Nixonian (in)Sanity Rising?

WayWayWayWorseThanWatergate
HSTFridaysVille

You know, despite the fact that they occasionally drank together, I never really understood what Hunter Thompson saw in former Nixon speechwriter Patrick Buchanan. And, apparently, the friendship ran both ways because the following is a response from Buchanan to HST after the latter had asked him to write a screed for Rolling Stone. The thing to realize here is that the letter was written in early 1974 at a time when Buchanan was doing everything he could to save 'The Boss' from that summer's inevitable, ignoble and final defeat:

Dear Hunter:

Sorry I haven't been able to get back to you sooner; but all leaves and furloughs have been cancelled for the last sixty days, on orders of the General Staff. At the appropriate time, I may well deliver myself of the recommended 'hammerhead screed' but I must say I was dissillusioned to learn that Rolling Stone had excercised the bad judgement to throw away three good pages on Richard Goodwin. As the Old Man said in the final days of that wonderful year, 1968, it is "getting down to the nut-cutting." Tell your liberal friends we expect to be treated with all the deference and respect as outlined in the Geneva Conventions on the handling of prisoners of war.

Best,
Patrick J. Buchanan
Special Consultant to the President



But now, finally, I think maybe I get it, because while Buchanan may be a waygone, rightsided protectionist tinged with xenophobia, I've got to admit he is not afraid to stand on his principles as he does in this recent piece on the situation in Lebanon:

On American TV, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says the ruination of Lebanon is Hezbollah's doing. But is it Hezbollah that is using U.S.-built F-16s, with precision-guided bombs, and 155-mm artillery pieces to wreak death and devastation on Lebanon?

No, Israel is doing this, with the blessing and without a peep of protest from President Bush. And we wonder why they hate us.

"Today, we are all Israelis!" brayed Ken Mehlman of the Republican National Committee to a gathering of Christians United for Israel.

One wonders if these Christians care about what is happening to our Christian brethren in Lebanon and Gaza, who have had all power cut off by Israeli air strikes, an outlawed form of collective punishment, that has left them with no sanitation, rotting food, impure water and days without light or electricity in the horrible heat of July.....

{snip}

....But all this carnage and destruction has only piqued the blood lust of the hairy-chested warriors at The Weekly Standard. In a signed editorial, "It's Our War," William Kristol calls for America to play her rightful role in this war by "countering this act of aggression by Iran with a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Why wait?"

"Why wait?" Well, one reason is that the United States has not been attacked. A second is a small thing called the Constitution. Where does George W. Bush get the authority to launch a war on Iran? When did Congress declare war or authorize a war on Iran?

Answer: It never did. But these neoconservatives care no more about the Constitution than they cared about the truth when they lied into war in Iraq.....


So there you have it.

Clearly the Crazies and their Screamers really are in charge when one of Mistah' Nixon's men starts sounding like he's the sane, rational and sensical one.

OK?

_____
Update: The ever vigilant Bob Broughton gets to the heart of the matter in the comments. Nobody ever said the Nixon Agonistes didn't have ulterior motives. In related news, one of the Boss's lawyers in crime, Robert Mardian, has died. No doubt Mr. Mardian, if he were resurrected and sent straight to work for the Justice Dept. tomorrow, would look reasonable and sensical also compared to the current crop working for Alberto VO5.

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