tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7971426430678948233.post9015094629166996328..comments2024-02-10T04:32:14.218-05:00Comments on Kevin Slaten's Blog: Barack W. Bush?Kevin Slatenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07892885228803292894noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7971426430678948233.post-61921137587063516322009-03-18T18:32:00.000-04:002009-03-18T18:32:00.000-04:00Good points. I agree that there are simply not eno...Good points. I agree that there are simply not enough "data points" to generalize Obama's deeds. Much of what we have to go on now are based on his rhetoric (which, as I've argued, is significant in and of itself). Yet part of our "job", as the Third and Fourth Estates, is to stay on top of officials' choices as they're made.<BR/><BR/>media obssession/ideology re: I absolutely agree. Broadcast media, in particular, often totally dumbs down the debate. My goal, in my work, is to counter such over-generalization and focus on the nuance/balance. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comments and compliment.Kevin Slatenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07892885228803292894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7971426430678948233.post-2172426924475763152009-03-18T16:17:00.000-04:002009-03-18T16:17:00.000-04:00While I think you make a good point (i.e., words *...While I think you make a good point (i.e., words *do* matter) Kagan's article and the many, many others that have been written in the last weeks all share one crucial flaw - they seek and attempt to define (definitively, in some cases, if you will) an administration that is not yet two months old! Do we really have enough data points to make any sweeping statements (such as Obama having "Bushian foreign policy")? Do we really know how this administration's stated policies, played out in the vacuum of a political campaign, will play out on the ever-shifting stage of reality with all of its inherent messiness and events that cannot be predicted or controlled (wasn't that one of Bush's fatal flaws in judgment regarding Iraq and elsewhere in not shifting his tactics, as well as his policy in some cases, to match the changing reality on the ground and in the backrooms of the foreign leadership)? <BR/><BR/>At the core of this, I see the media obsession with defining, labeling, categorizing, grouping with the rampant impatience of a small child. Most reasonable adults are willing to let matters unfold over time and place before deciding and judging. I doubt there would be a widespread, public outcry if Obama’s administration was not immediately defined, labeled and packaged with a neat bow in the first two months or first 100 days or first [insert your arbitrary measurement of time]. These sort of pieces such as Kagan’s do little more than provide justification for beliefs already held, they do little but confuse and distract, turn the conversation to matters peripheral to the vital central points. What difference does it make if some of Obama’s stated policies and initial actions bear some resemblance to past policies? Do they work? Are they the right moves to make? Who cares if they are “liberal” or “conservative”, “hawkish” or “dovish”, “Republican” or “Democratic” (with a capital “D”? Wasn’t it just that sort of mindless and narrow labeling - i.e., "us", "them", "with us or against us", “enemy”, “axis of evil”, “extremist”, etc. – that got us in this position in the first place? We must stop these childish distractions and have real conversations about the substance of the weightiest matters that confront us today absent the empty slogans and labels that provide much heat but little light.<BR/><BR/>I applaud your reticence to simply accept the stated policy of this administration or any other, instead holding judgment of each policy's and decision's merits as they are actually made and revealed.<BR/><BR/>Good to see you writing again.glimmeringgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10316556774847187971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7971426430678948233.post-91992718189267343632009-03-15T17:12:00.000-04:002009-03-15T17:12:00.000-04:00Well, I *am* supporting his attempts to regain Ame...Well, I *am* supporting his attempts to regain America's authority. But I should be clear: I *am not* justifying all of Obama's foreign policy. I have already written at length on this blog on my disagreements over the drone strikes in Pakistan, which is a Obama's policy. <BR/><BR/>In short: I will continue to evaluate his choices -- domestically and internationally -- based on their merits as they are made. And I hope we all remain critical of those with power, especially one of the most powerful men in the world.Kevin Slatenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07892885228803292894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7971426430678948233.post-7402459583405168142009-03-15T16:35:00.000-04:002009-03-15T16:35:00.000-04:00Your thesis gives justification to O'bama's foreig...Your thesis gives justification to O'bama's foreign policy direction - hopefully others will read and get behind this administrations efforts. You're right on on your analysis !!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com