2+2 = 6,012

David Frum demonstrates a remarkable refusal to be distracted by logic as he zeroes in on the neoconservative target: war with Iran.

Some may sigh with relief at the release of the captives: "Well, at least we averted the risk of war."

My fear is that we have now moved closer to war than ever. The EU response to the detention of the capitves makes clear that there is almost zero hope of gaining European cooperation for an effective sanctions regime upon Iran. If they won't impose comprehensive sanctions after an act of piracy like this, they sure cannot be expected to do it merely because Iran has moved another step closer to completion of a nuclear bomb. By refusing to consider meaingful nonmilitary pressure, the Europeans have steadily reduced the number of peaceful options. As things are going, those options will soon be reduced to two: acquiesence - or air strikes. That is not success.

Some might point out a third option: quiet diplomacy - which, in fact, actually worked. But then some people are constrained by the earthly laws of empiricism and logical deduction. David Frum is not one of those mortals.

UPDATE: Compare with this NY Times op-ed by Vali Nasr and Ray Takeyh:

Had the British followed the American example, once the sailors and marines were seized, they could have escalated the conflict by pursuing the matter more forcefully at the United Nations or sending additional naval vessels to the area. Instead, the British tempered their rhetoric and insisted that diplomacy was the only means of resolving the conflict. The Iranians received this as pragmatism on London’s part and responded in kind.

The United States, meanwhile, has pursued its policy of coercion for two months now, and one is hard-pressed to find evidence of success. Beyond even the symbolic move of apprehending the British sailors, Iran’s intransigent position on the nuclear issue remains unchanged. To underscore that point, Iran has scaled back cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and released a new currency note adorned with a nuclear emblem.

Labels: David Frum, Iran

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 10:30 AM 0 comments

  Frum: Failing to Find the Funny

Roy at alicublog deconstructs David Frum's dismay over the Half Hour News Thingy. It's not just that the show is a crime against comedy, Roy points out. The larger problem is how Frum's complaint itself illustrates the ideologue's inability to distinguish between art and propaganda. The artist works for the sake of creating art (ego notwithstanding) - for instance, the comedian who does a comedy show because he wants to be funny.

But the propagandist ... wants results. In his black, rubber heart, he does not get the appeal of Madame Bovary or Lolita or The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. What action plan follows upon these? What agenda is advanced? What polling results will be affected? Whereas a well-crafted Swift Boat ad, or blog, or National Review column will make people do things -- vote, or fail to vote, or stay mad at the people you want them mad at, or stay worshipful of the people you want to remain unquestioned.

That is why David Frum -- whose soul, if he ever had one, must be fatally wearied by the lifelong application of his verbal talents to propaganda -- looks at this failed comedy show and thinks -- says! -- that the great failure there was not a failure to clear a grateful public's minds and lungs with laughter, nor a failure to provide them with a fresh angle from which to view their world, but a failure to "create a conservative institution with cultural power."

To him culture is not a spring that refreshes the spirit, but a storehouse of destructive power to be used against his enemies.

This, too, goes some way towards illuminating what Frum means when he refers to "Comedy Central's clever cultural sabotage." He's performing the kind of agent detection common among ideologues: something milder than the conspiratorial mindset, but still very much inclined to see premeditation and coordination where none exists. You see this all the time when reading conservative writings about liberals - and about society at large, since it's a mindset that assumes liberals have collaborated to infiltrate and "sabotage" American culture.

Thus, Comedy Central, rather than simply getting lucky when one of their obscure shows was taken over by a very funny host who was in touch with the zeitgeist, must in fact have set out - cleverly - to commit cultural sabotage on behalf of the vast liberal conspiracy.

I'm putting words into Frum's mouth at this point, but as Roy notes, Frum's own complaint is revealing enough. His mindset is just the same as those who created the Half Hour News Hour: it's the belief that the Daily Show was intended as liberal propaganda, and it must be countered with conservative propaganda. The reason Frum is upset isn't that he thinks the show was misconceived - just that it's missing its target, that it's failing as propaganda.

But propaganda is not art, except occasionally as kitsch. And it's never funny - except as an object of derision. In which sense, I have to admit, the HHNH is a laff riot.

Labels: alicublog, David Frum, Half Hour News Hour

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 11:47 AM 0 comments

  They're Not Laughing With You...

Via BC at Cliff Schecter's blog, here's conservative pundit David Frum contemplating the train wreck that is the 1/2 Hour News Hour:

Joel Surnow told NRO on Friday that he wanted to produce a program that would set Michael Moore's hair on fire. He has not done it. More seriously, he has failed to do something much more important: create a conservative institution with cultural power. The Daily Show and now Steven Colbert have taught a generation of college students that Republicans are ridiculous, absurd, hopelessly past it. And their work has had an effect: today's 20-somethings are more Democratic than any equivalent cohort since World War II.

"The 1/2 Hour News Show" does not counteract Comedy Central's clever cultural sabotage. On the contrary: it contributes to it. If there is anyone under 72 still watching it, they are not thinking, "Gee - conservatives can tell a joke." They are thinking, "Conservatives are a joke."

Ouch. Frum also reports that the show is stealing old material from blogs.

Oh, the humanity.

For the record, though - the yoots of today didn't need John Stewart and Steven Colbert to tell them "that Republicans are ridiculous, absurd, hopelessly past it." The GOP has done the pratfalling all on its own.

Labels: David Frum, Half Hour News Hour

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 6:13 PM 2 comments

  Can We Call it a Civil War Yet?

Within the GOP, I mean. Apparently we can:

The first rhetorical shots of a Republican civil war will be fired Monday when the Senate begins debate on a resolution rebuking the president's plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq.

While Republican critics of the surge policy persuaded their Democratic colleagues to tone down a version of the resolution passed nearly along party lines in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, those Republican senators who said they would vote for such a resolution are now under fire from the party's base.

I agree with Sen. Feingold: Warner-Levin is inadequate and maybe even counterproductive. But on a political level, it's still causing all kinds of trouble for the Republican leadership.

Now Hugh Hewitt has started a petition drive for conservatives pledging not to vote for or donate to any Republican who opposes the escalation - and that includes supporting Warner-Levin. I wish Mr. Hewitt the best of luck in his efforts.

The NRSC has taken it under advisement:

A spokesman for the committee, Rebecca Fisher, said via e-mail, "The online pledge has had significant support and we have certainly taken notice. While we respect the online community's right to petition their government, we also hope they realize that the NRSC has a job to do and that is to elect Republicans to the Senate in order to advance the principles of the party for the American people."

In other words: Hewitt can go surge himself.

David Frum argues that Republicans should fall in line behind Bush for the sake of the party:

"The reason Vietnam destroyed the Democratic Party was because it shattered the party's internal consensus," he said. "It may be that a strong defense of the president's policy will hurt the Republicans in 2008. But the mutiny against the president's policy, led by Republicans like Senator Hagel, follows the same path that discredited the Democrats for a generation."

So according to Frum, the GOP has two options: get on board with the disastrously unpopular war and ride it into 2008, or destroy effective party unity for a generation.

If you all stop reading me because of this pun, I won't blame you, but the GOP really is between Iraq and a bloody hard place.

Labels: David Frum, Hugh Hewitt, Iraq, New York Sun, Republicans

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 9:27 AM 0 comments

  You're Gonna Have to Spell It Out, Mitt

David Frum's memo to Mitt Romney: You're too far gone for the dog whistle to work. You want social conservatives on board, you better say what you mean directly.

Labels: David Frum, Mitt Romney

  ¶ Posted by Paul Curtis 9:54 AM 0 comments