Pope Break 2005

A wise man once told me:

I've tried to put this tactfully before, Carlos. The fact is, there are *limits* to cynicism.

I have my doubts. Via Matthew Yglesias comes this sparkling transcript of an open online chat with Newsweek's Baghdad bureau chief, Rod Nordland. Some excerpts:

London, England: Divide and rule is what the simpleton Americans use to control other weaker nations. What a pathetic, bullying, ruthless, cowardly lot you are! Rod Nordland: E tu madre. Grand Rapids, MI: If WMDs don't exist in Iraq, where are the destroyed ones? Rod Nordland: I think they're in Atlantis. Lenore, WV: I have a question. Why don't you liberals join the American side on this matter? Rod Nordland: I'm not a liberal, sorry. You must have me confused with someone else. Hellowell, ME: why does Bush care so much about what happens in Iraq when there are so many poor, sick, poverty-stricken people in the U.S.? Rod Nordland: Who said he cares? Irvine, CA: Newsweek has joined Ted Kennedy as the pro-insurgent party. Rod Nordland: Another reader who has comprehension problems on the primary-school level. Bucharest, Romania: Hi! Do you really think that democracy is the best thing for Iraq? I mean it's obviously the best thing for some countries (like the U.S.), but is it the best thing for others? Maybe democracy and voting just doesn't fit them, just as royalty for example wouldn't fit U.S. And is that what democracy is all about: who isn't like us is against us, therefore we should try to impose democracy everywhere (by force!)? Rod Nordland: We're going to invade Romania next, so just watch out.

Comments

[Noel]

Oh, I dunno if I'd call these statement cynical, Carlos. Sarcastic, clearly. Funny, yes. Appropriate, certainly. But only the "Who said he cares?" comment could be called *cynical*, in the "skeptical of the motives of others" or "expressing jaded or scornful skepticism or negativity."

The wise man remains consistent with the empirical evidence on offer.

[Raoul Djukanovic]

i'd take pastaman over robohack, every time:

"In a world more and more dominated by massively processed food and giant supermarkets, don't you think it's time you tried to opt out? Just a little?"

[Carlos]

Noel, I think he's definitely skeptical of the underlying motives of the people asking him those questions, and because of that answered them in a jaded, scornful, perhaps even negative way. Deeper than sarcastic.

Raoul, the next sauce-making binge I go on, I will compare Pastaman's recipe for ragu with Belle Waring's.

C.

[Raoul Djukanovic]

Deeper than sarcastic

i agree. this was the money shot for me:

Havre de Gracem, MD: Does the American government intend to start spending less in the Middle East and spending the tax money here at home where it should be spent first so citizens here can have an acceptable standard of living?

Rod Nordland: To be blunt, our standard of living would be pretty severely impacted if gasoline cost $8.00 a gallon, which is what a lot of Europeans pay for it. It's pretty hard to turn your back on the Middle East.

just don't expect any serious analysis of this point in a newsweek cover story...

[Noel]

OK, you got me. "Skeptical of the underlying motives of the people asking him those questions." Didn't quite think of it that way. Argument withdrawn.