27.10.04

What is up with Abizaid and Nader?

Sometimes the most obvious things don't jog the brain. I think it is interesting that John Abizaid, the leader of the most powerful military and Ralph Nader, the leader of Public Citizen and one of the most progressive thinking and important social activists in the world who could completely get Dubya re-elected ...are Lebanese Americans. What's up with that? I think it's so strange. I mean, sure, Tony Chalhoub and Casey Kasem. But these guys pull some weight. The future of the world is being mitigated and possibly decided by the actions of the two. One's of course a servant of W. The other is the opposite, but could actually help W.

I was just thinking about how Lebanon is so screwed up (with the whole cabinet resigning with Hariri plus the 35 billion dollars in debt). Lebanon is a prism of deceit because of the wars and aftermath of those wars during the last quarter century. Don't get me wrong. I still love it. But there are no jobs and no future for so many. So, I was thinking how America has these two guys in pretty prominent positions.

Slightly related: My friend tells me that when Kerry was testifying in the Senate hearing for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Nixon said they had to do something about him because he was going to become another Ralph Nader. So, I find all this so amusing.

Update: It was a secret memo issued by Charles Colson, Nixon's consel. But here's what it said plainly: "Destroy the young demagogue before he becomes another Ralph Nader."

I'm not sure if it is irony that I'm trying to point out or just the oddity--which isn't so so odd really--that they are such prominent public assets. I just wanted to mention it.

What if Abizaid and Nader were Iraqis? That would be ridiculous, of course. But imagine today as the Iraqi-American John Abizaid and his fierce opponent, also an Iraqi-American, Ralph Nader tries to disrupt the onslaught of Iraqi "insurgents" on innocent Iraqis themselves on Iraqi soil. Now, that would be ironic. Funny thing is that it's not a stretch of the imagination by any means. It could have happened.

I'm especially quirky at the moment. Pardon my recalcitrant verbage, or lack thereof, as of late. A full night's rest will straighten me out.

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