Any Chris Hitchens fans care to comment?

[chumpface]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 19 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq on Wednesday forcefully denounced the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, marking a sharp break with President Bush’s position and highlighting the growing power of a Shiite Muslim identity across the Middle East.

“The Israeli attacks and airstrikes are completely destroying Lebanon’s infrastructure,” Mr. Maliki said at an afternoon news conference inside the fortified Green Zone, which houses the American Embassy and the seat of the Iraqi government. “I condemn these aggressions and call on the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo to take quick action to stop these aggressions. We call on the world to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression.”

The American Embassy did not provide an immediate response.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/world/middleeast/20shiites.html?hp&ex=1153454400&en=10943abb7484e7d0&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[bago]

Hitches is tight with the kurds.

[bago]

I tipe guud

[Ed Solomon]

Obligatory five or more characters.

[Idar Thorvaldsen]

Democracy: It's fantastic!

[claybob]

Lets pull out of Iraq so Israel can attack it.

Claybob foreign policy FTW! Move over Karl. I will deliver the mid-term elections to the GOP.

[Lizard_King]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 19 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq on Wednesday forcefully denounced the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, marking a sharp break with President Bush’s position and highlighting the growing power of a Shiite Muslim identity across the Middle East.

“The Israeli attacks and airstrikes are completely destroying Lebanon’s infrastructure,” Mr. Maliki said at an afternoon news conference inside the fortified Green Zone, which houses the American Embassy and the seat of the Iraqi government. “I condemn these aggressions and call on the Arab League foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo to take quick action to stop these aggressions. We call on the world to take quick stands to stop the Israeli aggression.”

The American Embassy did not provide an immediate response.
I don't know what Hitchens is proposing, but I do know this. Lebanon is a no brainer for any Arab or Muslim country to take a side on, and I am certain it comes as no surprise to the US (or at least it shouldn't). What wouldn't surprise me is that the Americans and the Iraqis colluded to some degree in formulating that stance, since it is very carefully worded to provide a minimally problematic Arab viewpoint. Or, better yet, they've gotten the hang of the whole public opinion that pleases the masses thing and are expressing it in a relatively healthy manner.

In any case, it is anything but a negative development, at least from where I'm sitting. The more separate the government seems from us to the man on the street, the better it will do.

[Old Man Gravy]

I'm not really a Hitchens fan, I reckon, although I do feel a little sorry for him for being thrown outta the party the way he was for presumably having the temerity to question the "Iraq was better off and less of a threat under Hussein than under Bushitler" dogma.

Like LK, I'm not sure exactly what other blasphemous statements he's uttered about the (long overdue) razing of parts of Beirut; but the advent of middle eastern Arabs bristling their mustaches in outrage and chanting "Death to Israel" isn't really a solid counter-argument against, well, anything.

[chumpface]

The article makes clear that this situation is unique because many arab leaders have _not_ denoucned Isreal for this crisis. iraqis had plenty of political cover, and this is the path they chose.

So now it's a good thing for the new Iraq to get in line with the most anti-israeli leaders in the region? Our goals in Iraq are rather modest indeed...

[Midnight Son]

Seeing Hitchens on TV reminds me of Inspector Dreyfus.

http://www.movieactors.com/characters/freezes2/HerbertLom3.jpeg

[Nick Walter]

So now it's a good thing for the new Iraq to get in line with the most anti-israeli leaders in the region? Our goals in Iraq are rather modest indeed...

Well, we did set up Iraq as a democracy. If the leaders are reflecting the opinions of the voters (and I suspect they are in this one) then that's just how democracy works.

At this point I'll just settle for any sort of stable government in Iraq. A rational, peaceful, and enlightened government would be a nice extra, but anything that lets the troops come home is fine by me.

[chumpface]

Well, we did set up Iraq as a democracy. If the leaders are reflecting the opinions of the voters (and I suspect they are in this one) then that's just how democracy works.

At this point I'll just settle for any sort of stable government in Iraq. A rational, peaceful, and enlightened government would be a nice extra, but anything that lets the troops come home is fine by me.

I'll buy that for a (trillion) dollar(s)!