General Zinni, what a Ninny

townhall.com ^ | December 31, 2003 | Joel Mowbray

[marron]

Zinni became convinced that interventionist ‘neoconservative’ ideologues were plunging the nation into a war in a part of the world they didn’t understand.”

What makes people think that just because they don't understand something it means that no one else does either?

[Dog Gone]

If "neocon" is code for "Jew", then why do most Jews vote for the liberal scumbag in any election? Are there some neocon liberals I don't know about?

[U S Army EOD]

In Vietnam the General was shot three times, kind of wonder if he didn't take all three rounds to the brain.

[Mike Darancette]

Funny, I don't look Jewish -- and I'm not. Yet see my Tagline.

It's just too easy throughout history to blame the Jooz.

[The Electrician]

Because by and large the neocons were once liberals before they "grew up" or learned to think for themselves.

[gatorbait]

In Vietnam the General was shot three times, kind of wonder if he didn't take all three rounds to the brain.

Pre frontal lobe for sure.

[Gunslingr3]

Technically, the former head of the Central Command in the Middle East didn't say 'Jews.' He instead used a term that has become a new favorite for anti-Semites: 'neoconservatives.' As the name implies, 'neoconservative' was originally meant to denote someone who is a newcomer to the right. In the 90?s, many people self-identified themselves as 'neocons,' but today that term has become synonymous with 'Jews.'

What bothers me about this is that it's as if they're trying to make neoconservatives a protected class that can't be talked about negatively. If you oppose neoconservative policy, you're a closet racist? C'mon, save the race card for the people without arguments.

[OldFriend]

Zinni was a complete failure when he went to the middle east to 'help' with the peace process. Somehow, rather than blame the Palestinians he is blaming the jews.

PATHETIC!

[sinkspur]

If you oppose neoconservative policy, you're a closet racist? C'mon, save the race card for the people without arguments.

If you only mention Jews by name, as Zinni did, and Buchanan often does, what is one to think?

There are LOTS of "neoconservatives" who aren't Jews, yet it is always Perle and Wolfowitz who are mentioned by the critics.

Get creative, or risk the accusation.

[Dog Gone]

And the flip side of that argument, if true, is that you can't hold a particular political philosophy without being Jewish.

Not only is such an assertion factually incorrect, it's racist as hell.

[Steve Eisenberg]

If "neocon" is code for "Jew", then why do most Jews vote for the liberal scumbag in any election?

I guess that's what Zinni might say, leaving out the word scumbag. I'm not saying that Dog Gone is anything like Zinni, or that he is wrong, just that Zinni might say that.

In my opinion, the heart of Zinni's remarks is as follows: Zinni thinks that the United States is run by these idiots, Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, who are controlled by a small cabal of smarter people. Now, if Zinni wasn't thinking Jew, then it would not have been anti-semetic. However, it still would have come out of the same kind of paranoid socialism-of-fools thinking.

What about what Dog Gone says about the Jews? That's just plain true. Why is speculation; hopefully it is on the road to ending, but I have my doubts.

[Gunslingr3]

There are LOTS of "neoconservatives" who aren't Jews, yet it is always Perle and Wolfowitz who are mentioned by the critics.

But Perle and Wolfowitz are in positions of power and are the ones crafting and implementing (neoconservative) policy. Of course they're getting mentioned by name. Until this article I honestly had no clue Kristol was Jewish (is he actually?). But he's definitely in the fore of our political culture, and I'd like to think I can disagree with his neoconservative policy views concerning American hegemony (Pax Americana, whatever you want to call it) without being called a racist. That's the kind of distraction the Left engages in, when you critize someone like Jesse Jackson or Julian Bond for the policies they advocate and get called a racist. It lets the accuser dodge responding to the policy arguments and instead divert focus to ad-hominem attacks on the opponent.

[gatorbait]

Guns, the problem here is Zinni's developing Wesley Clark disease. His immediately leaping on the neo-con excuse simply exacerbates it. Do I appreciate Zinni's past service? Of course.Do I think he is being disingenuous at best and frankly seditious ate worst,? Yes. He is about to enter that Admiral Crowe world of slighted flag officers with wadded panties.

[sinkspur]

But Perle and Wolfowitz are in positions of power

Perle is not in the administration in any position.

Look, you are free to criticize neocons. But when people go out of their way to mention certain neocons by name, and they are all Jews, you can be pretty sure what underlies some of the criticism.

[kabar]

ADM Crowe got an ambassadorship to London as a reward. Zinni is hoping for something similar if the Dems get into power. He has burned his bridges with the GOP.

[Steve Eisenberg]

What bothers me about this is that it's as if they're trying to make neoconservatives a protected class that can't be talked about negatively.

If Joel Mowbray isn't a neoconservative, nobody is. Why can't he defend himself? If you stay away from nastiness and insults, you can say whatever you want, and, as Zinni shows, you can probably even get away with insults and nastiness when you keep it a bit ambiguous.

[Gunslingr3]

Perle is not in the administration in any position.

I try to be precise, I said, "But Perle and Wolfowitz are in positions of power and are the ones crafting and implementing (neoconservative) policy." Richard Perle is the chairman of the Defense Policy Board, an advisory panel to the Pentagon made up of leading figures in national security and defense, at least according to the info available to me. I consider that a position of power, and one crafting policy. Certainly more so than any of us posting here on FR.

[gatorbait]

Zinni is hoping for something similar if the Dems get into power. He has burned his bridges with the GOP.

Ambassador to Palestine,maybe? I wish I understood this.It makes me think Zinni had some juicy notes in his FBI files.

[Steve Eisenberg]

. . . I'd like to think I can disagree with his neoconservative policy views concerning American hegemony (Pax Americana, whatever you want to call it) without being called a racist.

There is nothing in the least racist about this comment. However, it doesn't seem all that pro-American either. The US is the most powerful country in the world, and as most powerful nations go historically, we are the least colonialist. The US wants nothing better than to turn over Iraq to the Iraqi people, so long as they don't bring back the terrorist training camps complete with 707 (and I haven't heard there's any controversy over that one).