NY Times' Friedman: A Biblical Seven Years

[gristy]

Good stuff from Tom Friedman:

<snip>
China did not build the magnificent $43 billion infrastructure for these games, or put on the unparalleled opening and closing ceremonies, simply by the dumb luck of discovering oil. No, it was the culmination of seven years of national investment, planning, concentrated state power, national mobilization and hard work.

Seven years ... Seven years ... Oh, that’s right. China was awarded these Olympic Games on July 13, 2001 — just two months before 9/11.

As I sat in my seat at the Bird’s Nest, watching thousands of Chinese dancers, drummers, singers and acrobats on stilts perform their magic at the closing ceremony, I couldn’t help but reflect on how China and America have spent the last seven years: China has been preparing for the Olympics; we’ve been preparing for Al Qaeda. They’ve been building better stadiums, subways, airports, roads and parks. And we’ve been building better metal detectors, armored Humvees and pilotless drones.

The difference is starting to show.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/opinion/27friedman.html?hp

[liberal N proud]

1. The way this nation reacted after 9/11 was not our choice

The bu$h regime chose the path we have taken to endless war and crumbling infrastructures. We could have and should have been spending all those resources on America, New stadiums, new transportation and better wireless systems.

But the noecons want war.

[Democrats_win]

2. That's for sure. bushco allowed the terrorists to win with his foolishness.

We could have gotten bin Laden and continued on our successful path. bush didn't do either and now America is much weaker.

[Enthusiast]

5. Yup, and they want more war, still.

There's lots of money to be made in the war game. Highly profitable.

[On the Road]

3. Wow -- That's a Powerful Contrast

Friedman is certainly changing his tune. Glad to see he now admits the Iraq War was a disaster. Even gladder to see he now seems to support Obama.

One of the benefits of Obama's positive visionary approach is that it attracts new-economy types like Friedman. They can be very influential with right-leaning independents.

[frankieT]

4. let's face it !

China will soon become world's first power. There is only one way for US to keep its leadership and Bush understood it : the IMPERIAL WAY ! Military might, just look at the bloated defence budget !

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. Actually, Bush is leading us down the same path as the former Soviet Union:

a military superpower with a crumbling infrastructure. I knew people who studied in the Soviet Union in the 1970s, and they all said the same thing: that whatever the Soviets were spending on their military, they had let their domestic needs go unmet.

[mdavies013]

7. The point was to weaken the country...that way if you are not in the top 1% you can become a slave

The goal of this administration was to kill any chance that we have to put social reforms in place. They do not want national health care, stable social security, funded public education, etc. The purpose of this administration was to drive up the debt, kill the governments ability to deliver and then a push to privatize everything else.

It makes me sick.

[bronxiteforever]

8. a very powerful piece

[jtrockville]

9. "Trying to build democracy in Iraq... was a war of choice...."

So building democracy has become the equivalent of war?
Ummm... ain't democracy grand?
/puzzled

[HamdenRice]

10. Friedman left out that we don't have the money. Wanna hear someting truly, truly terrifying???

Friedman thinks that we should have the same kind of multiyear investment that China carried out over the last 7 years to get ready for the Olympics.

What he doesn't mention is that the US has spent and borrowed and committed itself to spend in the future about $2 trillion for the useless war that Friedman championed.

There is no money for the US to engage in that kind of investment.

You wanna know how hard it was for China to spend $50 billion over 7 years?

It amounts to about the interest on US debt to China earned in just one year.

So no, it wasn't much of a stretch for China to invest over 7 years that much money.

We're screwn.

[fencesitter]

11. We are a war economy...

the military industrial complex runs our country. I don't have the figures, but I'm sure the pentagon budget is way over 50 mil every six months.