Modest Proposals

Every society needs taboos, things decent people don't debate. The efficacy of torture is no longer one of those taboo subjects -- the Bush administration has made it debatable. Belgravia reports on efforts by John Podheretz to normalize genocide:

What if the tactical mistake we made in Iraq was that we didn't kill enough Sunnis in the early going to intimidate them and make them so afraid of us they would go along with anything? Wasn't the survival of Sunni men between the ages of 15 and 35 the reason there was an insurgency and the basic cause of the sectarian violence now? [Emphasis added.]

Glenn Reynolds "wonders" whether Israel is being "too nice" by not committing genocide in Lebanon now.

These are two of the most influential (if not interesting) pundits on the neoconservative right. We are in for some dark times.

The Pithlord, being a selfish sort, is upset about all the time he wasted over the last four years arguing against the "humanitarian" justification for the war in Iraq. I could have been doing something more useful, like crosswords or basket weaving. The reason for war in Iraq was never humanitarian (and it wasn't really about permanent bases or oil, either). It was always just tribal revenge.