Beating up on neocons used to be a specialized sport without wide appeal. With all due false modesty, I offer myself as an earlier practitioner. Back in the mid-to-late '70s, when I had a weekly column in the Village Voice, I used to have rich sport with that apex neo-con, Norman Podhoretz, editor of Commentary, I nicknamed him Norman the Frother and freighted him with so many gibes that he made the mistake of publicly denouncing me in Commentary, exclaiming that "Cockburn's weekly pieces have set a new standard of gutter journalism in this country," a testimonial I still proudly feature on the back of my books.

            The neo-cons' political hero in those days was U.S. Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson, much venerated in Israel and the corporate offices of Beijing for his ardor and constancy in sluicing the U.S. taxpayers' money into their treasuries. The neo-cons' great hope was Scoop for president, but he failed to impress the voters in the Democratic primaries in 1976. To the neocons' chagrin, the new occupant of the Oval Office was Jimmy Carter, whom they construed to be soft on Communism and an Israel-hater. Carter threw

The Bush administration never hesitated to exploit the general public’s anxieties that arose after the traumatic events of September 11, 2001.

Testifying on Capitol Hill exactly 53 weeks later, Donald Rumsfeld did not miss a beat when a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee questioned the need for the United States to attack Iraq.

Senator Mark Dayton: “What is it compelling us now to make a precipitous decision and take precipitous actions?”

Defense Secretary Rumsfeld: “What’s different? What’s different is 3,000 people were killed.”

As a practical matter, it was almost beside the point that allegations linking Baghdad with the September 11 attacks lacked credible evidence. The key factor was political manipulation, not real documentation.

Former CIA analyst Kenneth Pollack got enormous media exposure in late 2002 for his book “The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq.” Pollack’s book promotion tour often seemed more like a war promotion tour. During a typical CNN appearance, Pollack explained why he had come to see a “massive invasion” of Iraq as both desirable and

I am a registered Democrat, & having read your attack monologue on the present politics of our country, & on our Pres. Bush, I do believe that you are providing our 9/11/01 enemies with untold sanctuary & favor.

Further, our troops currently fighting for your rights to spew your venum on this country, & its COMINCH, Pres. Bush ought to be real proud of you. You are a true credit to the U.S.A.  You compare our Pres. to a "Nazi" Shame on you sir!

Would that you should show some support for our country, rather than publish all that self agrandizing propaganda!  I feel sorry for you & your kind!

Let us hope that there aren't too many of your type, that want to turn the American people into milk-toast-socialists.

Let me assure you I'm not a pessimist, & that I'm still looking for a wothwhile Democrat with a "PLAN" to lead our country into health & prosperity!

Thus far, the Democrat would be leaders, have emerged with too many false promises & pledges.  They would tax us to smithereens to take care of their special interest causes, & programs.

Is there any reason why H. Wasserman(in his "Bush to NY: Drop Dead) refers to the demise of the World Trade Center as 'explosions' and not an anti-US terrorist attack by Muslim extremists??? Yes I know why..LIBERAL SCUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“for guns are the language of the strong to the weak”
-- Adrienne Rich, “Harper’s Ferry”

Look how blue the sky is
           she says
and I think
yes, here, but
it is night in Kabul
black sky broken by
the tracer lines of
incremental rocket fire
American jets running
new missions across
the Afghan night.

*

Steven had called to
give us the news
they’re bombing the bastards
he said
                finally
we should go all the way
and I said nothing
remembering burned rubble and
thousands dead or lost
but knowing, too, that
bombs can’t fix a world
that’s seen too much of guns and bombs
and the sour smell of hatred.


*