One of the things that drives me absolutely crazy about our political system is watching politicians make a huge deal out of things they know are not a big deal and make arguments that they know are stupid. The perfect example at the moment is John McCain's (and Bush's) absolutely idiotic argument that talking to our enemies is "appeasing" them and that it's "irresponsible" to hold diplomatic talks with "rogue nations." It's utter bullshit and they know it's utter bullshit, but there's a subset of absolute morons in this country to whom such "tough" - read: utterly stupid - talk sounds convincing. Below the fold, video of James Baker, Secretary of State under the first President Bush, shredding this ridiculous argument.
Dispatches from the Creation Wars
Thoughts From the Interface of Science, Religion, Law and Culture
Profile
Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)
Search
Recent Comments
- Sesli Chat on America's Christian Colonies
- democommie@FuckAlanWestthatfuckingfucker.com on War Criminal Now a Republican Congressman
- democommie@FuckRonPaulthefuckingfucker.com on Ron Paul Rejects Evolution
- Stu on War Criminal Now a Republican Congressman
- democommie on Ron Paul Rejects Evolution
- Allison on Ron Paul Rejects Evolution
- DingoJack on America's Christian Colonies
- Robin on The Latest Attack on Planned Parenthood
- democommie on Closing Up Shop
- mote on Closing Up Shop
Recent Posts
- Closing Up Shop
- AIG and Wingnut on Wingnut Crime
- Behe and the Contingency of History
- Congratulations, Vic Hutchinson
- Big Bad Bob Enyart
- The Madness of Ron Wyatt
- Ellis Washington Projects About Projection
- Creationism on Dallas School Website
- Hovind Crony Blathers About Attenborough
- Not So Pyrrhic Victory in Texas
Blogroll
Science Blogs
- The Panda's Thumb
- Carl Zimmer
- The Austringer
- Evolution Blog
- De Rerum Natura
- Evolving Thoughts
- Preposterous Universe
- Butterflies and Wheels
- John Lynch
- Unscrewing the Inscrutable
- NCSE's Legal Blog
- Red State Rabble
- Thoughts From Kansas
- Appellate Blog
- Volokh Conspiracy
- Jack Balkin
- Legal Theory Blog
- ACS Blog
- Reason and Liberty
- Overlawyered
- Supreme Court Times
- Positive Liberty
- Reason's Hit and Run
- Andrew Sullivan
- Talking Points Memo
- Daily Kos
- Media Matters
- Patterico's Pontifications
- Classical Values
- Virginia Postrel
- Jim Anderson
- Strange Doctrines
- John Scalzi
- The Pryhills
- Temperantia
- Rev. Spork
- Electric Commentary
- Two Aarons
- Farkleberries
- Paul Phillips
- Henry Neufeld
- Talk.Origins
- Talk.Reason
- Antievolution.org
- National Center for Science Education
- Talk.Design
- Michigan Citizens for Science
Archives
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
Other Information
Ed Brayton also blogs at Positive Liberty and The Panda's Thumb
Ed Brayton is a participant in the Center for Independent Media New Journalism Program. However, all of the statements, opinions, policies, and views expressed on this site are solely Ed Brayton's. This web site is not a production of the Center, and the Center does not support or endorse any of the contents on this site.
Ed's Audio and Video
Declaring Independence podcast feed
YearlyKos 2007
Video of speech on Dover and the Future of the Anti-Evolution Movement
Audio of Greg Raymer Interview
E-mail Policy
Any and all emails that I receive may be reprinted, in part or in full, on this blog with attribution. If this is not acceptable to you, do not send me e-mail - especially if you're going to end up being embarrassed when it's printed publicly for all to see.
My Ecosystem Details
« FOIA Lawsuit Reactions | Main | D'Souza and Rev. Moon »
John McCain, Meet James Baker
Posted on: May 26, 2008 9:02 AM, by Ed Brayton
Find more posts in: 
Politics
Politics
Comments
Re appeasement.
Many of the right wing fucktards who shout appeasement and point to Neville Chamberlain are totally ignorant as to the reason why Chamberlain and appeasement are associated with each other. The fact that Chamberlain met with Hitler was not appeasement. Appeasement was the act of handing over the Sudetenland to Germany for a piece of paper without a shot being fired.
Posted by: SLC | May 26, 2008 9:51 AM
And if some Americans get themselves held hostage somewhere, do you really want Mayor Mc Cheese doing the negotiation?
Terrorists: If you don't give us what we want we'll kill a hostage or two.
Mayor McCheese: Sorry I can't talk to you, that whould be APPEASEMENT...
Hostage: Oh my god! Just to it, they're not kidding, they'll kill us all.
Mayor McCheese: ... as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, in 1938, Neville Chamberlin just gave into Adolf Hitler...
[Sound of Machinegun fire] -SJ
Posted by: DingoJack | May 26, 2008 10:16 AM
Not to mention the fact that the only reason the "surge" worked is because our military met with and negotiated with various Sunni and Shi'ite militia groups and made numerous promises to them in exchange for a cease-fire.
Posted by: Wes | May 26, 2008 11:55 AM
I was ready to vote for McCain a few months back. Since then, he's just about talked me out of it. Between this appeasement nonsense, and his absolutely asinine statement that he'd like to expel the Russian Federation from the G8 (and then admit India, but not China), I can't take much more from him.
Posted by: Scott | May 26, 2008 12:33 PM
So, we shouldn't have negotiated with the North Vietnamese for the release of McCain and his fellow POWs when we withdrew from Vietnam? The North Vietnamese were, after all, our enemies.
Posted by: Dr X | May 26, 2008 12:52 PM
Refusing to engage in diplomacy is a willful shirking of responsibility. Period.
Posted by: Julie Stahlhut | May 26, 2008 1:56 PM
My favorite interview with Baker of late talked about how he's gotten utter crap from the "war is super plus good" crowd about not going to Baghdad with Bush I. To quote him, "I don't hear that anymore."
Posted by: gex | May 27, 2008 4:51 PM