It’s a matter of principle

Writing for CounterPunch, John V. Walsh takes to task Professor Juan Cole and the radio program Democracy Now for advocating humanitarian war-making (Cole) and for being too soft on this kind of war-making and for permitting a war-advocate like Cole to claim without opposition and on the air that he is a member of the left (Democracy Now). Walsh even points out that Juan Cole has been a CIA expert-consultant, a strange occupation for a self-avowed leftist. Strange because supporting American imperial statecraft has always disqualified the supporter from left membership, their claims notwithstanding and to the contrary. Walsh concludes by making clear that:

If one reads CounterPunch.org, Antiwar.com or The American Conservative, one knows that one is reading those who are anti-interventionist on the basis of principle. With Democracy Now and kindred progressive outlets, it’s all too clear where a big chunk of the so-called “left” stands, especially since the advent of Obama. In his superb little book Humanitarian Imperialism Jean Bricmont criticizes much of the left for falling prey to advocacy of wars, supposedly based on good intentions. And Alexander Cockburn has often pointed out that many progressives are actually quite fond of “humanitarian” interventionism. Both here and in Europe this fondness seems to be especially true of Obama’s latest war, the war on Libya . It is little wonder that the “progressives” are losing their antiwar following to Ron Paul and the Libertarians who are consistent and principled on the issue of anti-interventionism.

Democracy Now, quo vadis? Wherever you are heading, you would do well to travel without Juan Cole and his friends.