Reasonable people can differ over what that means in practice: fight a lot, fight a little, just get it over with. But it just seems essential to me that everyone understands that this is (to paraphrase Horowitz) war by other means — not a civics lesson.
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July 21, 2005
WB: Think Like Michael
Comments
If I may repost part of my comment from a previous topic:
It may be fitting to site another movie, The Excorcist, as reflecting what our attitude should be regarding whatever it is the Bushies say or do:
FATHER MARIN: “He is a liar. The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological… and powerful. So don’t listen to him. Remember that – do not listen.”
Good piece, except the quote is Clausewitz, the 19th Century Prussian military instructor, not Horowitz.
Posted by: josh | Jul 21 2005 14:15 utc | 2
But did you mean Clausewitz or Horowitz?
Clausewitz said: “war is politics by other means.” Horowitz turned it around: “Politics is war by other means.” I was quoting Horowitz.
Posted by: Billmon | July 21, 2005 01:15 AM
poted in the previous comment section
Posted by: annie | Jul 21 2005 15:18 utc | 3
actually, Josh, it’s the inversion of a quote from Clausewitz: “War is the continuation of diplomacy by other means.”
Billmon, I cannot agree with you on your fantasy that we apply the same content as well as the same tactics (i.e., make things up when the facts don’t serve). To quote Yoda, “the way to the Dark Side that is.” And, more to the point, it gives teeth to the beliefs of the sizable segment of the population that asserts the parties are peas of a pod.
I think we should apply their tactics but adhere scrupulously to the “truth.” The problem isn’t lack of raw material (there aren’t enough shredders on the planet to cover their tracks), It’s lack of resolute application. The Dems talk decimal points in studious tones instead of moral corruption with hellfire intensity. That’s what sticks in my craw. You don’t have to invent claims about liars, cheats, cowards, and con men, you just have to parade them daily (or, better yet, hourly) through the public square. But here’s the key: STOP BEING POLITE. The wishy washiness manifests as an unwillingness to offend anyone. OFFEND EVERYONE by dragging the dirty linen out at every opportunity and then DON’T APPOLOGIZE! Make sure the public knows none of this “offensive behavior” would be necessary if the real offenders had any decency.
The incident that stopped McCarthy was the public challenge to his decency in the face of his obvious behavior that no one had the guts to call him on.
The MSM would eat it up.
This is the differentiation between the two parties: the principles on which we operate. We lose immediately when we allow the Repubs to frame the Democrats as the party without ideas because we can’t provide the same kind of uniform party line they so willingly espouse on every issue. Attack them as non-thinking, uncaring, selfish, immoral, tyrants and juxtapose that with the party that thinks before it acts and cares about consequences. The fundamental evil of the current administration is that they have subverted the very PROCESS of democracy and that is where to apply the levers. It’s not about pat policy answers that every Democrat will agree to mouth on cue. It’s about WHY the Repubs appear so united and what the results are.
Frame it this way: Every time a Democratic leader espouses a policy initiative, if another Democrat has a different idea, let them state their other idea but make sure they hammer on the point that WE DISCUSS THINGS AND THAT’S THE AMERICAN WAY. If every speech by every Democrat included that single talking point, I believe it would be the start of making a difference.
Posted by: wai | Jul 21 2005 15:21 utc | 4
And what’s wrong with playing in the mud ?
It reminds me of a sports analogy; basketball teams that employ a full court press HATE IT when the same tactic is used against them. It’s important to define and control the terms of the engagement. Whoever controls that, wins. That’s why every dirty trick in the book is ABSOLUTELY necessary, when the opponents are the unscrupulous bastards we’ve come to know and love.
Bring out the left field sucker punches, sez I. Put them on their heels. Distract and annoy them at every opportunity with multiple assaults, true or untrue. They’ve had no compunction about doing the same to us. It is these fascist scumbags that have chosen the field of debate, so let’s give them a bellyfull…..
Posted by: The Sleeper | Jul 21 2005 19:23 utc | 5
michaels decision is an irrevocable & implacable one – you protect the family & you hit the real power – don barzini (cheney) – bush is more like tattaglia – a hanger on to the coattails of power – natural power escaped him before – it escapes him now
poor edward kennedy is a bit like luca brasi gone to seed; yes, the democrats are like fredo – who have lived inside the vortexx of power but know nothing about it
to be continued
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Jul 21 2005 19:55 utc | 6
There is a lot of chatter going on over at Kos right now about the WaPo article “proving” apparently that most of the top dogs in the admin were and are fully aware (and therefore complicit) of the status of Plame etc. Very complicated.
The point of bringing this up here is that there is a fair chance that Fitz and all his discoveries will bring down the lot of them, freeing the dems to continue to do what they do best, playing Fredo, and not being forced to descend to dirty tricks in the ongoing war with repugs.
We can hope anyway; it looks to me like their time is short.
I suggest looking at a couple of the recommended diaries over there if you want specifics. Some of those guys keep up with all the details.
Posted by: rapt | Jul 21 2005 20:57 utc | 7
& don vito is the old america – deeply evil – but believing in a certain idea of justness & above all a talent for moderation
the modern america thinks it is sonny corleone – brash, vibrant muscular but the reality is otherwise – they are fredo befuddled, addicted to any praise, unable to see two feet in front of them & completely incapable of backing up their words with concrete acts. indeed they run away from concrete act. military force is not an act. it is a cruel vaudeville ripping the sanity of herodotus or a pliny or any sensible soul. military force is emptiness exploded
that was as i have pointed out the ‘buscetta theorem’ – the theory of the old mafiosi that in killing falconi & borsellino – the mafia of toto rïinna was expressing it’s very absence of power, its very absence of being capable of synthesis.
don vito corleone represent the mastery of synthesis in the way the gran machiavel speaks & he acts moderately – all the better for understanding not only the real balnce of power of his enemies but in also understanding his actual force
coppola’s godfather i ii & iii are the el greco of their times. he knows america like el greco understood temporality & intemporality
what is made clear with michael – our adorable monster is that in going back to sicily – he understand the inevitability of force – & that movement in any direction must be accompanied by force? beofre he foes to sicily he really believes he can go clean – but it is the old worlds lessons that he has understood well that there can be no future without it – he is planning something more terrible than revenge when barzini’s sicilian associates kill his beautiful apollinia – & that name was not chosen by accident
when michael tells kay not to be naïve – he is telling us – that this world – the world we live in is accompanied by act of great violence – that the developmen of capitalist civilisation is followed by violence organically. in this film we are witnessing a terrible truth – about america certainly but also about modern man
& the children of americ are like carlo who are so involved with small betrayals that when theior nations lies to them as michael does to carlo handing him his plane tickets – it is like telling americas children you can go to war & come back the same
that most salutary lie is the lie that the people – the young of america must soon come to understand or this generation will be bathed in blood
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Jul 22 2005 21:45 utc | 8
@Don Giap:
A very good review of the GF series.
Now can we just freaking whack somebody?
Posted by: Little Nicky | Jul 22 2005 22:10 utc | 9
“deeply evil”
gee wiz. I mean, are you sure?
Need a new movie metaphor suitable for every stilted explanation of the idea “America.” maybe that Speilberg movie with Dennis Weaver, in which throughout the entire film he drives around the desert attempting to escape what appears to be a driverless tractor-trailor. and which part of the film is “america”? 50-50 chance to get it right.
Posted by: slothrop | Jul 22 2005 22:19 utc | 10
little nicky
it s a big big job. & the cheney bush family dumb as the tattaglias are not without a passion for random violence
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Jul 22 2005 22:21 utc | 11
you are thinking of duel i think slothrp, no & america is both the truck & dennis weaver. worse of all america is the birds in the film of the same name by hitchcock. mr bates & the mummified mother – well they’re america too.. in friedkins cruising yes america is both the curiser & the cruised
perhaps most halucinagenic of all i know america is 1 of the 1001 dalmatians
america is jacky gleason fucked by lucill ball while she’s speaking in harold blooms voice, america is red skelton being whipped senseless by rita hayworth while she recited from hart crane
ô america all this & more
but billmon is coorect mostly america is fredo & we’re amm becoming johnny ola’s
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Jul 22 2005 22:27 utc | 12
@slothrop, how about Killdozer, while we’re remembering flicks that should have been forgotten (or quickly unfunded before they were ever made)?
Posted by: DeAnander | Jul 22 2005 22:46 utc | 13
or Lady in a Cage, and who’s in the cage? quick! Olivia De Havilland is not america (hint).
there’s no way to exhaust the cultural schlock to provide rgiap his armamentarium of manichaean metaphors.
Posted by: slothrop | Jul 22 2005 22:52 utc | 14