Vodkapundit - Sore Loser Watch IV

Sore Loser Watch IV

Posted by Stephen Green · 26 March 2003

Yesterday, it finally happened. Eric Alterman is now in Full Spittle Spewing Mode, attacking everyone in the Defense Department, Colin Powell, the Budget Office, the White House, and praising Arthur Schlesinger when he says, “Today it is we Americans who live in infamy.”

The invading force turns out to have been too small. Homeland security is a joke, and starved for resources. Oil prices are going sky high and the market had its worse day in six months, during which time it had a lot of bad days. The first $75 billion is just a downpayment. Expect to pay hundreds of billions in the short-term, trillions in the long run. Expect it to come out of your schools, your police forces, your highways, your future and your children’s future Oh, and then there’s the rest of the world. Arthur Schlesinger lays it out in Newsweek” and the Los Angeles Times:
“Today it is we Americans who live in infamy.”

There's more. Lots more. And you know it's all true, because he says so and has some links. The war is lost, America lays prone, and it's all about OIIIIILLLL.

It took a mere five days for Alterman to go from Thoughtfully Cautious Pundit back to Ranting Martian.

Did anyone have a pool going? Who won?

UPDATE: Mike M., the Opinion Monger, offers this to soothe Alterman's worried brow:

Where are we now? Oil prices are down. Israel has not been attacked. Coalition casualties are low. Iraqi civilians are rebelling against Saddam. We're less than 50 miles from Baghdad. No credible broadcasts from Saddam. Republican Guard being ground into burger. Humanitarian aid is flowing. Basra has nearly fallen. No chemical weapons have been used. No domestic terrorism. FRICKING FLIPPER IS BEATING SADDAM.

Admittedly, Mike uses sandpaper instead of a cool washcloth, but it still counts, right?

Comments

Alterman is three days late and two steps behind the argument, as usual. Now he has to resort to wildly unlikely doomsday scenarios since nearly all of the original anti-war arguments have been disproven. Alterman is also too dumb to realize that a good part of what we're seeing is disinformation or irrelevant. Sandstorms? Two to one odds our jets are still flying and beating the hell out the Republican Guard.

Where are we now?
Oil prices are down.
Israel has not been attacked.
Coalition casualties are low.
Iraqi civilians are rebelling against Saddam.
We're less than 50 miles from Baghdad.
No credible broadcasts from Saddam.
Republican Guard being ground into burger.
Humanitarian aid is flowing.
Basra has nearly fallen.
No chemical weapons have been used.
No domestic terrorism.
FRICKING FLIPPER IS BEATING SADDAM.

Yes, dolphins have defeated the last pathetic efforts of the Iraqi Navy. Let me take a bold step. Alterman is either incredibly stupid or so biased that he's not worth reading. (except for the entertainment value)

Posted by: Mike M at March 26, 2003 10:05 AM

"Yes, dolphins have defeated the last pathetic efforts of the Iraqi Navy."

Which, of course, brought PETA out of their rathole to whine about it. There is a certain degree of comfort in the utterly predictable, isn't there? :-)

Posted by: M. Scott Eiland at March 26, 2003 11:02 AM

I was wondering when PETA would join the spittle-fest.

Not if, just when.

If there were any trees to speak of in Iraq, I'm sure we'd be hearing from the Earth First! whackos. But even they can't get worked up over us pounding sand into...well, more sand. Or should I say glass?

Posted by: Garrett at March 26, 2003 12:29 PM

"Infamy! Infamy! Everybody's got it in f' me!"

Posted by: John Farren at March 26, 2003 03:34 PM

I'm thinking about having a pool to see if Alterman's book can stay ahead of Ann Coulter's on Amazon through the month of May.

FYI, Coulter's book is published in JUNE.

Think that'll raise his cackles?

Posted by: Ricky at March 26, 2003 04:10 PM

I lost my pool -- I had him losing it on day two. (Is this a common pool or something? I thought we were being unusually arcane when we started it.) Surprisingly, no one had five days. I had two, my wife had one, and then everyone else figured he'd last a fortnight.

We're trying to think of a new pool.

Posted by: Chris at March 26, 2003 05:48 PM