Talking Trash
John Judis is a mensch:
I want to take issue with Martin Peretz’s description of my former colleague Spencer Ackerman’s articles as “trash.” Maybe I am sensitive because Spencer co-authored several with me, including a piece of the Bush administration’s deception about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (“The First Casualty”), which Marty praised at the time. Spencer also co-authored a terrific profile of Dick Cheney with current editor Frank Foer (“What Dick Cheney Really Believes,” November 20, 2003). But Spencer wrote much on his own, including regular commentary on the Iraq war for The New Republic’s website, during which he changed, like others at the magazine, from a supporter to opponent of the decision to go to war. I particularly remember an outstanding cover story Spencer wrote on American Muslims. I would like to link to it, but the links to our archives are broken. It was, called “Religious Protection: Why American Muslims haven’t turned to Terrorism,” and appeared Dec. 12, 2005.
Any editor worth his salt would consider having helped Spencer launch his career a proud accomplishment.
32 Responses to “Talking Trash”
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December 31st, 2008 at 10:52 am
I am not surprised about Judis since he has always seemed like a stand-up guy. However during the general election Peretz did stick up for Obama over Israel which he didn’t have to do. Was he just swept up in Obamamania? I don’t know.
But this Noah Pollack guy Peretz points to, ugh. “Juicebox mafia”? You guys should be flattered.
Pollack:
As a matter of fact, it’s interesting to note that since the summer 2006 war, Hezbollah has been completely quiet on Israel’s border — even after their terrorist superhero, Imad Mughniyah, was assassinated, and Syria’s nuclear reactor was bombed, and Hezbollah’s liason to Damascus had an unfortunate run-in with a rifle bullet on his balcony one afternoon. Right now, Nasrallah futilely rants from Lebanon, while Hezbollah watches its ally in Gaza get pummeled. Deterrence is a real thing, and while it’s too early to judge the outcome of the current engagement, it’s also too early to declare that Hamas’ experience of being whipped and humiliated — the first time in the group’s history — will not establish some new behavioral guidelines.
To me this tough talk reads as if he “protests too much.” As General Sharon recognized before he entered a coma, time and demographics are against the expansionist Zionists. As with Russia seeing Georgia as a proxy of the US and NATO, Israel sees Hamas and Hezbollah as proxies for Iran which is a rising power and will be going nuclear shortly and is run by religious nuts.
The good news is that oil prices are dropping through the floor and as Defense Secretary Gates has said Iran is run by nuts, but they are not suicidal crazy. In my view they compare favorably with Saddam who was suicidally stupid crazy.
So, maybe this attack on Gaza will set new guidelinses for Hamas, probably not, but I really doubt if it will influence Iran in any way. In fact Iran is gaining in popularity at the expense of the Arab countries.
Pollack:
No, what is interesting about the collective opinion of the Juicebox Mafia is the proposed rule of just war: Whoever kills more is the guilty party. This amounts to a total rejection of the distinction between aggression and self-defense and indeed the entire concept of deterrence. Taken to its logical conclusion, moral victory becomes impossible, because the moment one side has dispatched with a greater number of enemy than casualties have been suffered, justice has been forfeited. The only means of ethical conduct is pure immolation — which is indeed the prescription for Israel, which is expected to behave as the only true Christian nation on earth, responding to attacks by endlessly turning the other cheek.
The prescription for Israel is to work out a peace deal, the contours of which pretty much everyone knows and agrees upon: The Clinton deal plus a little more for the Palestinians. As a non-Jew with no stake in Israel, besides the recognition that it’s a democratic ally in a tough region, I’d say Pollack is just presenting part of the picture while Matt, Klein, Ackerman, and J Street are performing a needed service for the Israelis.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:55 am
Happy New Year! sorry for lengthy post.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:20 am
Hmmm. This Noah Pollack has a facility for entertaining invective but seems pretty nuts. I bet he’s a riot down at the bowling alley.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:27 am
…to significantly higher than even post-OPEC historical averages.
Let’s not get carried away. In a period of severe, worldwide economic downturn, at a time of year when oil prices usually drop, the price of oil is about $39.00 per barrel, over 50% higher than the average from 1986-2001.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:31 am
I think describing ackerman’s work as trash is pretty generous. I could produce better by consuming a can of alphabet soup and sticking my fingers down my throat. He is also a closet friend of eli lake, the world’s foremost turd.
December 31st, 2008 at 11:49 am
I would think that Spackerman would (and should) wear Peretz’ criticism proudly. Not to disagree about the relative mensch-itude of Judis…
December 31st, 2008 at 11:52 am
Yes, kudos to Judis, and Peretz is a cantankerous ass, but you’ve got to admit that “Juicebox Mafia” is pretty funny.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I don’t know, maybe it is actually a compliment to be insulted by Marty, who is a racist and bad writer anyway who only got anywhere in life by screwing rich widows.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Re Peter K
The only thing that would entice the Palestinian leadership to accept a deal is an agreement by the Government of Israel to resettle Palestinians living in refugee camps in Israel, which is tantamount to the latter agreeing to go out of business. Since no Israeli Government will accept any such thing, there is no hope for an agreement.
Incidentally, for those who push the so-called Saudi peace plan (which is actually the Thomas Friedman peace plan), that plan calls for a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. To the uninitiated, that’s an Arab code word for resettlement in Israel.
Aaron Miller, one of the Bush I/Clinton Middle East operatives was on one of the cable news show last night and when asked what President Elect Osama should do upon taking office, responded that he should forget about a settlement and try to manage the situation. By manage, he means reducing the violence on both sides to a manageable level.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Peretz is a hack. He never complained about Ackerman while he worked with him; to do so, in retrospect, smacks of judging journalism through an ideological lens. He has deviated from the party line, suggests Peretz, and so must be purged.
But why, Matthew, can’t the world ever be a complicated place? I think it’s absurd to claim that Ackerman is incapable of producing good journalism; there’s reams of evidence to the contrary. His writing in the pages of TNR, as Judis correctly notes, was distinguished. But there’s also loads of evidence that he can be juvenile and petulant, and that without an editorial filter, he tends to shoot from the hip. We needn’t valorize him to defend him.
Moreover, if you’re going to take potshots at Peretz over this, you ought to disclose that the original offending post was largely targeted at your own overly facile analysis of the Gaza crisis. This is not a good time for you to blithely pass over potential conflicts of interests.
December 31st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
On a side note, what’s with the notion that one “changed” one’s position on the war, from supporter to opponent, held up as a good thing.
Isn’t this kind of like saying, “I was all for the war, gung-ho even, until I found out more about it”. How is that a good thing?
There was never any, I repeat, ANY, credible reasons given for us to go to war with Iraq, at any time.
December 31st, 2008 at 2:04 pm
njorl:
Let’s not get carried away. In a period of severe, worldwide economic downturn, at a time of year when oil prices usually drop, the price of oil is about $39.00 per barrel, over 50% higher than the average from 1986-2001.
fair enough, but it’s way down from recent highs, see this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/30/business/worldbusiness/30gazprom.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Gazprom&st=cse
Gazprom, Once Mighty, Is Reeling
MOSCOW — A year ago, Gazprom, the Russian natural gas monopoly, aspired to be the largest corporation in the world. Buoyed by high oil prices and political backing from the Kremlin, it had already achieved third place judging by market capitalization, behind Exxon Mobil and General Electric.
Today, Gazprom is deep in debt and negotiating a government bailout. Its market cap, the total value of all the company’s shares, has fallen 76 percent since the beginning of the year. Instead of becoming the world’s largest company, it has tumbled to 35th place. And while bailouts are increasingly common, none of Gazprom’s big private sector competitors in the West is looking for one.
——
All Iran has pretty much is oil. It’s suffering high inflation and a brain drain.
SLC:
Incidentally, for those who push the so-called Saudi peace plan (which is actually the Thomas Friedman peace plan), that plan calls for a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. To the uninitiated, that’s an Arab code word for resettlement in Israel.
Aaron Miller, one of the Bush I/Clinton Middle East operatives was on one of the cable news show last night and when asked what President Elect Osama should do upon taking office, responded that he should forget about a settlement and try to manage the situation. By manage, he means reducing the violence on both sides to a manageable level.
This is probably what Obama will do. Palestinians need to realize that the refugees aren’t going to be able to come back. That’s a nonstarter, they’re in the right, but practically that’s not going to happen.
Israel needs to provide a map of the two-state solution where the Palestinian state is not a bunch of discontiguous Bantustans, like with the Clinton plan which was presented as so good. Arafat should have taken the deal anyway but still.
Otherwise Israel will continue to suffer a worsening PR problem and Iran will reap the benefits. Israel wants to shove Gaza off on the Egyptians, who don’t want it. Friedman wants to bring in NATO, which I’m not sure about.
This Pollack guy says that Hezbollah has been quiet since 2006, but my understanding is that they have been gaining in strength.
If Obama really wants to repair America’s reputation in the Middle East he’ll force a deal on Israel, maybe at the same time signing some sort of security agreement that says we’ll back Israel (or NATO will) more explicity than has been said (and even though Bush has given them carte blanche.)
December 31st, 2008 at 2:05 pm
At least Yglesias & Co. have graduated to juiceboxes. Peretz’s current assistant is still sucking on his bottle regularly.
December 31st, 2008 at 2:13 pm
you’ve got to admit that “Juicebox Mafia” is pretty funny.
Uh, no–not when it’s partly a pun on “Jews.”
December 31st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Why does anyone give the slightest fig about what Marty Peretz says? He’s like Al Davis. A guy who — if you met him on the street — you’d immediately dismiss as a crank and be on your way, but because he has a lot of money and runs a newspaper, everyone feels obligated to take him seriously. Stop feeling obligated. A crank with a lot of money is still a crank and has nothing to offer the discourse.
December 31st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
newspaper = magazine (slash football team), obviously
December 31st, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I stopped at 2001, because I think of the period we’re in as the 2001-present phase. I start at 1986 because that was the end of significant restraint on the part of suppliers. From 1986 to the present, OPEC has been a sham. Prices were erratic 1986-2001, but did not generally increase or decrease.
I could have “cherry picked” 1947-2009, then the average would be about the same (~$25.00), but I think averaging over such different circumstances would be deceptive, even though it would yield the same results. We don’t live in a world with no OPEC, and we don’t live in a world with an OPEC that could pull off the oil embargo of 1973.
http://www.wtrg.com/oil_graphs/oilprice1947.gif
December 31st, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Two points; 1) Once again, Iran is not “going nuclear” despite everyone’s delusions on that point; and 2) Hizballah has no particular letter of marque to do anything about Hamas getting trashed; Hamas has had plenty of time to do what Hizballah did – get professional; they don’t seem to have done so; so from Nasrallah’a point of view, it’s their problem.
Besides which, Hibzallah is a Shiite nationalist resistance organization which has little in common with the Palestinian resistance groups other than a mutual dislike of Israel.
And the next time Israel crosses the Lebanese border, they’re going to get the same kick ass treatment from Nasrallah they got last time – in fact, more so, because they allegedly have missiles that can reach all of Israel now, not just the northern part. But the real damage will be done to Israel’s ground troops like it was last time and the time before that – with the additional possibility of Israel losing some jet aircraft as Hizballah now has some surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles.
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