I Hate What You Just Said

Ezra Klein has a fantastic essay up over at The American Prospect. He writes,

Barack Hussein Obama was, arguably, the country’s most unlikely candidate for highest office. He embodied, or at least invoked, much of what America feared. His color recalled our racist past. His name was a reminder of our anxious present. His spiritual mentor displayed a streak of radical Afro-nationalism. He knew domestic terrorists and had lived in predominantly Muslim countries. There was hardly a specter lurking in the American subconscious that he did not call forth.

And that was his great strength. He robbed fear of its ability to work through quiet insinuation. He forced America to confront its own subconscious. Obama actually is black. His middle name actually is “Hussein.” He actually does know William Ayers. He actually was married by Jeremiah Wright. He actually had lived in Indonesia. These were not smears, though they were often used as such. They were facts. And this election was fundamentally about what happened when fear collided with fact.

For the first time, America had to articulate what exactly it feared. Did it truly believe that the middle name “Hussein” suggested a terrorist threat to the country? Well, no. Did it genuinely think Obama a radical Afro-nationalist who had dedicated his life to serving a country he loathed? Probably not. Did it actually seem plausible that Obama wanted to become president so he could finish the job the Weathermen started? Unlikely. The shadowy terrors that animated American politics in the dark aftermath of 9-11 receded. Time had passed. To borrow a line, it was morning in America, and our country looked different in the clean light of the dawn. And so too did its problems.

The entire essay is worth a look.

I encountered a book at my local Barnes and Nobel today entitled 48 Liberal Lies About American History: (That You Probably Learned in School) by one professor Larry Schweikart of the University of Dayton (no, not Tennessee — Ohio).

It was a fascinating read.

Did you know, for instance, that Columbus didn’t kill any Indians? And that the Puritans weren’t the theocratic haters of Indians that they’re made out to be? In fact, they actually used the surplus agriculture they got from their capitalistic farming practices to aid the “hapless” Indians. A Thanksgiving/Free Market miracle! Those stories of genocidal campaigns are just absurd chimeras cooked up by “arugula-eating, pointy-headed-professor types” and Obama voters who hate America.

One of my favorite chapters is the story of how Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction actually were in Iraq before the war. Schweikart’s explanation of how they were all whisked away, right before US troops arrived, is a real tour de force. Oh, and Saddam Hussein? Completely in league with al-Qaeda.

Basically, everything you (and virtually all really smart people) know about American history is wrong. Unless, of course, that thing you believe is an hallucination that casts conservatives in a positive light. Then it’s true.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: “Ok, Larry, but how do I know what books to buy? I don’t want my child to encounter the evil falsehoods of liberalism. I don’t have a Ph.D! How do I know which books have lies and which books don’t?”

Have no fear. Larry has a simple, easy to remember test: the Reagan Pregnancy Textbook Test. Parents, watch this video, and learn.

Incidentally, it’s always good to hear an historian say, “well, I had to stretch that one.”

UPDATE:

You can learn more about this intrepid iconoclast at the University of Dayton’s website. I learned, for example, that prior to the academy, Larry “was a rock drummer for several bands, one of which reached the big-time concert level as the opening act for Steppenwolf . . .”

Larry also says that his “future plans include winning a Pulitzer and writing a history of media bias in the United States.”

I can’t wait.

The right has been arguing that Barack Obama is inexperienced, unqualified, and a risky choice for president.

Hm.

Well, Oily McWar is old, like dirt, so if he is elected (shudder), his running mate might just have to be ready to actually be President. So perhaps we should examine her credentials closely.  Because we would want a vice-presidential candidate to be experienced, qualified, and not risky.

Sarah Palin, former sportscaster, former mayor of Moose Ass, AK, and two-year Governor of the 47th largest state, has an educational record which can be found here.

Summary:

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin attended five colleges in six years before graduating from the University of Idaho in 1987…

She began college at Hawaii Pacific University, a private, nonsectarian school in Honolulu. She attended only as a freshman during the fall of 1982, school spokeswoman Crystale Lopez said.

Then known as Sarah Louise Heath, she was in the business administration program as a full-time student, Lopez said.

“We’re trying to track down someone who knew her,” Lopez added.

From Hawaii Pacific, Palin transferred to North Idaho College, a two-year school in Coeur d’Alene, about 30 miles east of Spokane. She attended the college as a general studies major for two semesters, in spring 1983 and fall 1983, spokeswoman Stacy Hudson said.

“We were not able to track down club affiliations or anything,” Hudson said.

The school identified one of her professors but he did not remember her, Hudson said.

Prior to her selection by McCain, the North Idaho College Alumni Association notified Palin in June she would be the recipient of its 2008-2009 Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award.

From North Idaho College, Palin transferred 70 miles south to the University of Idaho, the state’s flagship institution. She majored in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast news. She attended Idaho, whose mascot is the Vandals, from fall 1984 to spring 1985.

She then returned to Alaska to attend Matanuska-Susitna College in Palmer in fall 1985.

Then she returned to Idaho, for spring 1986, fall 1986 and spring 1987, when she graduated. Despite her journalism degree, she does not appear to have worked for the college newspaper or campus television station, school officials said.

Of course, one doesn’t like to engage in excessive credentialism.  But Palin’s C.V. is really, really unimpressive.  (I’m opposed to virtually everything she stands for, too.  Also, it seems like she’s pretty corrupt.  But right now we’re talking about qualifications).  Andrew Sullivan puts it better:

If she applied for an internship at National Review, they would turn her down.

I think that sums it up, don’t you?  Turn down McCain-Palin in 2008.

One Texas school district is seeking greater realism in their Alamo pedagogy:

The tiny Harrold, Texas, school district will allow teachers and staff members to carry concealed firearms when they return to class this month.

The superintendent said they’re a 30-minute drive from the Wilbarger County Sheriff’s Office, leaving students and teachers without protection. He told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started.“

No word yet on whether the post hoc ergo prompter hoc after school program will be eliminated from the school budget.