Ugh, I hate the whole idea of "idealism" in foreign policy.  That is not to say you support "thugs", but it is to say we can't remove or fix every "thug" in existence.  In fact much of America's problems today whether in economics or politics is way to much "idealism" and not enough practical application of "reality". 

The art of conclusion without convincing argument.  But I'll continue to read Mr. Jacoby in hopes that, one day, he strings together an article with a point he substantiates.

Perhaps some of Senator Kerry's aversion to miltary adventurism stem from his own combat experiences in Vietnam. Our "idealist" approach there cost us 55,000 American dead. Have you ever served, Mr Jacoby, at the point of the spear, or did you have other things to do?

So now you're embracing Carter's Human Rights agenda?  You're only 30+ years late.

The worst affront to freedom for most is to have foreign armies on their soil. Compared to that, everything else is details.

Geez "Kitch" your anti-Islamic feelings, "Al Qaeda and its clones was created by the totalitarian ideology of Islamism" sometimes make you sound like one of those wooly headed "orientalists".  To ignore the religious revulsion regarding "infidels" occupying land in the Saudi is to ignore the tribalism you often refer too.  It would be as if I were to ignore the reaction of Muslim troops providing security for the papal state.  

Some things George W. Bush didn't do in Iraq: 1. Spread Freedom 2. Encourage Democracy 3. Establish international respect for the United States 4. Secure a place of respect for international human rights 

Jeff Jacoby is a neo-con. He is a liar of the most evil sort. The promotion of American adventurism for the benefit of wealthy corporate interests. The promotion of death and destruction for the disposable class on every shore for the benefit of military contractors and corporate overlords. What a sick, sick world this is when an article like this, with no reference to the gigantic mistake that was Iraq, can parade as intelligent discourse. 

Jacoby loves to sabre rattle. What I want to know is if he ever put his own skin in the game i.e. did he ever serve in the military. Something tells me he didn't and that makes him a chicken hawk. And I want to know if his offspring have any intent to serve. 

Kerry should be head of the committee for narsacissitic opportunists in politics.  

All through this column Jacoby compares Kerry with Kennedy. That's very strange. JFK was President of the United States, never Secretary of State. Kerry, on the other hand, has never been a President (or even a Secretary of State before now).

Kennedy was President during the Cold War. He wasn't humanitarian so much as anti-Communist. He didn't much care about the Cuban people. He cared about Russian influence and especially Russian missiles.

This column is really just Kerry bashing at its worst. Jacoby's biggest complaint seems to be a reluctance by Kerry to send young Americans all over the world to get rid of "thugs and totalitarians." (Is that redundant?) You know what? Ridding the world of dictators is a lost cause, an impossible dream. It's a little like stepping on ants. You can do it until you have no feet left, but there will still be ants.

The primary duty of a government is to protect it's own people. We need to be very careful about foreign adventures. It's not just the money that we can't afford; it's also the young lives that Jacoby is willing to sacrifice. I'm not willing to do that unless it's fully justified.

In his mid-50's Jacoby is not going to be driving a tank or sleeping in a bunker, but he's quite willing for someone else to do it for him.