That he consults with Kissinger, Robert Kagan and Bill Kristol
should scare the sh*t out of most of the public..

There's some choice comedy in that link:

``I think that the most important quality for a president is character,'' Kissinger said.

and some confusion

McCain said he would stop rendition and immediately close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba if he were elected president.

I realize Kissinger is hated on the Left, but he is also not well-loved on the Right because of the whole opening to China and detente with Russia thing. The man is a definite has-been these days and I suspect he is way out of hsi ellemnt now that the Cold War is over, but there are a lot worse people McCain could consult with. John Bolton maybe?

Kissinger is and always has been a pious sounding idiot. Schultz is a lackey for corporate America.

Tom

staccato woodwinds, strings play pizzicato...

(Condi) Give President Bush this one last push!

(McCain) It's not a purge, it's just a surge!

[tempo builds]

(Henry) Everybody's talking about Shiite's, parasites, the likud, they're awful rude, Rabbis and Pop eyes,
Bye, bye, bye byes...

[open melody, strong volume builds]

(the full cabinet)

All we are saying,
is give war a chance!

And all we are saying,
is give war a chance,

[continue with Alberto hitting high tenor line]

When I have a question, I consult my ouija board. It's correct more often then Kissinger, not nearly as crazy and has a much more delightful accent.

Frankly, I'm just relieved that he isn't saying that he only listens to god whispering in his ear.

When Bush says he gets his advice from the "heavenly father" he can then go on to justify anything to his base. None of them will come back with, "Well, why did god tell YOU to invade Iraq when god was telling the Pope it was a bad idea?" Of course no one in the corporate media asks him that either, so I guess it would be really too much to expect of his base!

Jan Knaus

When Bush says he gets his advice from the "heavenly father" he can then go on to justify anything to his base.

Bush is lying, I was just talking to God the other day and He told me he never speaks to Bush.

You've GOT to be kidding! Ouija is so -- 60's -- the I Ching is a far better oracle to get advice from. And then there's my granny...

You're both wrong; my system, the monkey throwing darts at a dartboard, is best.

Well, son of a b**tch!

Jan Knaus

McCain is a Republican who do people think he is going to consult with Noam Chomsky? Also it is a bit worrisome that both the far Right and the far Left equally dislike Kissinger the ultimate foreign policy realist. Scowcroft that the elder Bush's good friend was not only Kissinger's deputy but worked in his consulting firm.

The neo-Cons are idealists in the Marxist mode they once were, or their fathers' once were, and the realists aren't what else is desired of a Republican candidate? I point out that the American Abroad is largely moribund because those foreign policy advisors to Democratic candidates were tired of being savaged here.

We are not likely to see politicians declaring Amierica the source of evil in the world or announce a policy of unilateral surrender.

Daniel A. Greenbaum

Daniel,

Nice point about the right having a relative lack of wise sages with whom to consult. W.F. Buckley and George Will have both disavowed Bush as not being a conservative at all, by any classic definition of the term.

But I am disturbed by your characterization of Kissinger as the ultimate realist. Remember Vietnam? That war was about seeing enemies where there were none and lying to ourselves. Also, Bush consulted with Kissinger on Iraq.

There's nothing as bad as an incompetent utilitarian!

Speaking of Chomsky, he's been correct on Iraq from day one - saying that our real goal was to establish permanent bases there as our "footprint" in that oil-rich region since Bin Laden attacked us for having bases in Saudi Arabia (which we have quietly eliminated).Tom

Speaking of Chomsky, he's been correct on Iraq from day one.......

Exactly, and that's why you won't see him on the Sunday morning news shows. We don't get Chomsky, Kucinich, etc who were right aobut Iraq, we get the "Always wrong" gang.....the "6 more monthers"; Tom Friedman, William Kristol, Dick Cheney, John McCain, David Brooks and the David Broders of the world.

Good point. I was just kidding, of course.

thosethingswesay.blogspot.com

I have been actually reading posts here for almost two years. There is no strawman about my post. I find that the term strawman is haulled out here when people do not like the implications of their posts.

Also I only mentioned Chomsky, you can see the applause he received in response to my post, because he seemed an obvious person that McCain would not be consulting as opposed to the list given.

Joe Klein is I am right not a demagogue. I have been study the posts here. The view that either the U.S. is the fault of the world's problems or that the U.S. should just surrender is very prevalent at TPMCafe and elsewhere.

Daniel A. Greenbaum

Vikipedia:

Platonic Realism is a philosophical term usually used to refer to the idea of realism regarding the existence of universals after the Greek philosopher Plato who lived between c. 427–c. 347 BC, student of Socrates, and the teacher of Aristotle. Confusingly this stance is also called Platonic idealism.

This is the problem with Real Politik: Enemy becomes a "universal", and the actual enemy is but a reflection of the true, universal Enemy, a shadow of the real thing cast on the cave wall.

One may ask: how can we cope with a universal Enemy which exists whether we can see shadows it casts on our material world or not? Simple! By sending messages. Spiritual beings have to be dealt with spiritual means; influence of Evil agaist our Message; bad Logos against good Logos. However, sending messages to unerthly beings requires copious applications of means like burning (incendiary bombs can be used) and shedding blood and other body fluids (sweat and tears are highly recommended).

Nevertheless, Daniel raised a valid question: any sensible think tankers on foreign policy in sight? Or just paleocons, anarcho-libertarians and cantancerous old radicals? McCain clearly can add a paleocon to his circle of advisors.

I think Dan K here pretty much nails why McCain might said what he said. Of course that leaves open this question: to which of these disparate voices would he really listen? I, for one, wouldn't be troubled too much if it were the smart, moderate voices of Bush I foreign policy.