Centerfield

When Dalton Trumbo wrote his leftist antiwar classic "Johnnie Got His Gun," he little expected that it would be used as a propaganda tool by pro-fascist isolationists in the late 1930s, and that he would be protesting in vain that this was not what he had really meant.

Not in vain. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, "Trumbo ordered all copies of Johnny Got His Gun to be recalled and stopped any further publication of the book. After receiving letters from individuals requesting copies of the book, Trumbo contacted the FBI and turned these letters over to them, questioning the correspondents' loyalty to the Allied war effort." (Wikipedia)

But yeah, what he said.

And has he signed this yet? I wonder what Democrats think of Wilson today, or even Truman and Kennedy for that matter. Would FDR do nothing to prevent Iran from getting the bomb? Or even Clinton? The open split among Republicans masks the split in the Democrats. This will be an interesting next two years.......

Max, thank you. I don't agree 100% with everything there, but I definately support most of their prinipals.

I've signed it, and I'm an active supporter.I've read Hitchens' views on the Euston Manifesto. He basically supports it, as far as I can tell:

" have been flattered by an invitation to sign it, and I probably will, but if I agree it will be the most conservative document that I have ever initialled. Even the obvious has now become revolutionary. So call me a neo-conservative if you must: anything is preferable to the rotten unprincipled alliance between the former fans of the one-party state and the hysterical zealots of the one-god one"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2157754,00.html

Hitchen's is Matthew's red-headed stepchild whipping boy.

They should both remember what happened to Matthew's hero, Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neil....Reagan handed his ASS to him!

Thank Bobby B for sending Euston your way.

Hitchens has called it one of the most conservative documents he has ever read but it is interesting that such a neoliberal effort might be the only thing to sway the independent left and help rescue conservatism’s predictable blow back from failure of crucial centrist aims. Euston is an attempt to repair the ideological breach that began with Viet Nam and Watergate. Part of centrism regaining traction mostly likely requires a new Liberal Consensus which can again "ask what you can do for your country". Instead NCIS investigations of a massacre dominate the binary media looking to hammer.

A more pragmatic Democratic world view, and the domestic necessity for Republicans to accept a centrism guided by a neoLiberal Consensus (were it to grow) are sorely needed in order to prevent Republican-led mission failure in critical areas of economy, foreign policy and domestic cohesion. Democrats were out spreading democracy long before conservatives. We will see who signs it and who doesn't. How about McCain? Rove? Would the Unity party concur? One doesn't have to agree with all 100%, but the general gist is clear and echos Democratic voices of the past.

And yet it continues to amaze that aside from the Limo Libs of the Hamptons, the general public, ie; Americana, still supports (regardless of what Brian Williams, Wolf Blitzer and Larry King say), the Republican agenda.

Proof? How's this for proof...

The #1 rated RADIO (not just talk radio, ALL radio) program in America is Rush Limbaugh. He leads his nearest competitor by double the listening audience. His #2 competitor? Sean Hannity.

The entire Fox News lineup, 5pm EST to 11:00pm EST, beats all of their competitors.

While the ratings have slightly diminished over the course of the past couple of months, they have yet to diminish to the point that their competitors have begun to think about the possibility of overtaking them.

Now the Hamptons crowd would, under their Martini swilled breath, (except for Alec Baldwin, who's too stupid to keep his mouth shut---ie; Hannity's radio show when he disparaged blue collar workers) say that, "oh that's just middle America, they don't count".

Well, they do count and they know how the Lefties really feel about them!

Do you really think it's a "right wing conspiracy" that Fox News Channel, O'Reilly, Hannity, Rush are KILLING CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, et al???

Don't count out middle America, elitists...they've got your number!