[Dean's World] Dave Price: Sock Puppets, Great and Small

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Sock Puppets, Great and Small
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1153762847.shtml


   Well, I didnât mention this in my earlier Greenwald post as the
   situation was still developing, but Ace [1]has now built a strong (if
   circumstantial) case that Other Glenn has been shamelessly
   sock-puppeting discussions involving himself. As Greenwald continues
   to refuse to address the issue in various ways that could easily
   exonerate him were he innocent, it seems increasingly likely there is
   some malfeasance here, most likely by GG himself and if not then
   almost certainly by someone intimate to him.
   Some people have questioned the value of this exercise. To them, I
   would point to the departure of Capitol Hill Blueâs Doug Thompson,
   [2]in the wake of evidence uncovered by Eric Scheie which appears to
   proves Thompson has fabricated several sources and their quotes over
   the past few years. One of Dougâs âsourcesâ claimed Bush had said the
   Constitution was just a âjust a g-d---m piece of paperâ and tortured
   pets as a child. Now, the MSM had largely ignored Thompson, but his
   claims were widely cited in the leftosphere and certainly influenced
   their view of Bush. Dishonesty matters, and one sort of dishonesty is
   often indicative of other kinds of dishonesty. (And am I the only one
   whoâs noticed the [3]BDS trend here? Rather/Mapes, Thompson,
   Greenwaldâ¦)
   Of course, all of the above chicanery is quite picayune next to the
   massively destructive sock-puppetry going on in the Mideast right now.
   As [4]Allahpundit notes, more people are recognizing what Iâve argued
   for some time: Hizbollahâs center of gravity lies [5]somewhere outside
   Lebanon and thus assaulting them inside Lebanon will accomplish
   little, and may in fact serve their interests by inflaming
   Arab/Persian opinion.
   But given the shruggish U.S. response so far I have to wonder: have
   the tyrants in Syria and Iran miscalculated? Itâs a basically unipolar
   world these days. There is no Communist superpower to counterbalance
   the United States anymore; China is a competitor, but probably [6]not
   quite an implacable enemy and [7]not quite a rival superpower, either.
   Even Saudi Arabia [8]appears to know which way the wind is blowing. If
   Israel decides to bomb Damascus or Tehran and the U.S. backs them, can
   the despots risk a wider war that draws in the United States directly
   rather than curtailing their current proxy war? Even assuming the U.S.
   could not or did not commit ground troops, there is nothing to stop
   our carrier groups from devastating either or both countries'
   leadership and armed forces â perhaps even cutting off Tehranâs oil,
   their font of power. Visions of imminent Tomahawks and daisycutters
   may persuade the autocrats to abandon their deadly games.
   The common thread here is that those who wield the sock puppets must
   feel some consequence for their behavior. Bombing Hizbollah and Hamas
   accomplishes no more than aiming attacks at the pseudonymous George
   Harleigh or Thomas Ellers.

References

   1. http://ace.mu.nu/archives/187425.php
   2. http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/003885.html
   3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_Derangement_Syndrome
   4. http://hotair.com/archives/top-picks/2006/07/24/israeli-offensive-doomed-to-fail/
   5. http://www.sogol.com/WHP/IINFO/Ready%20%20INT/TEHRAN/Tehran%20map%20web_files/image002.gif
   6. http://instapundit.com/archives/031534.php
   7. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/spending.htm
   8. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=74080