Norman Podhoretz: ‘What’s a Kurd, anyway?’
By on Jan 16th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Norman Podhoretz: ‘What’s a Kurd, anyway?’
In his new Atlantic article called “After Iraq,” Jeffrey Goldberg recounts how in 2003, after an event on Kurdistan, neoconservative icon Norman Podhoretz, who is America’s foremost proponent of bombing Iran, asked him “What’s a Kurd, anyway?“:
Just before the “Mission Accomplished” phase of the war, I spoke about KurdÂistan to an audience that included Norman Podhoretz, the vicariously martial neoconservative who is now a Middle East adviser to Rudolph Giuliani. After the event, Podhoretz seemed authentically bewildered. “What’s a Kurd, anyway?” he asked me.
(HT: Brendan Nyhan)
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Bush
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Global Warming
Hannity
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Iraq
Justice
Kristol
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Maddow
McCain
Media
Military
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Public Plan
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Sports
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Technology
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
A Kurd? Isn’t that a cheese product?
January 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pmJust one shade of the brown-skins this war monger wants dead.
It’s not like they’re people” or anything.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pmit’s cottage cheese, ya moron!
January 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pm“Norman Podhoretz: ‘What’s a Kurd, anyway?’”
LOL! Will somebody frisbee this man a history book?
January 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pmOkay, I don’t have a real high opinion of neocons in general and N-Pod in particular, but this strikes me as too absurd to be believable.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pmWhat’s a Norman Podhoretz, anyway?
A senile old neocon warmonger!
January 16th, 2008 at 2:16 pmIt’s just so typical of everyone that marched this country to war. They knew nothing about the region and yet still they thought it was a good idea.
And now Roody has this putz as his Advisor? WTF?
January 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pmNo wonder (T)Rudy is such an idiot, look at who he has for advisors.
lmsao
January 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pmWhy did Podhurts want to whey in on this anyhoo?
January 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pmthis strikes me as too absurd to be believable
Nothing is too absurd to be believable when it comes to the likes of Podhoretz. His brain quit functioning years ago but his shriveled, stinking body lives on. He is the epitome of the mindless ideologues who inhabit the neo-con community. After all, GDumbya started his dirty little avoidable war in Iraq without a clue about the differences between Sunni and Shia. He, too, would have asked, “what’s a kurd”.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:20 pmSupport the Impeachment of Dick Cheney!
Today is National Call-In Day
The call is FREE and only takes a minute of your time.
1-800-828-0498 (White House Switchboard, ask to be connected to your Rep.)
Tell your Representative to support HR 333 The Impeachment of Dick Cheney!
If you’re more ambitious call the members of the House Judiciary Committee (found here: http://judiciary.house.gov/CommitteeMembership.aspx)
January 16th, 2008 at 2:25 pm“We declare openly that the Arabs have no right to settle on even one centimeter of Eretz Israel… Force is all they do or ever will understand. We shall use the ultimate force until the Palestinians come crawling to us on all fours.” Rafael Eitan, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces – Gad Becker, Yediot Ahronot 13 April 1983, New York Times 14 April 1983.
“We should prepare to go over to the offensive. Our aim is to smash Lebanon, Trans-Jordan, and Syria. The weak point is Lebanon, for the Moslem regime is artificial and easy for us to undermine. We shall establish a Christian state there, and then we will smash the Arab Legion, eliminate Trans-Jordan; Syria will fall to us. We then bomb and move on and take Port Said, Alexandria and Sinai.” David Ben-Gurion, May 1948, to the General Staff. From Ben-Gurion, A Biography, by Michael Ben-Zohar, Delacorte, New York 1978.
“We must use terror, assassination, intimidation, land confiscation, and the cutting of all social services to rid the Galilee of its Arab population.” Israel Koenig, “The Koenig Memorandum”
Rabin’s description of the conquest of Lydda, after the completion of Plan Dalet. “We shall reduce the Arab population to a community of woodcutters and waiters” Uri Lubrani, PM Ben-Gurion’s special adviser on Arab Affairs, 1960. From “The Arabs in Israel” by Sabri Jiryas.
“Everybody has to move, run and grab as many hilltops as they can to enlarge the settlements because everything we take now will stay ours… Everything we don’t grab will go to them.” Ariel Sharon, Israeli Foreign Minister, addressing a meeting of militants from the extreme right-wing Tsomet Party, Agence France Presse, November 15, 1998.
“It is the duty of Israeli leaders to explain to public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that are forgotten with time. The first of these is that there is no Zionism,colonialization or Jewish State without the eviction of the Arabs and the expropriation of their lands.” Yoram Bar Porath, Yediot Aahronot, of 14 July 1972.
“One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail.” — Rabbi Yaacov Perrin, Feb. 27, 1994 [Source: N.Y. Times, Feb. 28, 1994, p. 1]
Podhoretz endorses every single word.
THIS is racism.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:25 pmWhat? You mean a neo-conservative vociferously pushed for action not fully understanding some of the key factors or actors involved?
Noooooooo… really?
January 16th, 2008 at 2:26 pmBush didn’t know about Sunni and Shia differences so this ain’t too shocking to believe.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:26 pmOkay, I don’t have a real high opinion of neocons in general and N-Pod in particular, but this strikes me as too absurd to be believable.
Comment by ralph the wonder llama — January 16, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
I am with you….it is almost inconceivable that this is true.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pmPodhoretz knows what a putz is, all he has to do is look in the mirror.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:36 pmIt’s what’s left of milk when you take the water a-whey ^^
January 16th, 2008 at 2:46 pm‘ ‘
0
Norman Podhoretz: ‘What’s a Kurd, anyway?’â€
The neocons have lost their whey.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:46 pmRalph, Keltoi, the thing is this appeared in The Atlantic. If any publication is fact checking, it’s The Atlantic.
What I find disturbing, though, is that TP focused on one off-handed remark rather than in the intriguing content of the article. It’s worth a whole lot more attention than making fun of a senile neocon.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:47 pmWell Norm, guess we won’t feel bad calling you a “Turd” which is American for neocon christofascist lying POS.
Buck Fush
January 16th, 2008 at 2:49 pmRalph, Keltoi, the thing is this appeared in The Atlantic. If any publication is fact checking, it’s The Atlantic.
What I find disturbing, though, is that TP focused on one off-handed remark rather than in the intriguing content of the article. It’s worth a whole lot more attention than making fun of a senile neocon.
Comment by gummitch — January 16, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
Yeah, I got sucked in by the pithy intro, good read.
Y’know, I have a BA in History, teach High School, I’m a historical re-enactor; not a huge resume, rather modest actually, but then I hear a guy with this amount of influence ask what a Kurd is and I think: why the hell am I not in government? I mean, he advises the freaking President and doesn’t know what a Kurd is? REALLY? It just blows my mind to think that could be true. Maybe it is Alzheimers.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:53 pmDoes he knows what a “turd” blossom is?
January 16th, 2008 at 2:54 pmWhat I want to know is, what’s a “tuffet”?
January 16th, 2008 at 3:02 pmI am with you….it is almost inconceivable that this is true.
Comment by Keltoi
Why? Killing brown people who you do not understand, and about whom you know nothing is standard procedure for neocons. In fact, for them, you might say it is the Norm.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:10 pmY’know, I have a BA in History, teach High School, I’m a historical re-enactor; not a huge resume, rather modest actually, but then I hear a guy with this amount of influence ask what a Kurd is and I think: why the hell am I not in government? I mean, he advises the freaking President and doesn’t know what a Kurd is? REALLY? It just blows my mind to think that could be true. Maybe it is Alzheimers.
Comment by Keltoi
Sounds like you are too competent to be in the Bush administration.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:13 pmComment by ralph the wonder llama — January 16, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
I am with you….it is almost inconceivable that this is true.
Comment by Keltoi
Sorry loon Keltoi, just because you want something not to be true, doesn’t necessarily make it so. I am going to so love coming here in 2009 when you and your ilk’s reign of terror is over. But, I suspect none of you will be around then because your heads are all going to explode the morning after the 2008 election.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:18 pmI am with you….it is almost inconceivable that this is true.
Comment by Keltoi
Why? Killing brown people who you do not understand, and about whom you know nothing is standard procedure for neocons. In fact, for them, you might say it is the Norm.
Comment by shoeless — January 16, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
Even assuming all you say is true and these guys are total vampiric monsters, it would defeat your own goal of world domination to not have such a basic fact in hand. It would be like playing Risk and not even bothering to notice that your opponents are different colors. Again, I guess it could be Alzheimers, it is the only explanation.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:24 pmIf you’re more ambitious call the members of the House Judiciary Committee (found here: http://judiciary.house.gov/CommitteeMembership.aspx)
Called Conyers since he leads the thing.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pmBut, I suspect none of you will be around then because your heads are all going to explode the morning after the 2008 election.
Comment by bilbobaggins — January 16, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
Only if Hillary wins, and if you get your wish she’ll throw me in prison for having political opinions you don’t like – I doubt there’ll be a computer in my cell.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:26 pmask Little Miss Muffet
January 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pmAgain, I guess it could be Alzheimers, it is the only explanation.
Comment by Keltoi
No, the guy was kidding, he meant to say it as a joke, as nobody gives a f_ck about them anyway.
Which is worse, it is not that they don’t know who are the other cultures and races in the world, they just don’t care, it is pure and simple racism. Again, just like anybody that agreed on the Iraqi invasion for the purpose of regime change.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:37 pmWhat I find disturbing, though, is that TP focused on one off-handed remark rather than in the intriguing content of the article. It’s worth a whole lot more attention than making fun of a senile neocon.
Comment by gummitch — January 16, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
Thanks for the motivation to read the whole article. A notable quote:
“All of this is very confusing, of course. Many Americans (including, until not so long ago, President Bush) do not know the difference between a Shiite and a Sunni, let alone between a Sindhi and a Punjabi. Just try to imagine, say, Secretary of State Podhoretz briefing President Giuliani on his first meeting with the leaders of the BaluchiÂstan Liberation Army, and it becomes obvious that we may be entering a new and hazardous era.”
This putz as Secretary of State?! Giuliani as President?! Can we NOT “try to imagine” that please?
January 16th, 2008 at 3:41 pmWhat I want to know is, what’s a “tuffet�
Comment by Squeaky Wheels — January 16, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Tuffet, pouffe or hassock are all terms for a piece of furniture used as a footstool or low seat. It is distinguished from a stool by being completely covered in fabric so that no legs are visible. It’s essentially a large hard cushion that may have an internal wooden frame to give it more rigidity. Wooden feet may be added to the base to give it stability. If the piece is larger, so that storage can take place inside it, then it is generally known as an ottoman.
January 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pmI am with you….it is almost inconceivable that this is true.
Comment by Keltoi
Why? Killing brown people who you do not understand, and about whom you know nothing is standard procedure for neocons. In fact, for them, you might say it is the Norm.
Comment by shoeless — January 16, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
Even assuming all you say is true and these guys are total vampiric monsters, it would defeat your own goal of world domination to not have such a basic fact in hand. It would be like playing Risk and not even bothering to notice that your opponents are different colors.
Comment by Keltoi
I didn’t say they were any good at it.
January 16th, 2008 at 4:00 pmROTFL!!! You FOOLS are SO HYSTERICAL and INSANE!! ROTFL!!! You PROJECT your OWN DESIRES on OTHERS with SUCH INSANE GLEE!!! Get some help there KillToy!
Comment by republicans hate facts — January 16, 2008 @ 3:37 pm
On Monday, Bilbo said he hoped the next President would throw conservatives like me in jail so he wouludn’t have to listen to them.
Isn’t that right, Bilbo?
RHF, go scream in your Ragemirror now like a good psycho.
January 16th, 2008 at 4:04 pm…it would defeat your own goal of world domination to not have such a basic fact in hand.
Comment by Keltoi
You seem to be missing the basic fact that an ideologues, such as those that make up the Bush Administration and “think tanks” like AEI, do not need “facts” to decide what to do; especially historical facts.
Podhoretz is not the only Iraq war-monger that knew nothing about the people of the Middle East while they conspired to invade and occupy Iraq.
This is what is so galling about the invasion. Lies were spread to convince the American people that the war was a “good thing,” but those backing this war really, truly and arrogantly believed that it would all be a cakewalk with the Iraqi people accepting the U.S. with open arms.
But ideologues — and zealots of all kinds — are like that.
January 16th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Kurds are just more “useless eaters” as far as Zionist pigs are concerned.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:40 pmKurds are just more “useless eaters†as far as Zionist pigs are concerned.
Comment by JPV
Umm, what is the definition of Troll again?
January 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pmFortunately, he’s Rudy’s advisor and Rudy hasn’t got a chance of being nominated.
January 16th, 2008 at 6:20 pmAccepting for Best Phrase in a News or Investigative Blog Article, “Vicariously martial neoconservative.”
Clap clap clap.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:06 am