Commentary: Galloway on McNamara: Reading an obit with great pleasure

McClatchy Newspapers ^ | July 6, 2009 | Joseph Galloway

[smokingfrog]

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." —Clarence Darrow (1857–1938)

Well, the aptly named Robert Strange McNamara has finally shuffled off to join LBJ and Dick Nixon in the 7th level of Hell.

McNamara was the original bean-counter — a man who knew the cost of everything but the worth of nothing.

[MuttTheHoople]

Hilarious excerpt:

The most bizarre incident involving McNamara occurred when he was president of the World Bank and, off on his summer holiday, he caught the Martha's Vineyard ferry. It was a night crossing in bad weather. McNamara was in the salon, drink in hand, schmoozing with fellow passengers. On the deck outside a vineyard local, a hippie artist, glanced through the window and did a double-take. The artist was outraged to see McNamara, whom he viewed as a war criminal, so enjoying himself.

He immediately opened the door and told McNamara there was a radiophone call for him on the bridge. McNamara set down his drink and stepped outside. The artist immediately grabbed him, wrestled him to the railing and pushed him over the side. McNamara managed to get his fingers through the holes in the metal plate that ran from the top of the railing to the scuppers.

McNamara was screaming bloody murder; the artist was prying his fingers loose one at a time. Someone heard the racket and raced out and pulled the artist off.

By the time the ferry docked in the vineyard McNamara had decided against filing charges against the artist, and he was freed and walked away.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Guarded by the Minotaur, who snarls in fury, and encircled within the river Phlegethon, filled with boiling blood, is the Seventh Level of Hell. The violent, the assassins, the tyrants, and the war-mongers lament their pitiless mischiefs in the river...

Dante was allegorical as well as literal. Assassins kill more than people. They kill love, they assassinate the good names of those they hate. As to tyrants, well that covers a multitude of sins. To my way of thinking, today's liberals are excellent candidates for the 7th level. They are tyrants no doubt. They destroy all those that refuse to bow to their pagan idols, such as government, global warming and so on. They assassinate the good names and character of any that dare disagree with them & destroy the lives of any that refuse to parrot their ideology. War mongers? Fighting despotism is not war mongering, but placating and supporting murderous despots is the ultimate in war mongering.

[Ipberg]

Robert McNamara probably regretted ever saying Yes when asked by President-elect John F. Kennedy to become SecDef. McNamara could have been President of Ford Motor Company throughout the 1960s while someone less technocratic and with more humility as SecDef would have worked with American military rather than against it.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I know that. Most of these commun...er, columnists are atheists or agnostic.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

NEVER FORGET

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CLARITY =

They are still soldiers

http://www.ArmchairGeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66978

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NEVER FORGET

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[ALOHA RONNIE]

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NEVER FORGET

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MEL’s -PASSION- sparked by -WE WERE SOLDIERS-

http://www.Freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1085111/posts

http://www.Freerepublic.com/~aloharonnie/

http://www.Freerepublic.com/~anita1/

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NEVER FORGET

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[smokingfrog]

Thanks for the ping and the links. I'm new to FR and hadn't seen them before.

You still have the 'stang?