Just like old times

Back long long ago (well, about a decade anyway) when I lived on Long Island, one of my habits was to read the morning's edition of Newsday, including the latest right-wing dribblings from the resident James Pinkerton. (I have no idea if Mr. Pinkerton has any relation with the union busters who share his name, but it wouldn't suprise me a bit if he did.)

Well, it's nice to see that some things never change - Mr. Pinkerton waxes lyrical about the virtues of having someone else fight your crusades for you:

A radical Islamic regime bites the dust: In Somalia, "regime change" works smoothly, without much cost to America. There are some lessons there.

"Lessons", eh? I sense some major wankery ahead.

The UIC was the real Taliban-like deal, forcing women into veils, banning movies - it even outlawed watching World Cup soccer games on television.

Yep, there's all you need to label a Muslim government as a nefarious dictatorship these days - forbidding the watching of professional sports. Not exactly death-camp-level material, I'll admit, but I'm sure Hitler would have forbidden the Jews from watching "American Idol" if it hadn't been half a century too early for it to even exist. (And "banning movies"? I can think of a few, specifically those featuring Adam Sandler or Pauly Shore, that SHOULD have been made felonious acts.)

America has had to relearn that lesson periodically. The nation went in with a light footprint in Afghanistan in 2001, but then heavied up its presence in the years since. The result was predictable: a significant guerrilla war. And, of course, America went in even heavier in Iraq, and the results there speak for themselves.

I'm sure if America had just trodden lighter in Afghanistan, nobody would have NOTICED the invasion and overthrowing of the Taliban government. Of COURSE not. People don't object to you entering their countries as long as you do it "lightly", after all.

Happily, the latest Somalia experience demonstrates that the United States has learned a valuable lesson about dealing with Muslim radicals. Specifically, using surrogates, as opposed to U.S. troops, to do the fighting works better. Not only is the cost to America lower, but prospects of success are better - because, as we have seen, the American flag is a red flag in many parts of the world.

Whee! Yes, happy happy happy! 'Cause, you see, it's FOREIGNERS dying, and not Americans, so who gives a rat's ass? And nobody will ever notice the puppet strings! People NEVER pick up on stuff like that!

And these "good" Somalis have been good to us in return: The restored prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, has pledged to eliminate the UIC and turn over to the United States any al-Qaida types he catches - including those linked to the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed 257. Sweet.

Yeah, 'cause nothing prompts a comment like "Sweet." like the prospect of another bunch of innocent shlubs rounded up and sent off to Guantanamo to be waterboarded until they admit to being bin Laden's right hand man.

The term "sociopath" comes to mind, somehow.

There's no guarantee that the Somali mission will be a success in the long run, but so far, so good. More fighting is certain, although "world opinion" is not likely to worry much, so long as the 82nd Airborne is not involved. Nor is there much chance that Somalia will emerge as a democracy.

Oh, well, who gives a damn after all about "democracy" when the Mooslofascists have been defeated and there's the possibility of another (at least temporarily) freindly dictatorship in control of Somalia?

Why, it's not like there's oil or anything there, right?

Oh, wait, maybe there is.. Gosh, WHAT A COINCIDENCE.