The State of Play in the Bomb-Iran Debate
Via Philip Weiss, I see that last week Karim Sadjadpour and Martin Indyk debated Elliott “Get Down Out of Those Trees and Be Democrats” Abrams and Joshua Muravchik on the proposition: “America cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran and must go to any lengths to prevent it.” It’s a topic that’s been of interest to me for some time now.
Indyk and Sadjadpour acquitted themselves rather well, but it made me chuckle to see Abrams and Muravchik throwing some very familiar-smelling handfuls of argument into the discussion. I thought it might be worth passing a few of them along.
Sen. Hatch Does Not Owe His Friend My Freedom
Here’s one idea that needs to be put down right now: that we should enact health care reform as a tribute to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), who has terminal brain cancer.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) was recently quoted:
I would like to do [health care reform] as a legacy issue for [Kennedy], if I can — this would mean a lot to him.
I mean no disrespect to Sen. Kennedy. Aside from those who have actually given their own lives for this country, few have given as much as he has. I wish him peace, and a miraculous recovery.
My problem is with the choice of tribute. The health care reforms that Congress is cobbling together would dramatically reduce each American’s freedom to control her income, run a business, and make her own health care decisions.
The United States of America is a republic. We do not make tributes of our citizens or their rights to the aristocracy. Sen. Hatch does not owe his friend my freedom.
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