Sunday, March 15, 2009

Yum!


I'm really wondering how Michael W. Davidson (US Army ret.) scored an interview on NPR for his new book Victory at Risk or why NPR felt compelled to offer him an interview for it. His talk with Hansen lacked any original views or unique insights and instead was a hodgepodge of commonplace predictions (e.g. al-Qaeda setting off a nuke in NYC), conventional beliefs about the US need for massive military might, and pedestrian distortions about US history. As you might guess, none of these were challenged in any way by Hansen.

Hansen launches this one with a rather unappetizing metaphor:
"What do you think the appetite is for Americans to get involved in a war is, given what has been going on for the last eight years?"
Davidson's answer is a doozy:
"The appetite is not where it needs to be, and it's not where it should be...have to address things like strategic visionary leadership...things like will Americans believe a President when he or she says something."
Seems like it would have been a reasonable time to ask how appetizing 4.7 million refugees, 1 million-plus dead civilians, and tens of thousands of wounded and thousands of dead US soldiers is. I know, I know that is such a downer....

Davidson notes that the US will have to be ready militarily when it's next attacked by al-Qaeda, but then later he claims, "we are a global power not because of our warships our warplanes our formations of soldiers and marines. We are a global power because of our commitment to freedom - that's why we have succeeded for 250 years as a nation..."

Seriously, when someone says something like that could the interviewer please just ask if that 250 year commitment to "freedom" included slavery, killing American Indians, lynching, stealing territory, invading other countries, overthrowing governments, disrupting elections, etc. - sheesh...

9 comments:

Woody (Tokin Librul/Rogue Scholar/ Helluvafella!) said...

Davidson notes that the US will have to be ready militarily when it's next attacked by al-Qaeda...

Well, he's right...

It's gonna take a LOT of soldiers to impose martial law...

Hubertg said...

Davidson sounds like a Pentagon clap-trapper. That "commitment to freedom" comment he made sounds weird to me because we invaded Iraq for no good reason that had anything to do with "freedom"....or did I miss something? I wonder if his commitment to freedom includes handing out some more Small Pox blankets ?! I wonder if NPR gets a kick back for helping to sell his book.

geoff said...

"¡muY Yum!" US retired Army Major General Mike Davidson is
* ** ***hungry*** ** *
for more war and is afraid you won't feed his need, or...wait, no, he couldn't be like these retired military spokespursions: http://freegovinfo.info/taxonomy/term/919 and just a shill? Leann wouldn't ask about that, would she?

Anonymous said...

I actually liked Leyden Sunday PM with her 'dragnet' impersonation. Her voice was good, she is better at radio drama than at radio news maybe. Her script writer certainly was better.
And that general davidson whacko this morning, he was just creepy. Who cares about his stupid book, he's got nothing to say and npr shouldn't have hosted him.

Woody (Tokin Librul/Rogue Scholar/ Helluvafella!) said...

Then this morning (Monday) came the palpitating, steamy paean to fighter-pilots...

They NEED the f-22 for their manhood.!

Hubertg said...

Yes,...the F-22,...the phallic symbol of death.

Anonymous said...

Mytwords, mytwords, you never learn (wink). They hate our freedom!!!

geoff said...

This weapons lust is a recurring theme on npr. Anyone recall Andrea Seabrook ode to Stealth? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89971054

She practically wets over the thing.

Mytwords said...

It's true warnography. Oh, and I did cover Seabrook's lurid take on the stealth bomber back when she aired it - disgusting....