Five years ago today, Thomas Friedman said the Iraq War was about telling the Middle East to ’suck on this.’
By on May 30th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Five years ago today, Thomas Friedman said the Iraq War was about telling the Middle East to ’suck on this.’
Atrios notes that five years ago today, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman told Charlie Rose what he believed the war in Iraq was essentially about telling people in the Middle East to “suck on this” after 9/11:
FRIEDMAN: You don’t think, you know, we care about our open society. You think this bubble fantasy, we’re just going to let it grow? Well, suck on this, ok. That Charlie, is what this war was about. We could have hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. Could have hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could. That’s the real truth.
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The wit and wisdom of Thomas Friedman in a nutshell.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm“We hit Iraq because we could.”
Ooooooooooooooooo, yes. We’re such MANLY MEN, right Tom?
Guess that’s why you and all those other armchair warriors and gutless chickenhawks never show up for the wars you want everyone else to fight, Because you can hide under your bed when the sh*t comes down.
You f****ing coward.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:44 pmHey Friedman, suck on this you a$$hat.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:44 pmHe also said that we needed to show the “Arab Street” we were willing to shed American blood. What we showed the Arab Street is that we’re a bunch of stupid sheep.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:45 pmHey dipshit, how about taking these comments to a right wing site and asking them these questions about your boy McClellan? Or you could just STFU.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:46 pmThe posts criticizing Friedman are off base. He was right. Iraq was all about BushCo flinging its collective testosterone on the MidEast.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:48 pmWow. This dude’s been dead wrong for a long time, huh? Long before the invention of the Friedman Unit©.
So we “could have” hit Saudi Arabia, huh? We “could have” hit Pakistan?
We hit Iraq “because we could”?
No, dumbass, we hit Iraq because Bush knew it would be a pushover militarily. There was no way would have hit Bush’s BFFs the Saudis. No way we would have hit a nuclear Pakistan. Basically, TF is just saying we had to lash out and Iraq was the weakest sister on the block.
Some one please Shut Thomas Friedman Up (STFU).
May 30th, 2008 at 1:48 pmDon’t you mean the very serious Thomas Friedman?
-GSD
May 30th, 2008 at 1:48 pmFried-man is an idiot and Rose is an enabler. The only “bubble” that is relevant here is the one between Fried-man’s ears.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:48 pmAnd this guy is who? I dont remember.
JJ
May 30th, 2008 at 1:49 pmUltimate Anonymity
Someone should hit Tom Friedman.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:50 pmThat’s not what he’s saying. Sure, he’s admitting that the invasion of Iraq was a reaction of blind aggression. But he’s saying it was a good thing. He’s saying it was necessary.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:50 pmrogers, slow on the uptake, huh?
May 30th, 2008 at 1:53 pmThe bottom line here is that we thought we could trust the government, the fourth estate (that’s the media for you low information right siders), and the voices of opposition to slow the rush to war. Obviously it didn’t work. So now, it is up to the progressives, and hopefully the awakening American citizen, to challenge the entrenched pundit class when they spin the news. Be skeptical – always.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:59 pmFive years ago, huh? That’s what . . . about 20 “Friedman units”?
Seriously, Friedman has been all over the place on GDumbya’s dirty little avoidable pre-emptive war. From day to day, I can’t tell whether he supports or opposes it. I wish he had just said back then: “Let’s finish what we started in Afghanistan before we tell the Arab world to ’suck on’ anything more”.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:00 pmUm… my guess is none.
Unless you count trolls like yourself, then the number would of necessity be much higher.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:02 pmNow try to get any of the right wingers to admit to the truism of Friedman. They will not. The statement belies the incredible ignorance of the conservatives about the politics of the middle east. The conservatives have no concept of the various cultures or religious sects involved in that region of the world.
1. We could have hit Iran. Makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it. At the time Iran had a moderate president and the Iranian people were out in the streets demonstrating in support of the US. Our chance to have worked with the Shiites in Iran against the Sunni Al Quaeda disappeared with the famous axis of evil speech. Really prescient thinking.
2. We could have hit Saudia Arabia. Really brilliant. Attack the Saudi nation. Turn the House of Saud, one of our greatest allies in the middle east into an enemy. The Saudi leaders became aware of the fallacy in their policy of appeasing radical Sunni groups to maintain power. Think of the reaction had we attacked them. Wow, think of the price of oil. Think of the Saudi government backing Al Quaeda.
The conservatives have demonstrated themselves to be the worst form of leadership. Turning our backs of enemies who want to change to allies, turning a deaf ear on the complexities of middle eastern politics and believing that the mere word of the US is law.\\\
May 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pmOnly problem is, Thomas, we are the one’s who have had to suck on it for many many many Friedman Units now.
_AIO_
May 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pmTom, I believe you have your conversion rate wrong. Five years I believe would be ten FUs.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:03 pmSorry, ralph. I thought a Friedman unit was three months. Maybe I was thinking about McNumbNuts units.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:07 pmrogers Says:
Can’t blame him, like others for having a bit of faith in the government at first.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
_____
Anyone who ever had any faith in the Bush Regime was either an idiot or on their payroll.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:07 pmThe trolls here are still trying to re-write history without regard for the DOCUMENTED proof they are wrong. I think it is still the ’shiny keys’ distraction technique. Trolls: Why would you even bother to defend the multi-millionaire Freidman’s of the news world? They don’t care about you or for you. They don’t care if you live or die. They have no regard for you or your family at all, but still you defend them. And you defend them against the entire nation you have chosen as your home. Exactly whose side are you on?
May 30th, 2008 at 2:10 pmJust you trolls.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:11 pmFriedman’s comment has troubled me for years. He was long one of my most trusted sources of opinion and information
From Beruit to Jerusalem remains IMHO one of the best books on the middle east, period. Friedman’s reporting on Sabra/Shatilla massacres in 1982 was heroic.
Then came “suck on this” – a grotesque, violent endorsement of the Bush program of violence.
What happened to him?
Thanks for reminding us all of it.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:12 pmrogers Says:
Give me a break…the man critizized iraq in a mid-06 op-ed, how many of YOU still had your heads up your asss at that point?.
You stupid little twat. Have you not be listening for the last 5 years? No of course not.
People like us said that invading Iraq was not only a BAD IDEA but also total bs based upon the reasons we were given back in 2003 you idiot. TRY AGAIN.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:23 pmGlenn Greenwald also did an incredible blast on this same video clip at Salon com a few weeks back. Don’t ask me to go there, though – every time I go there, I get a pop-under from something called c1.zedo.com.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:25 pmHow many corners have we turned in Iraq by now? I’ve lost count. Maybe we should try something different… like maybe going in a straight line this time… a straight line right out of Iraq!
May 30th, 2008 at 2:33 pmIt’s interesting to watch how many people claim they’ve been against this illegal invasion all along.
Where the Hell were they in March, ‘03?
Nothing has changed except the casualty count. More dead kids and more broken hearts & homes.
If this is what religion’s purpose is, give me Atheism. Every time.
May 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pmthat’s funny because i think that’s what the middle east is saying to us now.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:00 pmFriedman is an idiot. His latest column on mandating $4/gallon gas discussed his pending trade-in of a Toyota Prius and how the car salesman told him the value of the car is rising every day.
If Friedman believed half of what he wrote, he wouldn’t be trading in a perfectly good car for anther new car. No, he would hang onto that car and let another consumer (hopefully a former SUV driver) buy that new Prius. Guess the righteous regarding landfills, waste, etc., don’t apply to you, right Friedman?
May 30th, 2008 at 3:03 pmoh and “Friedman Units” — aren’t these called “eff yous” (FUs) to the troops?
May 30th, 2008 at 3:06 pmRogers, PLEASE help me understand what you’re trying to say…
May 30th, 2008 at 3:14 pmDoes Bush’s credibility at that time forgive him for the quagmire it has since become, or that he was lying in the first place? Why do you think he and Cheney have ZERO credibility now?
rogers – equating our government to our mothers is silly.
We’re not necessarily saying that we’re “better” people to have not trusted the party line on Iraq/Saddam but we definitely saw through the bullcrap – so perhaps we have a better bullcrap filter.
We here had no reason to view Bush as credible and plenty of reasons to doubt him. When we doubted him publicly in 2002 we were viewed by most people as conspiracy theorists at best and delusional traitors at worst. I had people at work tell me that they were SURE that WMDs would eventually be found. They really, really wanted to believe that their government wouldn’t lie to them.
I wonder if those people believe the party line on attacking Iran! Unfortunately, thanks to the current lot of crooks, there are a lot more people out there with little faith in their government.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:21 pmNot really, mary. It’s how right-wingers look at government — although they generally prefer a “Daddy” figure to be in charge.
However, the rest of rogers’ argument is, as you pointed out, quite silly indeed. At least, the parts of it that make sense.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pmRalph sez:
May 30th, 2008 at 3:29 pmNot really, mary. It’s how right-wingers look at government — although they generally prefer a “Daddy” figure to be in charge.
Isn’t it interesting that authoritarian right needs a daddy figure in charge to take care of them and look up to but they scream about lefties making us a nanny-state.
ralph – But the right is always screaming for a smaller government! Hmmmmm, that has some interesting psychological implications…
May 30th, 2008 at 3:31 pmYes, TeleMan, it is interesting. Freud might have loved a chance to jump in right about now.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:33 pmOedipus smedipus: I luv ya ma!!
May 30th, 2008 at 3:34 pmrogers Says:
metaphor is accurate seeing as bush had plenty of credibility and no reason to doubt him back then
Uh, what about that election he stole?
May 30th, 2008 at 3:42 pmUmm… he didn’t.
Do try to keep up.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:10 pmSure Dodgeballs, because lying, cheating and stealing your way into the White House gave him all kinds of credibility.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:38 pmWe’d say “SORRY” and then STFU.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:40 pmI remember a locked down Iraq with “U.N.” planes enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq.
I remember a secular Iraq.
I remember a U.N. weapons inspection team failing to find WMDs.
I remember a huge amount of skepticism about nuclear weapons (what?? how??).
I remember a Bush administration rushing to throw out the U.N. weapons inspectors.
May 30th, 2008 at 4:47 pmHey Tom, rotate on this!
May 30th, 2008 at 5:53 pmWell, if anyone knows about sucking …
May 30th, 2008 at 5:57 pmCorrect me if I’m wrong, but the littany of wrongs (that “are OK” according to Friedman’s Bad Guys) that Mr. Friedman just recited in the clip…correct me if I’m worng, but the Iraqis DID NOT DO ANY OF THEM, DID THEY?!?!?!?
May 30th, 2008 at 10:08 pmSuicide bombers vests in Israeli pizza parlors, Palestinians victims of Israeli imperialism, 9-11 airplane attacks, Saudi Arabians led by Osama bin Laden, etc.
He seems like a Naughty boy, a very bad naughty boy. Maybe even a very bad nasty naughty bad boy.
How in the hell do people like this even get credible consideratation on these issues to be put on these shows and given the public domain for his ideology as he sees it. As if he speaks for most Americans?
Perhaps America needs to change its outlook on MONEY being recognized as free speech. Because few have more free speech than others. And the few seem to be making the rules for the majority.
May 31st, 2008 at 12:52 amA lot of rich people are enjoying this blow job. For the remainder of us, we’re just bending over and taking it.
May 31st, 2008 at 1:13 amSo that is what this Republican conservative true good and only christian brilliant President was telling the middle east on the American people’s behalf.
If that is the case, you people will never even order a pizza in my behalf. No matter how hungry I am.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:59 am