Bad Typing

T. Friedman, G Will and the Washington Post editorial board are denouncing the Bush administration for indifferance to human rights. Even Bush himself has publicly scolded Rumsfeld. The trigger, sad to say, is not abuse but the fact that the photos of the abuse got on TV. Kevin Drum notes that the left blogosphere was similarly unalert when the abuse was briefly mentioned in mere words in January (I remember the news and remember that I posted nothing about it). Still it seems that hard nosed hard line hawks understand that trying to win a war of ideas by ignoring the rules of war is worse than a crime, it is a mistake.

I have noticed one lonely voice sticking to the Chalabite line. Jim Hoagland remains loyal to the Pentagon and Chalabi arguing that we must not waver in fighting our true enemies at the UN, the State Department and the CIA.


"Jassim Mohammed Saleh, ... The appointment,.... It is hard to think of a gesture that could more effectively undermine the moral claims the Bush administration made in justifying regime change in Iraq -- especially as it came when legitimate outrage and revulsion was spreading globally over evidence of abuse of Iraqi prisoners."

OK Jim let me help you out. You find it "hard to think of a gesture that could more effectively undermine the moral claims the Bush administration made" . How about looking a littlle further on in your own sentence. One might argue that appointing Saleh was a worse offence against human rights that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, but honesty should have compelled Mr Hoagland to admit that the gestures of Pvt England were more effective at undermining Bush's claims that the appointment of Saleh.

Even a dishonest person with a brain wouldn't state an argument then prove it nonsense in the same sentence. In particular why did Hoagland use the word "gesture" not the phrase "policy move" or something which could not refer to the abuse ? You know a gesture is something like "thumbs up". It can be used to refer to any action with a symbolic aspect, that is, any action, including appointing general Saleh, but if you are trying to talk about something other than the gestures everyone else is talking about, it is better to use another word.

I think Hoagland (who I once respected) is not only typing up dictation from Feith or Wolfowitz or Chalabi himself, but he is mixing up the words. I certainly hope that all of those gentlemen will be looking for a new job soon. Why doesn't the Post eliminate the middleman by firing Hoagland and hiring one of them directly ?