Tom v. Tom

by tristero

My friend Peter Swales is one of the most important historians of psychoanalysis in the world (I must return his calls). Among his greatest recent achievements is research into the real Sybil, the publication of whose case (but NOT her real problems) eventually spawned an epidemic of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) diagnoses about 10 or 12 years ago, a travesty that seriously wronged a lot of emotionally vulnerable people.

Well, Peter, I love you dearly, but Tom Friedman just proved that MPD is real and it’s not pretty:

Oh, come on, Friedman, get real! The president throws a few paragraphs your way and you go all weak in the knees. Show some spine, man! You need to trash this thing. You know these guys are not serious. This is a president who once called for putting a man on Mars and then just dropped it. You assumed they were going to do the Iraq war right — remember? Look where that got you, you moron. You should have listened to your wife!

Yeah, I know all that. But here’s what else I know: Mr. Bush is going to be president for the next three years. We do not have three years to lose — not on climate change, energy efficiency or improving math/science education. I am not going to sit around for the next three years just trashing these guys and praying that some Democrat gets elected and does all the right things. We don’t have time, you moron!

[snip]

There’s no pain-free solution. Remember how President Kennedy ended his May 25, 1961, State of the Union speech calling for a moon shot? He said: “I have not asked for a single program which did not cause one or all Americans some inconvenience, or some hardship, or some sacrifice.”

Pigs will fly before Bush says that.

You may be right. And if he fails to carry through with this energy initiative, I’ll be the first to rip him for it. In the meantime, I prefer to give him a new reputation to live up to. You never know. … And by the way, pal, you got a better horse to ride right now? [Emphasis added.]

If you think I’m gonna enter an argument between two Tom Friedmans, you must think Mama Tristero raised a fool. But I do want to point out that little phrase I boldified:

You never know. …

Hmm…Didn’t I hear that like a few years ago? Didn’t a guy named Packer or something just say exactly that to excuse his inexcusable naivete?

Dear Tom,

I do know.

Love,

Tristero