Political Observations

[akirlu]

I noticed something the other day -- a particular trope of the neocons' toolbox that essentially does the brilliant political aikido move of getting the victims of class war to fight vehemently against their own interests. But I didn't write it down and now I've forgotten again. Bother. I hope it comes back, because it was one I hadn't seen anyone talk about explicitly.

Elsewhere, Atrios points to this post at MSNBC, which leads off:

Iraq has to be a serial killer's paradise. Scores of dead bodies turn up on dumping grounds outside the country's main cities every morning. Iraqi police reports speak of corpses discovered bound, often showing signs of torture, and shot in the head.

I know that public memory isn't much these days, but anybody remember the "flypaper theory" of taking the "War on Terror" to Iraq? Anybody want to try to sell the plausibility of supposing that there are serial killers in Europe and Middle America who are right now packing up their bags and moving to Bagdad to carry on serial killin' there? Yah, no, didn't think so. Does kinda point up what a stupid idea the flypaper theory was in the first place, though. As if we didn't know that. And, as Atrios points out, it doesn't seem like a huge improvement for the Iraqis over life under Saddam.