07 August 2008

Even THESE guys think this way

What do you think when you hear RAND Corporation? Do you think "serious Establishment geeks?" How about "conservative think-tank?" I doubt very seriously that you conjure up "liberal elites" or "out-of-touch eggheads" or "radical anti-Americans" or "un-patriotic intellectuals."

That's because these guys ARE serious, ARE conservative, ARE Establishment and most certainly ARE NOT "un-patriotic." They are smart. They do research. They are paid to think. Paid with your tax dollars.

Here is their website. Go visit. Come back and tell me if you think these guys are full of shit.

Here's why: they recently released a report that said, in essence, that the War on Terror is failing. Yeah, that's right. It isn't working and it won't work. That's what the RAND Corporation said. Not me. Not some "liberal elite" or some "wimpy Democrat" or some "hippie peacenik." The fookin' RAND Corporation.

Don't believe me? Read the fecking report.

News release 7/29.

Summary (pdf) here.

Full report (pdf) here.

Have a nice day.

2 comments:

Dave Bacon said...

To play the devil's advocate (always interesting to try and put on another sides hat)...

The counterattack for this document, I think, is that policing only works if there is a non-failed state and therefore military action needs to made to fix failed states that cannot eliminate the terrorist groups. This would justify Afghanistan's military action but not Iraq. Of course Somalia should also have been invaded for this to make any sense. You'd also have to see what the record of military action for fixing failed states is: I wonder what those numbers look like?

But then again what do I know, I am a liberal peacenik!

M.C. O'Connor said...

Yeah, I agree about Afghanistan. Iraq was clearly not a "failed state" in that respect. Let's set those Rand guys on it, eh?

I've come up with a new advantage for being a liberal peacenik: you never have to explain what you think. Everyone will automatically assume they know your views on every issue. After all, you're a damn liberal peacenik--everyone knows what they are like! Saves time talking about politics that's better spent talking about beer or books or skiing or other fun stuff.