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Sunday Morning Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 10:56:38 AM EST
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Fabian Cancellara, the greatest cycling road racer in the world, blitzed the field again, winning Paris-Roubaix with ease, just as he did in the Ronde. Next big one - Liege-Bastogne-Liege. The first big GT is the Giro d'Italia next month. The Tour de France is in July.

An exciting Masters finish is shaping up this afternoon. Westwood leads Mickleson by 1 and Tiger lurks at 4 back. Worth watching.

This is an Open Thread.

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    Sunday Morning Open Thread | 59 comments (59 topical)

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    WooHoo, season 4 of The Tudors (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 01:48:02 PM EST
    starts tonight.  I haven't watched the clip up on the Showtime site yet, but it says if you want to be surprised during season 4 don't watch it.  What the hell can be a giant surprise is what I want to know?  My husband said he would never watch The Tudors cuz he already knows how it ends.  I love all the make believe clothes though.

    I prefer my memories of (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 01:57:17 PM EST
    the Six Wives of Henry the Eighth, from BBC.  On Masterpiece Theatre a really long time ago.

    Parent
    I plan to read "Wolf Hall," which (5.00 / 1) (#28)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:23:43 PM EST
    won the Booker Prize last year.  Reaches the same conclusion and Sir Thomas More doesn't come out looking too good either.

    Parent
    Oooooh, I want to read this (none / 0) (#61)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 13, 2010 at 11:52:34 AM EST
    This is very interesting, Sir Thomas More a little on the sleazy side.  Who knew?  A realist would have suspected, but a book....yummy

    Parent
    And to think. I recently saw Frank Langella (none / 0) (#62)
    by oculus on Wed Apr 14, 2010 at 01:10:58 PM EST
    as Sir Thomas More, man of principle, even unto death, in "A Man for All Seasons."  

    Parent
    Gotta love historical Anachro-Pron in any medium (5.00 / 1) (#35)
    by Ellie on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 06:24:11 PM EST
    ... and Henry VIII is definitely an extra-large d0uchebag.

    Re downstream refs, his foil More wouldn't be out of place lathering up one of today's fam-vals judgmental mobs, but actors like Paul (Man for All Seasons) Scofield are so damned good at what they do, and shed so much light on a character's nooks and crannies, even the darkest areas don't seem so, er, icky.

    Life/work kept me from getting traction on The Tudors so it's in my to-view pile to enjoy at leisure with other stuff.

    BTW, (and no slam on going nuts for a new season to start) but I'm really enjoying being out of step with the cycles of new/repeat programming. I am ...

    A Chick for All Seasons
    or an ennobling portrayal presented by
    The Paul Robeson of Chicks

    Parent

    Making green chile chicken enchiladas (5.00 / 2) (#16)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 03:10:53 PM EST
    today. Boiled way too many chicken thighs,, so I'll make a lot! they freeze well, thank goodness, and it's almost as good as homemmade macaroni and cheese as a comfort food to me.

    Anyone hungry? I'm also roasting pork and making minestrone. Tricks for excellent minestrone? a pound of cabbage and beef stock... the cabbage flavor is needed, but it doesn't overpower.

    Asparagus and ham risotto (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:12:47 PM EST
    here.  Ahhhhhh.

    Oddly, fresh asparagus is one of only three green vegetables I've found that freezes really well.  I wouldn't have expected that since commercial frozen asparagus is very yucky, but maybe they cook it too long first or something.

    Anyway, sliced, blanched for a couple minutes and frozen, it's pretty darn good if you don't overcook it when defrosting.

    (the other two, btw, are peas and lima beans.  Fresh grown limas are absolutely divine, not at all resembling beans but sweet and tender, like fresh peas with a little more zing.  Frozen they're less fabulous, but still pretty good and wayyy better than commercial frozen.)

    Parent

    Interesting minestrone tip. (none / 0) (#17)
    by observed on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 03:20:16 PM EST
    I'll have to try that out.

    Parent
    adds tremenedously to the (none / 0) (#19)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 03:36:27 PM EST
    richness with the cabbage in my opinion anyway.

    Parent
    I like cabbage, so it sounds good. (none / 0) (#20)
    by observed on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 03:37:28 PM EST


    Parent
    When we were in northern Italy (none / 0) (#46)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:18:19 PM EST
    when I was a young teen traveling with my parents-- many, many, many moons ago-- the minestrone was beyond divine.  I've been searching for a recipe that resembles that standard trattoria fare ever since without success.  But without a doubt, cabbage is essential.  I remember that vividly, and any minestrone recipe I run into that doesn't have it I ignore.

    I'm sure minestrone varies widely from region to region and household to household.  It's one of those "toss everything left over into the pot" deals.  But what we had in Bologna and Pisa and other northern towns was pretty consistent, and dammit, I was too young to pay enough attention while I was swooning over it to analyze what was in it. I pretty much just inhaled it when it was served.  (Can you imagine a 13-year-old craving a vegetable soup in the land of great pasta?  That's how good it was!)

    Oh, yeah, and lots and lots of shredded super-duper parmagiano on top is mandatory.

    Sigh.

    Parent

    Regular cabbage or Savoy? (none / 0) (#25)
    by caseyOR on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 04:58:02 PM EST
    I use the Savoy in white bean soup, and for sauteeing. It has a milder flavor, so maybe not what you are going for?

    Please share your recipe for the enchiladas, if you don't mind.

    Parent

    enchilada recipe (none / 0) (#30)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:35:00 PM EST
    5 lbs chicken thighs
    12-24 corn tortillas (I don't count them, I just use them until I either finish or run out)
    1 onion
    1 tomato
    6 cloves garlic
    2 tsp cumin
    1-2 lb mexican crumbling cheese (If I don't have enough, I will mix a yelow cheddar with it)
    1-2 tsp (maybe a little more) olive oil
    26-32 oz canned green enchilada sauce
    1-2 8 oz cans green chiles

    1. boil chicken. let cool. remove skin and bones and hand shred ( I usually do this the day before)

    2. heat oil (medium to medium low) and sautee onion and tomato in oil. Add chopped garlic at the end, but for no more than 1 minute-- don't scorch. Strain and add to shredded chicken. Add cans of chile to chicken also. Make sure to pour in 1/2 of the enchilada sauce into the mix.

    3. Grate cheese, add all but about 1/2 cup to chicken mixture.

    4. Heat remaining enchilada sauce until lightly steaming. Put tortillas, one at a time, in sauce for 10 -25 seconds. After removing tortilla, put 2-4 spoonsful of chicken mixture insde and roll. Continue until pan is full. Pour remaining enchilada sauce and cheese to top.

    4-alternate: stacked enchiladas: put one ladle of enchilada sauce in 13 x 9 pan, spread to cover bottom of pan ( for stacked enchiladas, I'll cut them in half to make sure the entire bottom is covered). Place tortillas in pan, spread some of the chicken mix, then cover with more tortillas, more chicken mix, sort of like lasagna. End with enchilada sauce and cheese.

    I usually let it sit while the oven heats up. I heat the oven to 375, then place the pan or pans in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. If I want it crusty, I eave it in longer.

    It's a lot of "It looks okay for me."  My sister usually mixes 4-6 ounces of sour cream in the chicken mix, along with 8-10 ounces of spinach. It's good, but I like my way a little better.

    Serve with rice, either white, brown, or Mexican, refried beans, sour cream, cheese, and whatever you might want.

    It's easy and fairly inexpensive. I wish I knew a smaller version, because I'll eat this for 3-4 days.

    Minestrone cabbage is just old fashioned cabbage--that flavor adds to minestrone! If it's not there, I think it's missing, Not overpowering at all to me.

    Parent

    I don't make my own enchilada sauce usually, (none / 0) (#31)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:37:08 PM EST
    but I grow and can my own chiles, tomatoes, onions and garlic (well, I don't can onions or garlic, but it's possible). I might make enchilada sauce this year if my tomatillos come in well.

    Parent
    Savoy cabbage is the best! (none / 0) (#47)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:19:42 PM EST
    Yes, it's milder in cabbagey flavor, but it's got sort a peppery taste instead.  Makes drop-dead good cole slaw.

    I grew some last year in my garden and it was so wonderful!

    Parent

    Stupid minestrone trick (sulphuric veggies) (none / 0) (#36)
    by Ellie on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 06:38:41 PM EST
    When you clean out your fridge and separate the skank from the respectable, slow simmer the drooping stuff at precisely 210F (water trembles but doesn't boil) for about 60-90 min. Otherwise, the sulphur just turns nasty. They're often present in Mediterranean soups/stews, but usually added fresh and not allowed to hang around for long.

    I'll put any green thing in this cruciferous veg-inclusive broth (and do NOT ever include anything with even a trace of mold).

    I never include them in straight up chicken / beef / veggie / court bouillon broths or stocks as they can overpower everything else.

    Parent

    I'll remember that one (none / 0) (#39)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 06:50:32 PM EST
    my soupmaking mentor said use almost all of the older veggies/tubers, because soup prevents waste.

    Parent
    There's waste and then (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:20:51 PM EST
    there's chemistry experiments in the back of the fridge...

    Parent
    Do a weekly 'fridge' broth of droopy stuff (none / 0) (#40)
    by Ellie on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 07:02:29 PM EST
    I learned this from a Veggie Ninja who disabused me of dumb habits. Clean your fridge of the outer droopy leaves from everything (lettuce, the leaves under the cauliflower, stalks and leaves from celery, etc. etc.)

    Roast them a bit (for a stock) or just simmer as is (for a broth). Presumably you have good habits and wash produce BEFORE you store. Use that stock or broth for cooking that week. I only freeze the good stock made from fresh ingredients.

    As a longtime veggie I learned that not doing this kind of "houskeeping" meant needlessly throwing stuff out.

    Parent

    MMmm (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by squeaky on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 07:18:40 PM EST
    Although it sounds a bit like dumpster diving.. lol

    Parent
    Anyone see "crazy" Michele (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by kenosharick on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 03:35:37 PM EST
    Bachman on fox news sunday today? Her lies/distortions/hallucinations keep getting worse. She claimed that the private American economy, which was 0% government owned/controlled when Obama entered office is now 51% owned by the US government. Her delusions are kind of funny, except for the fact that millions of people actually buy into this crap.

    No snark (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:22:34 PM EST
    I really do think she's mentally ill.  Frightening.

    Parent
    Good post by Mary at Left Coaster (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by observed on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 06:41:47 PM EST
    on bad language at NPR

    Vermin? really?

    Kos reviews his new iPad. Of note: (none / 0) (#1)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 11:07:31 AM EST
    between his flight from West coast to East coast and his return, TSA decided didn't need to put iPad into tray w/o case.  Interesting, no?

    And in other sports news, Padres 4, (none / 0) (#2)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 12:10:34 PM EST
    Rockies 4, 14 innings.

    Pretty sure... (none / 0) (#3)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 12:21:05 PM EST
    ...the game didn't end in a tie last night.  

    Parent
    Oops. 5-4. (none / 0) (#5)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 12:22:49 PM EST


    Parent
    hope the Braves can take take the giants (none / 0) (#14)
    by jeffinalabama on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 03:06:53 PM EST
    today. Good start to a road trip if they do. Also, it helps the padres...

    Parent
    Yes indeed. And the Fish just (none / 0) (#15)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 03:08:47 PM EST
    beat the Dodgers again.

    Parent
    4 to 2 in the rubber match. (none / 0) (#34)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 06:18:53 PM EST
    Bring on the Metropolitans.

    Parent
    Don't feast on the Mutts... (none / 0) (#55)
    by kdog on Mon Apr 12, 2010 at 10:43:13 AM EST
    too badly will ya?

    Parent
    Heck... (none / 0) (#56)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Mon Apr 12, 2010 at 10:55:34 AM EST
    ...we're just trying to keep touch with those pesky Giants.  They just keep on winning.  They're going to run away with the Division if they don't fall back to Earth pretty soon.  

    Parent
    Hot start indeed... (none / 0) (#57)
    by kdog on Mon Apr 12, 2010 at 11:23:50 AM EST
    out in Frisco, but they aren't that good, they'll fall back to earth.

    If the Mutts don't shape up fast I'll have to revert to all Jets all the time...we just stole Holmes from Pittsburgh, even if only for 12 games.

    That and waiting for Lebron...though I think he's staying put in Cleveland.

    No sports joy in the Apple except for those damn Yankee fans...I need softball to start:)

    Parent

    They've got the pitching to make lots of noise. (none / 0) (#58)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Mon Apr 12, 2010 at 12:11:28 PM EST
    I have to wonder how long that skinny, long haired kid is going to last before he breaks down though.  

    The draft is a couple weeks away and then mini-camps start.  Won't be long and football will be back.  The Jets got good old SanAntonio Holmes, eh?  I read that folks were pretty impressed with the new stadium...

    Parent

    Guardian interview of Olivia Williams: (none / 0) (#4)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 12:21:55 PM EST
    link

    Thanks for the Williams link. (none / 0) (#7)
    by EL seattle on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 01:01:55 PM EST
    It's an interesting feature piece.  

    This passage stood out to me:

    "And times are getting unquestionably better for older actors. A terrible thing happened in the in-between years, this girl-power, boob-job fest. I was just there for the last of hairy-legged feminism, when we could parody those adverts that used big-knockered women to sell bulldozer equipment or whatever, and yet now it's all over the place again! I'm a bit shocked still. But there's a generation in between for whom that's all now utterly acceptable.

    There have been a lot of trends over the past few years that haven't received as much discussing as feminist issues as I wourld have expected.  Besides the big-knockered bulldozer sales folks, there's the whole "women in refrigerators" trend, which has been pretty much ignored by most observers, I think.

    It will be interesting to see how the discussion of what's "utterly acceptable" will play out over the coming week or so once Hit-Girl arrives.

    You Tube link - WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE

    Parent

    Good luck, Phil! (none / 0) (#6)
    by Angel on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 12:27:47 PM EST


    Krugman and Adam Siegel (none / 0) (#8)
    by squeaky on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 01:18:07 PM EST
    Krugman writes on environmental economics and Siegel crits Krugman.

    looongish but worth a read via digby

    Speaking of Digbies (none / 0) (#9)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 01:38:19 PM EST
    My baby Digby is four and a half months old and she has a huge emotional intelligence already.  Some German Shepherds run around like a bull in a china closet all their life, some only when they are puppies, and some never have since they left the womb.  Baby Digby is in that last category.  You can already trust her around disabled kids, tottering two year olds, and five month old babies sleeping on the floor in baby carriers.  I will be heartbroken if she doesn't turn out for the ring.  My BTD missed being tall enough as an adult my half an inch.  He was still the nicest puppy that year but he did have a very small grandmother and his genes latched onto her.

    Parent
    Nice (none / 0) (#10)
    by squeaky on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 01:44:16 PM EST
    I am taking care, and training an australian shepherd pup.. 6 months old now.. He belongs to a friend and this is my third stint with him, 5 weeks this time as my friend travels quite a bit.

    Finally housebroken...  

    he is super cute, Blue merle.. and very cautious, not a bull in a china shop although puppy clumsy..

    Apart from that he is a stomach on legs.. lol... loose leash training is going to take a long time.

    Parent

    Latest Gallup: Obama 45-48 approval/disapproval (none / 0) (#13)
    by Dan the Man on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 02:17:16 PM EST
    For today.

    Lefty is (none / 0) (#23)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 04:43:27 PM EST
    INSANE.

    1 shot lead and he tries that shot??!?!?

    Of course he made it and we love him for his insanity, but my gawd.

    i still can't believe he tried it (none / 0) (#26)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:04:17 PM EST
    much less pulled it off.  nuts.  when that eagle putt slid past though, wow, glad he put in that birdie.

    Parent
    Is it over? (none / 0) (#32)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:41:23 PM EST
    P.S.  How did yesterday's meet-up go?

    Parent
    We've spent two afternoons with her (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 07:43:19 PM EST
    Eli will meet her tomorrow when she comes over to the house for dinner.  Which is huge, everything really.  Honestly, right now, it's overwhelming.  She is so sweet, so aching and desperate for stable and consistent love, a lasting home, while at the same time dealing with all her feelings of grief and loss (the latest being the knowledge that the foster mother she has bonded with and wished could adopt her won't be able to and will be out of her life soon), it's almost as if we are feeling her emotional energy and pain, as well, and in feeling it and responding to it with comfort, that is how the real love develops in our hearts.

    It is a very profound process right now.  The girl is real to us now, not just a report.  Flesh and blood and needs. Hits you hard, and even though you know it will when you are confronted with a little human being, it still surprises you.  

    Hopefully she and Eli will hit it off as nicely as we can expect tomorrow night.

    Parent

    I'm in love with Phil...... (none / 0) (#38)
    by Angel on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 06:42:07 PM EST


    Parent
    What a great tournament... (none / 0) (#43)
    by Anne on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 07:21:38 PM EST
    Phil played maybe the best golf of his life, and I couldn't be happier for him.

    My husband and I both agreed that the Brit commentator and Phil Nantz seemed to be begging Phil to fall apart and bogey something, anything, and am tickled that he didn't come through for them.

    The man's a gambler, for sure, and when it works, it's magic - I like a golfer who isn't afraid to take some risks; it's just plain fun to watch.

    As for Tiger, he didn't play the best golf, but he made the cut and was in contention - not bad, considering the mess his personal life has been.  

    Parent

    I heard a (none / 0) (#27)
    by lentinel on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:09:05 PM EST
    clip of Sect'y of State Clinton saying that Cuba did not want the embargo lifted because they like having it as an excuse for their terrible conditions.

    If they like having the embargo so much, why not end it?

    I'm counting one, two, three dimensions... (none / 0) (#29)
    by EL seattle on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:26:41 PM EST
    ...to this sort of logic.  I think that there must be a few more levels to go before we get to any sort of a multidimensional 21st Century foreign policy strategy worthy of the great Vizzini.

    Parent
    Dimensions of stupidity. (none / 0) (#53)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 12, 2010 at 02:56:34 AM EST
    One would assume that the US has kept that dumb embargo in place all these decades because it thinks that it is punishing Cuba and helping to weaken its leaders.

    If Clinton and the boys she represents think it is actually helping its' leaders, that's another reason to end it.

    So dumb.

    Parent

    Digby and Heather (none / 0) (#33)
    by squeaky on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 05:51:46 PM EST
    I did an interview with the blogometer recently in which they asked me who was my least favorite politician. I said it was Mike Pence, for his unctuous, skin crawling sanctimony. Heather at C&L caught a perfect example of his oleaginous creepiness...

    "You know I believe that ending an innocent human life is morally wrong, but it's also morally wrong to take the tax payer dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use it to promote abortion at home and abroad.......The time has come to deny any and all federal funding to Planned Parenthood of America!"

    Excuse me for a moment. I need to try to wash the greasy residue from my brain.

    Heather smartly retorted:

    What was it that Al Franken used to say about Republicans? They believe life begins at conception and ends at birth. Sounds about right here too. Hey Mike, can I deny having my tax dollars to go to killing innocent people overseas with these useless wars your party's dear leader Dubya decided to start? How about that as a pro-life position?

    ...He's the kind of guy who whispers "Jesus loves you" in your ear as he sticks in the shiv.

    He's a perfect "mainstream" GOP candidate. And he may very well run for president.

    digby

    I saw (none / 0) (#41)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 07:08:54 PM EST
    a little of Bill Moyer's Journal today that made a lot of sense. There was a retired Army officer on that was talking about how we are handling terrorism wrong and Afghanistan is a big mistake simply because terrorism comes out of all the middle east counties not just Afghanistan. He said they can come out of Yemen and have come out of Yemen and how is having a war in Afghanistan going to stop that unless you buy into the whole dream of democratizing the entire middle east.

    True if (5.00 / 1) (#51)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:28:26 PM EST
    you think that Afghanistan is solely or even primarily about getting terrorists.  Personaly, I think it's been pretty clear that's not what it's about, nor has it been since shortly after it started.

    So to me, that all just sounds like a straw man argument.

    Parent

    Then why are we in Afghanistan? (5.00 / 1) (#52)
    by caseyOR on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:50:55 PM EST
    If we are not there to fight the "terrorists," and I agree that seems not to be the reason, if only because Al Qaeda isn't there anymore, then why?

    Although, on his recent trip to Afghanistan, Obama insisted that we are there to fight the "terrorists."

    At this point I cannot think of a good reason that would justify the costs in money and American and Afghan lives.

    Parent

    Jeepers (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by gyrfalcon on Mon Apr 12, 2010 at 08:24:25 AM EST
    If Afghanistan goes back to the Taliban and/or becomes even more unstable and ungovernable, it could very well once again become the haven for people like bin Laden, as it was for the years leading up to 9/11.  The fact that they're not there now to "get" doesn't mean the place isn't still ripe for them to come back in.

    So sure, that's obviously related to terrorism, but it has nothing to do with turning the country upside-down to find the last half dozen foot soldiers who might still be hiding there.  That's not the objective and that's not what's going on.

    The thing that's being actively fought there is the worst elements of the Taliban.

    Secondly, it's another example of we broke it, we have an obligation to fix it, or at least to help get it to a point where it might be able to survive as a non-Taliban state after we leave.

    And then lastly, there's the Pakistan/Afghanistan border area, which is where the bin Ladens and other elements of the al Qaeda command structure, such as it is, are still ensconced.  For reasons that should be obvious, the U.S. can't be rooting around from the Pakistan side, and the Pakistanis are ambivalent, to say the least, about doing it themselves.

    Read up a little bit on what's going on in both countries, OK?  None of this is a big secret and it's certainly not some great inside info or insight on my part.

    Whether it's achievable or the appropriate thing to be doing is another story.  I'm inclined to think it is, but I'm ambivalent about it.

    But it's not about and hasn't been for some time about "fighting terrorists" within Afghanistan in the way that you frame it.  That's a straw man.

    Parent

    Actually, I've read quite a bit (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by caseyOR on Mon Apr 12, 2010 at 03:26:04 PM EST
    about it. I do keep up. I disagree that we need to stay there.

    On the Taliban- if we leave the Taliban may regain control of part of the country, but they could be kept in check by the Northern Alliance. The idea that the USA, or anyone, is going to transform Afghanistan into one big happy country is nonsense. It has always been fractured. If we must stick our fingers in, then we can support the NA.

    The world is filler with "terrorist havens". What are we going to do? invade all those places? Afghanistan is no more or less a haven than Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, etc.

    We cannot "fix" Afghanistan. We didn't "break" it. It was fractured before we went in; it is fractured now; it will be fractured when we leave. Maybe one can argue that we broke Iraq, but not Afghanistan.

    If our concern is the border region, well, we don't need in excess of 100,00 troops to deal with that. Pakistan grows ever less ambivalent every day. We can bolster them, and do it with many fewer people.

    We cannot successfully fight terrorism with big military campaigns. Continuing that path is at the least a huge waste of resources. On Bill Moyers the other night, Andrew Bacevich said, and I agree, that terrorism is now like a global criminal conspiracy. It requires an approach more akin to a major city battling organized crime than it does an army mounting a battle.

    Staying in Afghanistan does not further our stated goal of fighting the terrorists. That is the straw man.
     

    Parent

    And the response from your detractor - crickets. (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Tue Apr 13, 2010 at 02:20:29 AM EST
    I especially agree with this:
    On Bill Moyers the other night, Andrew Bacevich said...terrorism is now like a global criminal conspiracy. It requires an approach more akin to...battling organized crime than it does an army mounting a battle.

    John Kerry said pretty much the same thing in the 2004 campaign - and he got crucified for it by the right.

    Parent

    Hah (none / 0) (#50)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Apr 11, 2010 at 08:24:42 PM EST
    That is for sure an oxymoron, "exciting Masters finish."  Groan.  Thank God I don't live with a golf nut.

    I can understand, sort of, why people who play it get addicted to it since I got addicted to croquet when I was 10. <sarcasm intentional> But watching it on TV?  Oh. My. God.

    God bless the folks who enjoy it, but I'd rather, as you say, watch paint dry.  Or wash the dishes. Or anything else.

    Sunday Morning Open Thread | 59 comments (59 topical)

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