Saturday, August 25, 2007

A delicious dissection of Michael Ignatieff


I'm pretty sure by now most people have read or have seen pertinent excerpts of Michael Ingnatieff's piece in the New York Time magazine in which he attempts a "mea culpa" on his position vis a vis the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq.

Many have taken Ignatieff apart for his apparent lack of remorse and his obvious attempt to pass it off as a temporary lapse in what would otherwise be exceptionally acute judgment.

At least, that's what he'd like you to believe. Ignatieff seems unwilling to accept the outcome of the Liberal leadership convention and is casting about seemingly trying to secure a position he could not win from the convention floor.

While the article is now over 20 days old, it is still making the rounds. That may be good or bad, but it's happening all the same. And just to remind Ignatieff why that's likely happening, it's because he was so wrong, and dismissed those of us who were right all along, that the "best before" date on any revision of thought had long expired and he was written off as a Bushco adherent.

Back in 2004, Ignatieff tried very hard to excuse his belief in something he labeled "preventative war". He did it without admitting that, no matter what tag one hangs off it, it's aggressive war and it's a war crime.

Back then Helena Cobban tore Ignatieff's narrative to ribbons. What she made clear is that Ignatieff was an elitist and his hearing was impaired when it came to people who opposed whatever view he possessed at the time.

Well, Helena Cobban has done it again and it's worth every second it takes to read it. Ignatieff - Still getting it wrong on Iraq, gives you Ignatieff's essay and it gives you the annotations which leave his presentation on a steaming, stinking pile of waste.

I could write more, but that would spoil your fun. Go read.

Tip of the hat to reader MB

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