] By selecting Edwards, Kerry went with the smooth-talking
] Southern populist over more seasoned politicians in hopes
] of injecting vigor and small-town appeal to the
] Democratic presidential ticket.

Totally works for me. I fall for the hot young populsits every damn time.

Kerry Picks Edwards!

] For the first time in more than a decade, the Army is
] forcing thousands of former soldiers back into uniform, a
] reflection of the strain on the service of long campaigns
] in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Pseudo-draft," anyone?

Salon.com News | Army recalling thousands who left service

Acidus wrote:
] ] I realize that we have enemies and they need to be
] ] confronted. But I do not want this to be all that America
] ] is about in the world anymore, and that is what has
] ] happened under this administration. I don't want the rest
] ] of my career to be about an America that exports fear,
] ] not hope, and ends up importing everyone else's fears as
] ] a result. I don't want it to be about explaining to young
] ] Chinese why my government can't give them student visas
] ] anymore. I don't want it to be about visiting U.S.
] ] Embassies around the world and finding them so isolated
] ] behind barbed wire, they might as well not be there at
] ] all. Defeating "them" has begun to define "us" in too
] ] many ways.
]
] I'm enjoyed Thomas Friedman's analysis of Iraq for a while
] now, and he makes a good point about where this "War on
] Terror" is taking us.

I find it interesting that Friedman has changed his tune so much lately. His original response to September 11th was that it confirmed all his theories from his ridiculous pro-globalization manifesto The Lexus Branch and the Olive Tree and that questioning the attacks as a possible response to US Foreign policy in the middle east was "dangerous and fatuous." (quote from a lecture at my college.) His new articles have been a lot more palatable to me, but I wonder if he's starting to question the rest of his free-trade fantasy world.

RE: Friedman on US Foreign Policy