DISQUS

h_o_o_s_i_e_r_ten · 1 year ago

Here's the problem, Ari. I reading your own bio, I know that you at one point thought that John Kerry should have been President of the United States. In fact you were on his payroll -- during the primary. John Kerry as I recall supported the Iraq War initially, then changed his mind.

Evan Bayh has followed a similar path. The core of what you write is correct -- Bayh was a huge supporter of the war early on. When it became undeniable that it was a failure, he changed his mind -- in a way that matches the mood shift of the American public.

I'm curious: what's changed for you? Why is the original War Resolution vote more indictable now than it was four years ago?

I have followed Bayh's career. He's been a hawk on defense issues. He isn't an ideologue though -- when it was clear that we weren't accomplishing anything in Iraq, he apologized for his vote. Yes, he said he was wrong. (Of course, you conveniently don't mention that. I wonder why.) In fact, he has endorsed Obama's plan for withdrawal within 16 months of the start of a new administration (something you also are not willing to credit him).

Bayh is not a Big Scary Monster. He doesn't want endless war. He doesn't want war at all, but he is a Realist who thinks that we need to have enough intellectual and moral integrity to recognize that sometimes that' s what it takes to keep America safe and to maintain international order.

You're a good writer. You're capable of writing a piece that actually reflects the complexities of the man instead of this mono-dimensional fear-mongering piece.

julien38 · 1 year ago

Please dear God not Bayh. I hope he is just a media myth. I don't want to voter for Nader/Ventura