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Knowledge != Power
KNOWLEDGE != POWER....Robert Kagan says it's OK — maybe even better! — for national politicians to lack experience or knowledge of foreign policy. Matt Yglesias thinks he's expressing his honest opinion:
Kagan, like most neoconservatives, thinks that in-depth knowledge of foreign countries and the politics and culture of foreign societies isn't helpful in thinking about foreign policy questions. Similarly, they believe that in-depth knowledge of theoretical and empirical work in the field of international relations isn't helpful. Indeed, they think that this kind of in-depth knowledge is actually harmful. They prefer the judgment of people who have little knowledge of the outside world but do possess a degree of gut-level nationalism.
Sure. Conservatives never trusted either Nixon or Bush 41 on foreign policy, even though both of them were knowledgable and sophisticated students of foreign affairs. They thought that knowledge slowed them down and made them wimps, always worrying about what world opinion might think. Conversely, they loved Reagan and Bush 43, both of whom had a couple of basic instincts about foreign affairs and not much else.
So John McCain? He's great! And Sarah Palin? Even greater! You, elitist that you are, may think that knowledge is power, but that's decidedly not the position of most modern Republicans.
I'm sure these guys felt the same way a few months ago, before Palin was selected as McCain's running mate. I'm sure that they simply disagreed with Obama's ideas and that the opinion expressed above is in no way political.
Money is power. Weapons are power. Knowledge, though, is what the servants are for.
These guys are starting to make the Third Parties look reasonable by comparison.
@Brian J
And then they said, "Let's go-out and find the least qualified an attractive right-wing politico, because that will help our cause..."
Yeah, it's all BS.
I've often thought that conservatives had never developed beyond an early age, and just like children playing in a schoolyard, they often put physical force above intellect and knowledge. This is just another brick in that wall.
Ignorance is power! (for Robert Kagan).
and ignorance of climate science best qualifies one to determine whether humans are causing global warming
and ignorance of biology best qualifies one to see through an imagined scientific conspiracy to present evolution as a fact
and ignorance of economics best qualifies one to lead the world's biggest economy
and ignorance about sex best prepares young people to make good decisions
and ignorance about ecology best qualifies one to make decisions about land use
and ignorance about the Muslim world best qualifies one to wage multiple simultaneous wars in Muslim lands
and ignorance of nation-building and administration and Iraqi history and Arabic best qualifies one to set up a new national government in occupied, Arabic-speaking Iraq
and ignorance about practically everything best qualifies one to be the next Vice President of the United States
and ignorance in general is to be so highly prized that whenever a department or bureau of the US Federal government is found to be reducing general ignorance by compiling trustworthy statistics or doing actual research, that program must be disbanded or defunded, and a properly-ignorant conservative political officer must be appointed to that department so as to raise the general level of ignorance therein to acceptable levels
It's like they're proud of it.
Well put. It applies beyond foreign affairs too. Energy, who needs anyone who understands anything -like say the second law of thermodynamics, or any geology, or ... Economics, everything you need to know is cit taxes and regulation. What we want are compelling reality TV type personalities. Ohh, and a Christian dominationist gut level feel for right/wrong.
The very reason they were all fighting to keep Terri Schiavo alive. She was slotted as McCain's future Secretary of State.
I think you guys are selling them a little short. Knowledge really does not equal power. A strong will and the moxie to push things through is what matters. Knowledge weakens the will. A more positive version of the slogan would be.
Ignorance is Strength
Neoconservatives should fly on airplanes designed, built, and piloted by people who know nothing about--airplanes.
None of the 9/11 hijackers was an American, so it's best if we set up huge, expensive, and invasive spying programs to enable us to keep tabs on all American citizens so that nothing like this happens again.
We've covered our asses now...
Kagan is simply being self-interested. People like him are supposed have the knowledge and form the policies; people with the right "instincts" who won't confuse the hoi polloi are the front guys.
Dave Brown: I've often thought that conservatives had never developed beyond an early age, and just like children playing in a schoolyard, they often put physical force above intellect and knowledge.
Actually one study followed kids from preschool through early twenties. I forget the details, but in general it found that people who were conservative in their early twenties were, in preschool, unsociable, unliked, dependent on adults, and likely to be victims. Liberals in their 20s were, in preschool, more independent and sociable. Maybe adult conservatism is striking back at the cool kids in preschool.
The less they know, the more they can be controlled.
What are the odds that they will ever have and advisor that does not advocate a neo-con position?
Prabably non-existant odds.
So which way do you think their policy will go?
Ignorance is a tool for those who want to shape policy.
I just went and found the study. The abstract says, "Preschool
children who 20 years later were relatively liberal were characterized as: developing close relationships,
self-reliant, energetic, somewhat dominating, relatively under-controlled, and resilient. Preschool
children subsequently relatively conservative at age 23 were described as: feeling easily
victimized, easily oVended, indecisive, fearful, rigid, inhibited, and relatively over-controlled and vulnerable.
IQ during nursery school did not relate to subsequent liberalism/conservatism but did relate
in subsequent decades."
As Michelle Malkin put it, it says whiny kids turn into conservatives.
I hope they chose their doctors by the same criteria.
An even Ronnie knew when to quit when he was ahead.
Good one, Steve Duncan.
Ladies and gentlemen, that was today's edition of "Meet your Conservative Intellectual." Tune in tomorrow for a repeat episode, where Ramesh Ponnuru explains how Wasilla Alaska is more populous than the state of Rhode Island.
WELL, Duh, ergo the "They think you are STUPID!" remark...they WANT you stupid is more to the point...Senator Kennedy's support notwithstanding, NCLB has taken the dumb down the electorate far down the road to ignorance in the future and our MSM does the job daily for those NOT still in school...and the "real shiny object" that attracts folks to be REPUGS is MONEY...as long as they are getting in and no one else!
Dancer said 'and the "real shiny object" that attracts folks to be REPUGS is MONEY...' They are like basketball players, interested in nuthin but net.
It all sounds a lot like the short story "Harrison Bergeron" by Vonnegut. The "intelligent" people picked an uneducated plumber to be president. His foreign policy was: "Don't dick with us." This allowed the U.S. to intimidate and dominate the rest of the world. The thought "don't dick with us" always passes through my mind when I hear a neo-con speak on foreign affairs.
This is hardly limited to foreign affairs or neo-cons. Obama is charged with being an elitist, even though he comes from a single parent home of very modest means. So what makes him elite? Bingo. His being intelligent, well educated, well informed, and curious.
Anyone who grew up in Red America and worked their way to Blue America through this country's formerly great system of higher education (as I did) can tell you this. Intellectual ambition guaranteed a hellish, never-ending round of accusations of snobbery.
"I don't take this elite foreign policy view that only this anointed class knows everything about the world," he said. "I'm not generally impressed that they are better judges of American foreign policy experience than those who have Palin's experience."
That's it. That is the entire quote upon which two blog posts and page after page of speculation, fantasy and fulmination is based.
Then Kagan and conservatives must surely love Obama.
Looks like another Culture War in the making, I'm afraid. But this time around, it's the intellectual elites vs the moneyed elites...
and ignorance of the anatomy and function of the human heart best qualifies one to perform surgery on Dick Cheney, because a deep understanding of its true complexity would be too intimidating to allow it to be cut and re-arranged.
Sadly, the neocons don't appear to apply their standard consistently.
Neocons like the Kagans and the AEI cadre of all-American bullet-headed intellectuals will be more than happy to fill the empty vessels of the McCain/Palin regime with their poisonous patent medicine elixir of unipolar imperial dominance, and the fact that neither of the principals has any notable degree of independent knowledge or experience to fall back on...that is a feature, not a bug!
But...but Neocon Grandpa, what a big cock you have!
Hell, yeah! All the better to fuck those Islammunist pussies that hate us for our...um, oh yeah, our Freedomz!! (Now, little Sarah, come sit on Grandpa's lap while he explains it all to you...)