News

Ledeen says the “realists” shouldn’t assume that “our enemies” are human beings who will respond rationally to traditional diplomatic negotiation. Typically, he’s arguing in the negative; he doesn’t say what he considers a sensible alternative. So one has to “discover” the implied alternative, an easy enough task. What does Michael Ledeen really mean? Answer: assume that “our enemies” are irrational and subhuman, which in turn implies… yes, “faster, please” to the preferred and completely typical neocon proposal to exterminate the brutes. Yet because of the style in which he argues, plausible deniability (albeit of the flimsiest sort) is maintained. Say what Ledeen really means, and he splutter-feigns outrage at your ’strawman.’