Rummy Capone

MSNBC/Newsweek says “Donald Rumsfeld often quotes a line from Al Capone: ‘You will get more with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone.’” It’s a good point, really. But the problem is, we’ve been skimping on the “kind words” part…

Has anyone seen a credible critique of the Bush policy from the right? My feeling is that those who fail to line up 100% behind the prez are exiled and have their conservative credentials stripped, and that therefore, by definition, you can’t find one. But I’d like to see it. There’s a lot of people now who regard themselves as “balking hawks:” anti-Saddam, uncomfortable with unilateralism, distrustful of Bush, in favor of war only with UN backing, etc.

2 thoughts on “Rummy Capone”

  1. I haven’t seen a credible critique of the Bush policy from the right. However, I’ll try to give you one.

    In regards to Iraq, it’s a rough question. It depends on how staunch of a right-leaner you are. If you are slightly right (myself) then you say “We tried with the UN, that didn’t work, lets do this shit.” The stronger rights say “Why did we even go through with anything UN?” Of course I disagree with the later of the two. However, the rights tend to be backing Bush, many with a hesitant eye.

    Not many right-wingers say that the economy _isn’t_ being ignored. However, we point to such actions before such as Pearl Harbor. We hope that the war will spur the economy.

    Of course I am a poor judge of the right side, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

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  2. “Balking hawks”

    I like it! It’s probably the best description of my take on the war. I would have much rather it gone forward with full UN approval/support, but I would also much rather it go forward than not. I think what saddens me the most, other than the loss of life on both sides, is that this war and the various events surrounding it will completely polarize everyone and everything. The grey-area middle ground is shrinking and shrinking fast. And truth be told, I liked that grey area. You could be (reasonably) content in that grey area. You could (mostly) ignore the world at large and live your microcosim life in that grey area. *sigh*

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