Honest critique from honest observers

I just have to say that I don't think that there is anything more satisfying to read than honest critique from honest observers. I've been reading my friend Carson's letters today as we email back and forth about the election and the Democratic debate and just sit and kind of appreciate a little serious honesty amidst this period of lying and bullshit and never knowing who to trust in politics.

Robert Kagan has a really powerful critique of the guy I've been favoring for President, up to this point, Barak Obama, in today's Washington Post, which is really impressive.

Obama the Interventionist

I'm still chewing on it and I don't know what I think of it, yet, except that I know that Robert Kagan is one of the more honest conservative writers that I regularly read and this piece makes me take a second look at Senator Obama.

Robert does happen to be consulting the Republican that I am favoring, at this point, John McCain. So there's all kinds of reason to be skeptical of his take, except that I can often rely on Robert Kagan, must more than, say, E.J. Dionne, these days, who has been moonlighting as a polemicist over at the Washington Post and who is not nearly the serious thinker that folks like Robert Kagan or Fareed Zakaria or other more serious writers over there at the Post. When I think about it, it's kind of interesting that the Post definitely carries a liberal bias, especially these days, but how many serious conservative writers it carries and how few serious liberal writers it carries. Though, that may also be because people like David Broder and E.J. Dionne are seriously soiling their names, these days, with all of the propaganda streaming from pens that are supposed to be writing something more honest.

I don't know what I think of Robert's piece, yet, and I'm honestly kind of tired and ready for bed, is the truth, with it being 1:33 in the morning, here and all.

What I do know is that if what Robert says is an accurate characterization of Obama's recent words, he is right that we have a lot to be concerned from coming from Barak, even if it is not wholly honest.

Perhaps the best thing that can come from this whole godforesaken period is that maybe some people will take the cue from all of the overwrought propaganda in the news, these days, to maybe make some more seriously honest observations that don't constantly make me bend over backwards, all the time, trying to figure out if they're being genuine with me or not.

I think Robert Kagan is one of those people. I know Carson is, because he's a close friend and I know him well enough that he comes with generally intellectually honest intent. Maybe some more of that kind of democratic engagement could create a democratic culture and discussion that we could trust, more, rather than letting the cyncism keep our politics a crazy fuckin' mess all of the time.

I'll read on Robert's piece more tomorrow. For right now, I need sleep.

Love,
Ben