Narrowing The Debate

by tristero

One further point in re: Digby’s post on the neocons’ alarm that Rice is misleading Bush into accepting diplomatic rather than military approaches to Iran, Hizbollah, NoKo, etc. On the face of it, the notion that Bush is seriously pursuing diplomacy is laughable. Rice surely is incompetent, but there is no possible way anything she says or does will prevent Bush from waging further war in the Middle East.

The airing of the neocon nutjobs’ views at this time has a different purpose. It is part of a blatant attempt to define the limits of acceptable discourse on Israel/Hizbollah so that the only sensible position – an immediate halt by Israel of all hostilities and a withdrawal from Lebanon – is framed as so far left as to be beyond the pale of serious discussion. The Bush/Rice position – let’s not too be too hasty about asking Israel to stop killing UN observers and Lebanese civilians – looks in comparison as the path of sober moderation, a compromise between the views of all serious observers.

Just as in 2002, there is a deliberate attempt to marginalize anyone in the reality-based community. And once again, the views of those to the right on Israel get defined as the reasonable center so the extreme right – Perle and Gingrich – are reframed merely as to the right and worthy of attention. In the process, genuine moderates are swept off to a far left corner. You want Israel to withdraw now? Forget it. Did you just mention Edward Said? Come on, get real.

Assuming no new terrorist attacks in the US, it is arguable whether again recasting the moderate/right center as far left will work as well as it did for drumming up support for the lunatic notion of invading Iraq. But it may confuse folks long enough for Bush to feel he has the “support of the people” to attack Iran. And that is all that is needed.