The State Of Play

Having been actively engaged in discussion with people recently (see several posts below), I think the basic difficulty can be summarized quickly.

In order for all of us to being talking to each other again, one of two things will have to happen:

The "right" (speaking very broadly here, with the main distinction relating to attitudes about the Iraq war) will have to fess up and apologize for being imperialistic, murderous and racist.

Or, the "left" will have to apologize for being perhaps over-eager to level such charges.

Maybe it's a compromise that's needed? Like, if I acknowledge that I'm a vicious racist, as evidenced by my lack of overt opposition to the war, will I be able to plea down the mass murderer rap? Some process like that will need to happen, I guess.

I would, though, ask my brethren and sistren on the left one question. If you step back and consider the options, which is more likely: that I and people like me have in fact thrown in with the dark side? Or that folks on your side of the question, owing to an admirable desire for peace and yearning for moral clarity, have gotten a little enthralled with a particular set of political analyses?

Update, much later: For a bit, I actually flirted with the idea of using this blog as a vehicle for chasing angry Bush-haters down and beating and/or tickling them into submission, that is, rationality. The act of doing so became self-patheticizing, so I quit. I decided to leave a few of the pertinent posts as evidence of my misguided thinking.

The experience also contributed in some way to my decision to turn this blog into a more relaxed endeavor. If I think of something to say, and it seems like it has a chance (however slim) of transforming our national politics into a more satisfying sport, I'll post. But only then, for now.