7.18.2006

Welcome to the Armaggedonalypse

Or the Apocaggedon. Or something. Anyway, wingnuts are more prone to hyperbole than their (non-ignorant) counterparts on the left. (Examples: Ken Lay compared to the crucified Christ, Rick "See the Fetus" Santorum comparing pro-filibuster Democrats to Nazis, some TNR hack calling lefty bloggers "blogofascists.") Still, even after John Gibson announced the War on Christmas, Newt and friends' recent announcement of WWIII or IV takes us beyond the rhetorical pale of the pale they formerly took us beyond. While the technique itself is not surprising, the announcement, per usual, took us off guard. And per usual, they're whipping up their authoritarian base. The rest of us could laugh if we weren't so busy crying over the armed madhouse this country has become*.

As if it weren't as obvious as Bush™'s lies, this is yet another brazen Orwellian attempt to frame the discourse in an insane fashion before an impending election. And this time, the GOP's collective back is to the wall; so who knows what crazy Rovian shit they have planned.

This conflagration in the Middle East, however, is far, far from being a world war, though it could turn into one. It is three separate but loosely connected conflicts, not one of which has much to do with terrorism--unless you mean Israeli and American terrorism against the populations of Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Gaza. But that's par for the course. While Israel's reaction to Hizbollah is inexcusably extreme and targets the very people who did nothing against them, we follow suit in other parts of the Middle East. At the same time, Hizbollah just makes everything worse by provoking via violent extremism the last nation on earth that needs provoking to do something violent and extreme.

And what is Il Duce doing about it? Trying to give Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel a friggin back rub.

Maybe that's because Our Beloved Leader doesn't know what the fuck is going on.

*Get Greg Palast's new book, Armed Madhouse, here. No, I don't get a cut.

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