Kristol to war critics - just shut up

Bill Kristol is feeling the heat from the multitude of critics holding his feet to the fire over his ill-advised escalation cheerleading. He whines on Fox News this morning that the critics of his scholarly thought are "irresponsible," which perhaps is destined to become his new catch word now that his usual slur of "unserious" has been flogged to near death.

This morning on Fox News, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol said that opponents of escalation in Congress are “leap-frogging each other in the degrees of irresponsibility they’re willing to advocate.” Kristol said, “It’s just unbelievable. … It’s so irresponsible that they can’t be quiet for six or nine months,” adding, “You really wonder, do they want it to work or not? I really wonder that.”

I would go on a long rant about how nearly everyone with a large forum has been quietly, or loudly, supporting the occupation for the last four years and only the most deluded, or those with the most face to lose over being completely wrong, are unwilling to admit things aren't going as well as promised. And not even the strongest critics have ever expressed a wish that we would lose in Iraq. Critics of the policy have merely been asking, for a very long time, for a reasonable definition of what would be considered winning. However, Mr. Williams has kindly put Mr. Kristol in his place for us.

NPR’s Juan Williams told Kristol his analysis was “totally ahistorical,” and pointed out that yesterday was the deadliest day for U.S forces in Iraq in two years. “There’s something going on here you might pay attention to as opposed to just the politics of, ‘If you don’t support this president, you don’t really want us to win.’”

Indeed, that bogus and unfair claim has been repeated endlessly these many, many months to deflect the very serious questions from the critics about the failed policies that Kristol and his ilk have tirelessly promoted. Why bother to answer the questions when you can smear the critic and simply move on to the next meaningless platitude about freedom on the march and a turning point just around the next corner?

Kristol was wrong from the beginning and he continues to compound his errors by refusing to admit the flaws in his theories. If it was only Kristol's reputation on the line, perhaps one wouldn't bother to even respond but this man has the president's ear and his words don't only affect his paycheck, they put the lives of thousands of troops in danger. If anyone is being irresponsible, it's Kristol for putting his own self-interest above the greater good for our troops and our nation.

But what more can one expect of a man who has been coddled since birth and shielded from the consequences of his actions. As Glenn Greenwald points out in an illuminating post, Kristol and others in his cabal like Fred Kagan, have been led by the hand throughout their entire lives by their parents.

They've never had to make it on their own merits, nor worry about their future or whether they'll have enough money in the bank to pay their bills this month. Like any child, they grew up wanting to be exactly like Daddy (or Mommy). In a five year old, that's really cute. For grown men to become mirror images of their parents, it not only implies a lack of imagination and initiative, it's a little creepy.

But as long as men like Kristol are given credibility and a forum by our MSM on account of their parents connections, they will continue to "lead" our policy and that's just plain frightening.