The Talib were the ruling government in Afghanistan.

*Second of all, when we went to war with “one state that violated a cease-fire ageement on a daily basis for 8 years” there was – at the time we went to war – consensus on the left and right. Only some of the far left opposed it.*

“Some” of the far left? Try all. “Some” of the far left actually expressed opposition to retaliating against the Taliban.

*the right didn’t “go to war” -*

They sure did. Hussein violated the ceasefire agreement on a near daily basis during the Cliton admin and would have continued to have gotten away with it unless the Right hadn’t latched onto the opportunism 9/11 presented them. Anyone who thinks the Gore administration would have invaded Iraq post 9/11 is deluded.

*As for communists in Washington, we don’t have any real ones there. *

Apparently you have never lived in any of the cities you mention. I have. I have also been paying some attention to the way the federal government has been conducting its business lately. You may want to try giving that a shot at some point.

sn3p7, you’re the one speaking nonsense. First of all, we didn’t “go to war with a failed state” in the Afghanistan war, we went to war with various non-state forces wielding power in the remains of the failed state that has been Aghanistant. Big difference.

Second of all, when we went to war with “one state that violated a cease-fire ageement on a daily basis for 8 years” there was – at the time we went to war – consensus on the left and right. Only some of the far left opposed it. Look at that vote that authorized the right-wing president to use force against Iraq. Leftist Democrats joined with center-right and far-right Republicans. Only later, after the war went badly, did those leftists recant. So the right didn’t “go to war” – they led the country to war after convincing people across the political spectrum to agree with them.

Besides, the comment was about the far right – not all right-wing constituencies in the U.S. today.

Drop your arrogant attitude and read the comments carefully. Beginning your comment with “nonsense” only shows you’re a hypocrite at best and a buffoon incapable or unwilling to analyze carefully at worst.

As for communists in Washington, we don’t have any real ones there. Maybe in Madison, WI or Berkeley, CA but not DC. Sorry. Perhaps you want to use “communist” as short hand for some leftist whose policies you don’t like? It’s not the same thing.

Could we get some good old fashioned pragmatism divorced from politics, regardless of base, please?

The ALA should have gone on with this set anyways, even if a bunch of people refused to participate. This is a country of 300 million; if you need people to speak at an event, and you are even slightly well connected, you should be able to simply pick up the telephone and make a few calls…

Fail for the ALA for not taking the initiative in the face of deaf resistance.

Nonsense. It was the right who went to war with one failed state that had attacked us and one state that violated a cease-fire ageement on a daily basis for 8 years while the left held the keys to the Pentagon.

*there are still plenty of communists around in the world too*

Yes, most of them are in Washington now, it seems.

Help! Help! I’m being repressed!

Far-left groups such as ANSWER openly state their belief that the United States goes to war only for Israel’s purposes [which is moronic on many levels, if it were true you'd think the USA would have flattened the countries that actually threaten the State of Israel by now]. You will see similar attitudes expressed at most far-left blogs like DailyKos or DU.

You will not find many far-rightists who believe that the Jews were behind 9/11.

The rest of your statement is purely nonsensical. You have no idea what I believe nor what I see when I look in the mirror.