Vodkapundit - How Many Dick Jokes Was That?

How Many Dick Jokes Was That?

Posted by Stephen Green · 9 March 2004

I am such a news geek sometimes, it ought to make me blush. Thankfully, I have a highly-underdeveloped sense of shame. Anyway.

Got a little excited when I saw the headline to a Washington Post op-ed piece: "The New Near East." Yes, I thought, yes, that's it exactly. That's what we're working and bleeding for -- a new Near East. A multi-ethnic democratic republic in Iraq. An Israel free of suicide bombers. A Palestinian state without Arafat's kleptocratic death cult. A religiously-tolerant Saudi Arabia. New hope for real progress in Syria and Egypt and Iran. Turkey finally admitted to the EU.

Damn near popped out of my 501s, I got so excited by the possibilities offered by that simple headline.

Then, of course, I read the actual article -- and it ended my excitement like the high school football star finally getting his date's prom dress off and discovering she has a penis.

Here's the offending member:

EU cooperation needs to be broadened in the future to cover "the new Near East": Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. The Communist Iron Curtain used to shut these countries in. Now, as the EU's frontiers move eastward, the curtain is gone but many people in the new neighbor countries feel they've once again ended up on the wrong side of a border. This time they feel shut out.

Forget the excitement of genuine reform in one of the world's saddest and most repressed and violent regions. Don't bother thinking of the possible benefits purchased at the price of Coalition blood in Iraq. Europe has grown so myopic, so senile, that their "new Near East" is merely the old Central Europe.

So, like a 14-year-old boy, let them play with their new members -- we still have some exciting work to do.

Comments

"we still have some exciting work to do."

Please, go on. It's a pleasure to watch.

Let the Poles spill their blood in Iraq for your security in Iraq while the rest of the European Union deals with keeping the Poles' eastern neighbors calm.

Posted by: The Old European at March 9, 2004 02:57 AM

Old European:
Many other European states beside Poland have forces in Iraq.

Namely: UK, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Romania, Denmark, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Portugal, Ukraine, Norway, Estonia, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Albania.

Do you mean that unless France and Germany (oh, and Belgium and Luxembourg) are involved, the rest don't count?
That they have missed another opportunity to follow the lead of the divinely annointed leadership of Paris?

In case you hadn't noticed Europe is NOT congruent with France.
And "keeping the Poles' eastern neighbors calm"; are you seriously implying that the raging hordes of Belarus are about to come storming over the border, or something?

Stephen :
That said, I'd have to differ with you a bit on this. Bedding down democracy and economic progress in Eastern Europe (I don't think anyone's ever called this bit central) is well worth doing.
Belarus is a basket case with several problematic frontiers, Moldova has the Russian army continuing to dominate "Transnistria", Ukraine has plenty of difficulties too.

With Russia being Russia, it's an area well worth settling down. Though I'd bet on an eventual Belarus-Russian reunification. Also, Ukraine has interesting economic potential, long term, if it reforms.

I think this is well worth us trying. So long as someone keeps an eye on the French.

Posted by: John Farren at March 9, 2004 04:12 AM

TO: Farren

Add the size of the troop contingents to make the information relevant. A standard bearer for each country doesn't amount to much.

Posted by: The Old European at March 9, 2004 04:24 AM

OK.
If you like.
(EU members and applicants only)
UK 8,600
Italy 3,000
Poland 2,400
Spain 1,300
Netherlands 1,106
Romania 800
Bulgaria 485
Denmark 406
Hungary 300
Czech Rep. 271
Portugal 120
Latvia 106
Lithuania 90
Slovakia 82
Estonia 55

Posted by: John Farren at March 9, 2004 04:56 AM

Mr. Farren:

Arguing w/ TOE is like arguing w/ a pig. It doesn't improve the pig at all, and only leaves you hot and bothered.

Providing facts will only result in TOE denying them, or going silent, to pop up in another thread w/ the exact same comment. (Evidently, he hasn't realized that, in the blogosphere, we can fact-check your ass.)

Posted by: Dean at March 9, 2004 07:37 AM

You could be right Dean, but call me an incurable optimist.
To mangle the old proverb, maybe someday the pig will sing ;)

Posted by: John Farren at March 9, 2004 08:13 AM

Dean is my favourite when it comes to wrangling with facts.

Posted by: The Old European at March 9, 2004 08:34 AM

At least Dean acknowledges there are facts and doesn't just make up a few to match his pre-set conclusions.

Posted by: Mike at March 9, 2004 09:28 AM

Dean is one of my favorites when it comes using facts to support an argument.

Posted by: aaron at March 9, 2004 01:31 PM