.

Read More...

Comment of the Day
futureofcapitalism.com

Monday's post on the New Yorker's George Packer accusing congressional Republicans of being "willing to deploy legislative terrorism" to get their way drew the following comment:

I went to the New Yorker's on-line forum with Mr. Packer on this article. Here's my question and his response:

Comment From Andrew

Was it really necessary to use the term "legislative terrorism" in your article? Does that really add to the debate?

Read More...