From: John K Clark (jonkc@att.net)
Date: Mon Apr 14 2003 - 14:45:47 MDT
hagbard@ix.netcom.com writes:
> Justifying a pre-emptive strike without a smoking gun requires
> your audience to believe in your voodoo.
If I wait until your gun is literally smoking it's too late for me, I'm
dead. If I see you pull out a gun and point it at me I'm going to do my damn
best to get my gun smoking before yours. Is my "audience" happy about that?
I don't care. Am I "justified"? I don't care because I'm better than
justified, I'm alive. And what about the title of this thread, has the war
damaged the reputation of the USA? Well, the reputation it had before 911
for being Mr. Nice Guy has been damaged but that reputation apparently did
it little good; immediately after 911 the USA had a reputation for being
Mr. Pitiful Guy (Remember the newspaper headline in Paris of all places "We
Are All New Yorkers Now") and that reputation did it even less good. Today
the USA has a reputation of Mr. Tough Guy and that might prove to be more
useful.
John K Clark jonkc@att.net
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