He s done that every day since he took office, and favors doing ever more. Somehow, it seems even more disgraceful when people who have spoken on behalf of freedom in the past join the chorus in calling for mass destruction. Editors at the Wall Street Journal and smug non-combatants at the Weekly Standard , the two major centers of neoconservative thought, are calling for more bombs, for ground troops, and for bloodshed all around. These neocons used to claim that democracies don t start wars. Now they see aggressive war as the first priority of democracy.
Some Republican hopefuls are no better.
For example, John McCain has flipped his lid, sounding more and more like Dr. Strangelove by the day. It detracts from our ability to carry out the mission if our first and major priority is to keep casualties down, McCain says. Steve Forbes, in his statements on this war, has been worse than Clinton. The mild-mannered advocate of hope, growth, and opportunity has been transformed into a brooding militarist, demanding we inflict fear, poverty, and death on anyone who dares question Clinton s proposed treaties. Note that none of these pundits has actually volunteered to fly any missions over Belgrade, much less join those who they say should become ground troops in Kosova.