The Fuhrerprinzip And The Little Fuhrer Who Could

[Gary Sisco]

From Sullivan's site:

FRUM ON THE MEDALS: Here's David Frum's defense of the Medals of Freedom for three architects of failure in the invasion and occupation of Iraq:
[T]he president is doing something important. He is declaring to the officials and soldiers who are executing this policies that he will stand behind them when things get tough; that he won't go seeking scapegoats; that he fully, strongly, and publicly supports the individuals he himself chose to carry out the tasks he himself assigned. There's a lot of loose talk about President Bush's demands for loyalty. One thing that critics of this president have never grasped is that he has been unprecedentedly successful in claiming loyalty up because he is unprecedentedly committed to loyalty down.
Memo to David: a "scapegoat" is someone unfairly singled out for criticism when he isn't the man responsible. Take just on example here. George Tenet was CIA chief when the worst intelligence failure since the Bay of Pigs led to the deaths of thousands of people at the hands of Jihadist murderers. He followed up by assuring the president that the case for Saddam's existing stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction was a "slam dunk." Not only is this man not fired; he is given the highest civilian medal possible. Frum's case is that what really matters is not competence or candor or effectiveness - but loyalty. How is the ethic he praises inapplicable to, say, a successful mob boss?

[Gary Sisco]

Incidentally, the Bay of Pigs was a fiasco but not for intelligence reasons. It was just a typical CIA-White House clusterfuck.

[Darryl G. Thomas]

You know what these guys remind me of? One of those tin-horn dictatorships where the leaders keep blowing smoke up each other's asses by heaping praise and medals upon each other.

It's like we're in some PR nightmare where spin's the only thing that matters.

[A. Kingstone]

In the 80's I was working as a carpet salesman in a funky downtown shop selling mostly flat woven Indian made dhurries. In walks David Frum, still living in Canada in need of some floor decoration. I'm not sure why I knew who he was, perhaps he was writing a newspaper column, but his mother, Barbara Frum was well known for her work with CBC Television.

To my surprize David picks out this very wild coloured modern design when I had him pegged for a more traditional carpet. I assured Mr. Frum that store policy allowed that he could exchange the rug should it not be suitable.

Sure enough the next day the rug was returned.

Now this in itself was not remarkable, everybody needs floor covering but understand that these rugs, being flat and not much thicker than a blanket were most easily transported by rolling it into a sausage shape. Here comes our future scriber of evil trilogies through the door with an 8'x10' rug in a great bunch that he has just extracted from the back of his car. A large ball of pastel coloured wool. I was right about his taste, we found something dull, formal and conservative and he was on his way. I then proceeded to unravel the ball of rug that was returned to find in the middle of the bunch; David Frums shoe. What kind of absent minded person doesn't consider for just a moment the most practical way to transport something, maybe say the way it was packaged to begin with and then loses personal property (said shoe) in the process of balling up the offending rug?

[Gary Sisco]

Spin is the only thing that matters, Darryl.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by A. Kingstone

In the 80's I was working as a carpet salesman in a funky downtown shop selling mostly flat woven Indian made dhurries. In walks David Frum, still living in Canada in need of some floor decoration. I'm not sure why I knew who he was, perhaps he was writing a newspaper column, but his mother, Barbara Frum was well known for her work with CBC Television.

To my surprize David picks out this very wild coloured modern design when I had him pegged for a more traditional carpet. I assured Mr. Frum that store policy allowed that he could exchange the rug should it not be suitable.

Sure enough the next day the rug was returned.

Now this in itself was not remarkable, everybody needs floor covering but understand that these rugs, being flat and not much thicker than a blanket were most easily transported by rolling it into a sausage shape. Here comes our future scriber of evil trilogies through the door with an 8'x10' rug in a great bunch that he has just extracted from the back of his car. A large ball of pastel coloured wool. I was right about his taste, we found something dull, formal and conservative and he was on his way. I then proceeded to unravel the ball of rug that was returned to find in the middle of the bunch; David Frums shoe. What kind of absent minded person doesn't consider for just a moment the most practical way to transport something, maybe say the way it was packaged to begin with and then loses personal property (said shoe) in the process of balling up the offending rug?

I was really surprised that Barbara Frum's son would hold such strange global views. I listened to his mother host one of the most interesting, live current affairs radio shows on CBC for years. She must be spinning in her grave, to see how her son turned out. Of course, she may have known and despaired while she was still around. People don't change.

[walto]

Originally Posted by A. Kingstone

In the 80's I was working as a carpet salesman in a funky downtown shop selling mostly flat woven Indian made dhurries. In walks David Frum, still living in Canada in need of some floor decoration. I'm not sure why I knew who he was, perhaps he was writing a newspaper column, but his mother, Barbara Frum was well known for her work with CBC Television.

To my surprize David picks out this very wild coloured modern design when I had him pegged for a more traditional carpet. I assured Mr. Frum that store policy allowed that he could exchange the rug should it not be suitable.

Sure enough the next day the rug was returned.

Now this in itself was not remarkable, everybody needs floor covering but understand that these rugs, being flat and not much thicker than a blanket were most easily transported by rolling it into a sausage shape. Here comes our future scriber of evil trilogies through the door with an 8'x10' rug in a great bunch that he has just extracted from the back of his car. A large ball of pastel coloured wool. I was right about his taste, we found something dull, formal and conservative and he was on his way. I then proceeded to unravel the ball of rug that was returned to find in the middle of the bunch; David Frums shoe. What kind of absent minded person doesn't consider for just a moment the most practical way to transport something, maybe say the way it was packaged to begin with and then loses personal property (said shoe) in the process of balling up the offending rug?

Great story!

[Darryl G. Thomas]

I don't know how important the Medal of Freedom is in the big scheme of things (I think Mother Theresa got one), but I have a feeling its prestige has been cheapened here.

The election's over. There's no need to convince the American people of the greatness of our "victory" in Iraq.

[Dr Dave]

The first Medal of Freedom was awarded in 1945. It wasn't given again until 1954. The first President to really get into giving the awards was Lyndon Johnson, who gave it to 29 individuals in 1964, among them such important political personages as Walt Disney.

In addition to Tenet, Bremer, and Franks, George W. Bush has given the Medal of Freedom to Doris Day, Arnold Palmer, Charlton Heston, and Fred Rogers, among others.

[graypencil]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

In addition to Tenet, Bremer, and Franks, George W. Bush has given the Medal of Freedom to Doris Day, Arnold Palmer, Charlton Heston, and Fred Rogers, among others.

If I remeber correctly, he also gave it to ( barf ) Wayne Newton ..for entertaining the troops ...

[Dr Dave]

I couldn't find a reference to Wayne Newton. I did find one for Estee Lauder, though!

A 1930 photograph:

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by patricia

I was really surprised that Barbara Frum's son would hold such strange global views. I listened to his mother host one of the most interesting, live current affairs radio shows on CBC for years. She must be spinning in her grave, to see how her son turned out. Of course, she may have known and despaired while she was still around. People don't change.

He had a BA and MA from Yale by age 21 or 22. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School. Frum made Judge Posner's book of the 100 most influential minds in the U.S. His books have been praised from as diverse intellectuals as Frank Rich and William F. Buckley. Yeah, his mother must be spinning in her grave. Right.

[patricia]

Gordon, I didn't say that David Frum is not intelligent. I meant that his political views are directly opposite to those which his late mother, a woman whose views were widely known, respected and very Liberal held.

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by patricia

Gordon, I didn't say that David Frum is not intelligent. I meant that his political views are directly opposite to those which his late mother, a woman whose views were widely known, respected and very Liberal held.

I think most mothers would be proud of a son as accomplished as David Frum and rather their son be an overachiever and sit on the other side of the political fence than be an underachiever and sit on the same side.

To say that mum is spinning in her grave implies that all she cared about when alive was that her son held similar political views.