Reply #16: What will it accomplish, you ask? [View All]

[Telly Savalas]

Why, it will make Joementum an unstoppable force!!!

I've posted the link to this here before, but the blog Orcinus has a great post in rebuttal to Beinart. He agrees that the Democrats need to offer a viable alternative anti-terrorism program. He differs from Beinart in that he feels echoing the GOP's mindless bellicosity is both bad policy and bad politics. It's a long post that covers a lot of ground, but here's a little sample that addresses the issues you mention:

How exactly does he {Beinart} intend to transform the party at its grassroots by excising the people who are its grassroots? If we jettison these folks, as he's suggesting, who do we replace them with? This sounds like a classic formula for self-evisceration.

More to the point, why exactly should we drive out the faction that proved, in fact, to be right about the Iraq war? Perhaps so people like Beinart won't have to be constantly reminded reminded just how wrong they were?

Check it out. It's a good read.