The inestimable Michael Barone:
“They always blame America first.” That was Jeane Kirkpatrick, describing the “San Francisco Democrats” in 1984. But it could be said about a lot of Americans, especially highly educated Americans, today.
In their assessment of what is going on in the world, they seem to start off with a default assumption that we are in the wrong. The “we” can take different forms: the United States government, the vast mass of middle-class Americans, white people, affluent people, churchgoing people or the advanced English-speaking countries. Such people are seen as privileged and selfish, greedy and bigoted, rash and violent. If something bad happens, the default assumption is that it’s their fault. They always blame America — or the parts of America they don’t like — first.
The unparalleled Doktor of Gonzo:
“America…just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.” – Hunter S. Thompson
Hey Barone!! When we stop using false pretenses to start land wars in Asia that we can’t win…when we stop falling for Corporate America’s fear of lack of access to the natural resources of other countries (under the pretext of communism or terrorism, no matter), when we stop seeing flag-waving morons talk about pinkos and islamofascists while the Republicans plunder the national wealth…Oh, fuck it.
I don’t blame America first. I blame people like you for making America susceptible to pre-emptive land wars in Asia.
