| Today, three years after September 11 brought the United States face-to-face with a new totalitarian threat, liberalism has still not "been fundamentally reshaped" by the experience. On the right, a "historical re-education" has indeed occurred--replacing the isolationism of the Gingrich Congress with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's near-theological faith in the transformative capacity of U.S. military might. But American liberalism, as defined by its activist organizations, remains largely what it was in the 1990s--a collection of domestic interests and concerns. On health care, gay rights, and the environment, there is a positive vision, articulated with passion. But there is little liberal passion to win the struggle against Al Qaeda--even though totalitarian Islam has killed thousands of Americans and aims to kill millions; and even though, if it gained power, its efforts to force every aspect of life into conformity with a barbaric interpretation of Islam would reign terror upon women, religious minorities, and anyone in the Muslim world with a thirst for modernity or freedom.
When liberals talk about America's new era, the discussion is largely negative--against the Iraq war, against restrictions on civil liberties, against America's worsening reputation in the world. In sharp contrast to the first years of the cold war, post-September 11 liberalism has produced leaders and institutions--most notably Michael Moore and MoveOn--that do not put the struggle against America's new totalitarian foe at the center of their hopes for a better world. As a result, the Democratic Party boasts a fairly hawkish foreign policy establishment and a cadre of politicians and strategists eager to look tough. But, below this small elite sits a Wallacite grassroots that views America's new struggle as a distraction, if not a mirage. Two elections, and two defeats, into the September 11 era, American liberalism still has not had its meeting at the Willard Hotel. And the hour is getting late. |
That of course is the intro. You'll need to read the entire thing for yourself
As for commentary, thankfully, Publius is all over it. Be sure to follow his link to Kevin Drum's response at Washington Monthly for another interesting take...
| Look, I don’t mean this to be a raving pacifist speech. I’m not. I agree with Beinart that force needs to be on the table. And progressives need to understand that freedoms and values sometimes require the ultimate sacrifice. If any of you have ever enjoyed Western Europe, go pay your respects at the World War II memorial here on the Mall. They earned it. If you want to see the potential benefits of force, fly over North and South Korea and note the differences. Go visit some slave quarters on an old plantation, or your Jewish friends. Military force is not an unambiguously bad thing. At times throughout history, it’s been the ultimate guardian of progressive values. We need to make ourselves understand that and internalize it.
But that said, people need to understand that force is not an unambiguously good thing either. And it’s for damn sure not something to celebrate and get excited about. And one’s willingness to send other’s children to combat should not be the metric we use to sift “hard” Democrats from “soft” Democrats. I detest war, and will accept it only when it’s strictly required. The word itself completely fails to convey the horrors that “war” visits upon all involved. That’s why I bring a very strong “presumption of peace” to foreign policy. It’s not absolute, but it takes a lot to overcome it. Genocide does. Harboring al Qaeda camps does as well. Iraq does not. It didn’t even come close – and it’s probably going to thwart our shared goal of fighting radical Islam. |
Read the entire thing. Great stuff.
And I promise, in a few weeks we'll be back to normal here.
For those of you who care, Madison won the battle with Montesquieu. And yes, It does have implications for our battle with Jihadist Islam. More on that later...
For now it's on to the effects of negative ads on voter behaviors and attitudes. And then Civil Rights and the Cold War. Whew...
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