There are no enemies, just friends you haven't appeased yet

I think it was Mark Steyn (who else?) who coined that phrase, and it describes Chris Matthews' political beliefs with remarkable accuracy:

Four years after 9/11 and the "crazy zeitgeist" that permeated the United States, most Americans have still not learned to know their enemies instead of just hating them, U.S. political journalist Chris Matthews says.

In a speech to political science students at the University of Toronto yesterday, the host of the CNBC current affairs show Hardball had plenty of harsh words for U.S. President George W. Bush, as well as the political climate that has characterized his country for the past few years.

"The period between 9/11 and Iraq was not a good time for America. There wasn't a robust discussion of what we were doing," Matthews said.

"If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we've given up. The person on the other side is not evil -- they just have a different perspective." [emphasis added]

Here's the thing: I have spent the last four years "trying to figure out the other side" - and the more I learn about them, there more I think there is no word more appropriate than "evil".

Correction: I may have gotten this one wrong. See here.

Posted by damian at November 21, 2005 11:57 AM | TrackBack