O come on! He's smarter than a hedgehog Victor!

Charles is on a roll today.
Feast of famine, indeed. :p

OT
Socialism is the forcible confiscation of one man's property for another man's use.

It's wrong in any realm, from food to health care to incidentals.

If Satan can stand against this, you can too.

I only ask for your soul. And your wife if she's sort of hot.

/burning in hell, of course

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Victor Davis Hanson is an anti-LLL moral/philosophical talking publishing orgasm and I have a huge crush on him.

So there!

does anyone have an latimes login?

Hanson may be the least known but most important military commentator today.

“The terrorist war proved that he [Bush], like the Greek iambic poet Archilochus’ hedgehog,” Hanson wrote, “knew one thing, but a big one: how to galvanize his people and lead them into battle against an evil enemy in the hour of his country’s great peril.”

Yeah. Except for the galvanizing his people part. I'm surprised VDH is so quick to praise Bush for his "shop til they drop" homeland military strategy.

Prominent colleagues in classics accuse him of putting scholarship in the service of neoconservative, bellicose politics.

They should be angry. Because nobody in the academy would ever dream of putting scholarship in the service of leftwing, bellicose politics.

///do i really need to tag this post?

To employ another of VDH's favorite persons in a metaphor: GWB is a brilliant and decisive General Patton (kill them before they kill us) to Kerry's dull, politically pandering Eisenhower (winning through attrition).

Now who would you rather have leading us in a war?

"Never take counsel of your fears."

"Attack the enemy with the utmost audacity."

-Gen. George Patton

#4 WriterMom,

I imagine some women would like to see a VDH and Rummy jello wrestling contest, both in singlets!

here's VDH with a mustash!

I imagine some women would like to see a VDH and Rummy jello wrestling contest, both in singlets!

Throw in Chuck Yeager and no distance would be too far, no ticket price too high.

#5 bill Iltizam

Try these:

Account #1
bselig
bselig

Account #2
nopass01
nopass01

Account #3
standardq
staples

Account #4
koolaidman
koolaidman

Account #5
waxyorg
waxyorg

#10 Sounds good to me :)

Add Dubya in the flight outfit, too.

P.S I like the shot of VDH from his NRO column way better. The moustache has got to go.

I love VDH, but...

“The terrorist war proved that he [Bush], like the Greek iambic poet Archilochus’ hedgehog,” Hanson wrote,

BZZZT my poseur alert just went off!

Occasional Reader:

“The terrorist war proved that he [Bush], like the Greek iambic poet Archilochus’ hedgehog,” Hanson wrote,

That line struck me as just a bit to high-brow to be tolerated. We know you're brilliant, VDH: don't over-egg the pudding, capisce?

Adding to the jello wrestling nominations (although personally I prefer good old fashioned mud, more masculine than orange goo), I'd like Sean Connery. I'd watch "The Hunt for Red October" at a moment's notice, he's so damn hot with that gray beard!

I'm kinda surprised that while they did mention the Peloponnesian war, they didn't mention that Athens lost.

Let's face it.
The reason we like VDH is because he obviously is very intelligent, know a lot, is academic, and is on our side politically.
Most people on our side are either religious fanatics or dumb.
So VDH gives us legitimacy.

#18 Brutally Honest

So which are you: religious fanatic or dumb?

IMHO, that the VP reads his books and columns and encourages others to do so and that this administration actually meets with VDH to discuss things is reason enought to vote Republican in the fall. His clarity of vision of the true situation in the Middle East, the dangers of Islam and the efforts to demonize Israel has no equal.

It was also good to learn that the readers of this site are not the only ones who anxiously wait each week for VDH's Friday columns.

#19 Andrew
A little of both

Sad that he is moving from the ancestral home to somewhere safer. Such is life in post-American California.

Ooh, do I get to be the first to say that we're being Moby'ed by #18?

Funny how those stupid religious fanatics seem to be able to run rings around those erudite humanists of the Left.

# 14 & # 15

Are you suggesting that VDH purposefully
'dumb down' so the neo-Libs can follow him?

VDH is one of the foremost military scholars
of the age - ranking with John Keegan or
Williamson Murray. He is ALSO considered
one of the foremost classics scholar of our time.

While he may be a bit high-brow for your tastes,
none of it is a pose. Contrast that to the pseudo
intellectual primpings of Noam Chomsky.

It is as foolish to attack a man for being well
read as it is condemn one for lack of letters.

"In times of war, I find the wisdom of farmers to be greater than all the fancy academics I ever met. A farmer can sit on his Massey Ferguson tractor and say, 'Osama bin Laden is no damn good.' "
- VDH (the last line of the article)

Hmmm... I think VDH is being brutally honest. I'll stick with the farmer.

#18 Actually I find that the vast majority of LLL that I meet are the religious fanatics and infrequent thinkers.

Their religion is socialism. They cling desperately to the faith despite the mountains of historical evidence proving it a failure. Reminds me of Jonestown but they want YOU to drink the coolaid too.

Many are highly educated but do not choose to think for themselves. They regurgitate the writings of others but seem unable to explain the logic (or discover the lack thereof) behind them.

''The terrorist war proved that he [Bush], like the Greek iambic poet Archilochus' hedgehog,'' Hanson wrote,

BZZZT my poseur alert just went off!

Tsk, no one values a classical ejimacation anymore. Once upon a time, this would've been secondary-school knowledge. (I actually knew the quote about the comparative assets of the fox and the hedgehog, but I admit I didn't know the name of Archilochus, and will have forgotten it in about fifteen minutes.)

On the other hand, if you ever need a metaphor likening a political figure to Surus, the hardiest of Hannibal's elephants, I'm the man to call. (My 10th-grade Latin teacher made me learn that.)

P.S. What bugs me is not Hanson's classical name-dropping, but the painful syntax. What's wrong with "...like the hedgehog immortalized by the Greek poet Archilochus"? [Okay, I have to admit that there's just NO EXCUSE for slipping in the detail that Archie was noted for originating iambic verse. Poseur!]

#24 pragmatist:

Are you suggesting that VDH purposefully "dumb down"

No, I'm suggesting he went over the top on this one in terms of writing style. It wasn't just a classical Greek hedgehog... it wasn't just Archilocus' hedgehog... it wasn't just the poet Archilocus' hedgehog... it was the iambic poet Archilocus' hedgehog. Please.

It is as foolish to attack a man for being well read as it is condemn one for lack of letters.

I'm not "attacking" anyone, I'm critiquing one particular instance of writing style, of an author whom I generally value very highly. Relax.

#27 Rugby:

(My 10th-grade Latin teacher made me learn that.)

And for much the same reason, I can still recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin... but wouldn't do so in a newspaper interview!

In Hanson’s opinion, expressed in his recent military history “Ripples of Battle,” Bush, despite intellectual shortcomings (“he lacked his predecessor’s encyclopedic knowledge of names, places and dates”), was the right leader at the right time in responding to Sept. 11.

I particularly love the totally unbiased way the article's author compares GWB to clinton, as if clinton has anything at all to do with the subject of this article (unless of course as a negative example of military leadership). I have a feeling that VDH had nothing to do with this bit of gratuitious bus-whacking. Must they always editorialize?

/run on sentences

Having recently read "ripples of battle", I would say it is VDH's weakest book yet.

Stick to his earlier works.

#3 theDevil

I thought the quote was that captialism is the expoitation of one man by another. Communism, of course, is the opposite.

#29 Occasional --

Ooooh -- Pledge of Allegiance in LATIN??!!

Please share!

Brenda #33--

I didn't say I could SPELL it!

#29 Occasional Reader

I see you and I have a similarly painful background:

And for much the same reason, I can still recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin...

I took latin to be solely different than everybody else who took Spanish and French...

They even offered Hebrew at our public HS.

Boy, that Latin sure has come in handy huh folks. jk
I am thinking of having my daughter learn Arabic so she can work for the FBI someday.

I took French in HS bleh how JFK of me. No I didn't serve in Nam, but he did.

My son's teacher is learning Arabic right now in preparation for going into the Marines. From the comments we've passed, he's definitely an anti-idiotarian so I don't question his motives if anyone was thinking "Gitmo translator."

Feeling like the farmer sittin' on his tractor. Oh well, at least our wit and wisdom is in good hands. VDH: youdaman!

#35 John Gibbon:

I took latin to be solely different than everybody else who took Spanish and French...

In my case, my parents talked me into it. Although I certainly don't recall how. I think it was their way of sorta-pretending I was going to a Catholic school, instead of a public one.

In any event, I should probably clarify that I think I can still recite the Pledge of Allegiance in Latin. For all I know, what I'm really reciting by this point are the lyrics to "Why Don't We Do It In The Road?".

#13 WriterMom

"P.S I like the shot of VDH from his NRO column way better. The moustache has got to go. "

He looks like Cliff Clavin.

I wonder where VDH would fit if he was invited onto the next presidential cabinet?

Interesting to ponder? eh?

#36 JimInMPLS 2/25/2004 01:53PM PST

It didn't serve me well, I was so bad at it that I took it Pass/Fail which was an option for seniors.

Went on to a BS in Aero Engineering

My high school (Robert E. Lee) offered Latin, Spanish, French, German, and Russian. I don't remember much of it, but I took Russian and French.

32

I thought the quote was that captialism is the expoitation of one man by another. Communism, of course, is the opposite.

Yeah, you can quote me.

I'm in hell with a hot poker up my ass. What did you expect?

Socialism sucks!

/regreting the condition of mankind, while urinating down my leg

#37 Renna

Have you heard any feedback on how tough a language Arabic is to learn?

OT

Did anyone hear Hans Blix's coments yesterday where he said that the unilateral US action in Iraq has severely undermined the un security councils' authority? Also said that we did terrible damage to our credibilty as well.

Can't make this up. What a dick.

JiminMpls, I'll ask.

Anyone, who was the regular poster who was teaching himself Arabic?

How about a bit of a hat tip to the LA Times. In a week when the NY Times felt it fit to print an op-ed by Chomskey, the Times's profile sits proudly on Page 1. As much as they consistently tote the line of the Left, there's never been a need at the LAT for a "conservative beat."

#45 johnCV

Blix and stones...

#46 Renna

That would have been Andrew B.

#44 Jim

Arabic is ranked as one of the 3 hardest languages to learn. I know Mandarin/Cantonese is another, and the third eludes me at this moment. I'm in my third year of Arabic at university and I can barely get through a kids book. I'm not the most studious of people, but damn, it's hard even before you delve into the various colloquial forms. My high school Latin didn't really help much, except for giving me a grounding in grammar.

#50 MJ
Thanks for that I just moved from my work computer to home, so sorry for the late reaction. Wow, that does sound tough and may explain some of the problems we are having in the WOT.

I saw him on Dennis Miller recently, and was impressed.

OT: UN Warns Nigeria on Islamic Leaders' Polio Boycott

"Nigerian leaders must take this opportunity now or answer to their children," Bellamy [of UNICEF] said in a statement.

#4 WriterMom,
I wish there were more of VDH's kind around.
It's so tough to find a boyfriend in college when I read Hanson and then have to go out and deal with these guys around here that think Chomsky is "the bomb".
bleh.

gad--the guy practices what he preaches--chasing a pcp'd gangbanger from his home with a shotgun--face it folks--vdh is one of this era's true innovative intellectuals--who has given new insights from ancient historical truths--the guy's been my virgil in leading me out of the foggish bromides of the land of el cubo to an incandecant vision of relatively absolute traditional values and beliefs--that takes some intellectual candle power--and the chip in the cookie is that our leaders and protectors read him also--its win win--nice

I too am Glad Hanson's pulling ears in the Administration. And I envy the Air Force Colonel who had a couple of hours with him!

But... but... but...

But this is the L.A. Times!! Home to Robert Scheer (Idiot)! How can they possibly have anything good to say about Victor Davis Hanson?

Does...not...compute

#50 McGill,
English itself must be one of the hardest to master. We have more exceptions than rules for spelling and grammar, not mention a proverbial million word culmulative vocabulary!

Craig,

I think English was the third.

I talked to my son's teacher about his Arabic lessons. He said Arabic was the second hardest after English. Regardless of which ranking is "right", seems like a hard language to learn. The Marines are also teaching him Farsi, Hindi, Korean, and something else I can't remember. I asked him why and he said they haven't told him but he didn't sign on to be a translator, but to fly planes.

#44 JimInMPLS

The following article goes into all of the variables about language learning. Which doesn't answer the question directly. But they do mention the Monterery classification which places Arabic among those that take the longest. Specifically, the longest beginning courses at Monterrey are:
Arabic, Korean, or Vietnamese

[Link: www.ericfacility.net...]

JimInMpls, I don't think it's that hard myself, once you get over the strange alphabet and difficult letters to pronounce. It's a fairly straightforward language, unlike English. I did grow up speaking it though so perhaps I'm not the best judge.

I like a language that has few verbs that decline, and whose nouns don't have articles/suffixes based on gender.

Whatever is wrong with English is the French's fault.

#62 Ed,
Most excellent! ROTFLMAO!

@18 Brutally Honest

Did you forget something? Like sarcasm tags? :)

@48 Renna

It is Andrew B

OK kids, Back OT, . .

I've got to get this meme out there in a much bigger way, gotta shout it from the rooftops, . .

a) There is NO CONNECTION between "intellect" and "Leadership" they are separate (although not mutually exclusive) skill sets.

"Intellection" is a highly developed skill involving scholarship, introspection and contemplation, through analysis and propagation. It involves a high degree of literacy, expertise in a given field. It is a mostly solitary pursuit that endeavors toward the pursuit of higher knowledge.

b) "Leadership" is a highly developed skill involving the ability to achieve goals in the real world by gaining the co-operation of others. It involves the analysis and manipulation of variables which are under one's control, often acting on partial or imperfect information, in order to affect variables which are outside of one's control. It is a pursuit in which social and co-operative skills must be brought to bear in order to achieve the desired results of the group.

These are completely separate and distinct. A Real world example? OK, compare Jimmy Carter, Nuclear Engineer and all-around wonk,(Intellectual) vs. Teddy Roosevelt, Cowboy, Pioneer, Soldier and Statesman (Leader).

A dismal embarrassing failure, and a face on Mt. Rushmore respectively.

Why are we so confused on this ???

BTW Kerry=Eisenhower? Puh-Leeze, why insult a REAL WAR HERO and great American like that?

Kerry, even on his best day falls somewhere between Benedict Arnold and Neville Chamberlin, just above the Tom-Hayden / Jerry Rubin level and just below Mc Govern.

G.W. Bush is a born leader, AND he's a Texan, AND he's an ABSOLUTE GODSEND to the US of A.

This myth that GW Bush is stupid is pure bull.

#1, they don;t let stupid people become F-104 Pilots.
#2, they don't let stupid people get a Harvard MBA

True, he's not the most eloquent, but he's definitely the winner in the current presidential charisma derby

Now shut the f*ck up LLL's, I'm sick of these lies.

VDH is a true anti-idiotarian. I could see him in a cabinet position.

#53 CD: I suggest a trip to Israel. Much fun to be had in the non-Chompsky Jewish male poet-warrior department.

Re: Arabic, I took a few lessons and the thing for me that was a bit hard (evariste correct me if I'm wrong) is that there are three or four ways to write each letter depending on if it's in the beginning, middle or end of a word. But, if you know Hebrew, it's not that hard to get used to it. Also the vowels are different. But there are many similarities to spoken Hebrew, too.

WriterMom a.k.a kids asleep YAY!:
Mazel tov. Just don't "YAY!" too loudly...

#69 CBA: Amen.

The answer is:

#1 Japanese

#2 Mandarin

#3 English

#4 Hungarian

#5 Arabic

...This pleased Hanson, whose historical heroes are decisive men ranging from the Athenian leader Pericles...My impression is Epaminondas of Thebes--not Pericles--is one of Mr. Hanson's favorites (partly due to his defeating the Spartans--371 bc/bce--and invading Sparta afterwards).

to Civil War Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, whose tactical brilliance at the Battle of Shiloh...Sherman, like Grant, was surprised by the Confederate attack at Shiloh.

and brutal *March to the Sea* helped break the back of the Confederacy. Along with the siege of Petersburg, the naval blockade, Thomas' defeat of Hood at Nashville, and Wilson's raid through Alabama/Georgia.

Come on, you guys, Japanese has to be in the top three most difficult languages to learn. Just by default of the writing system--the spoken language is actually quite simple. Through traditional study, I estimate that it would take about 10 years for an English speaker to become reasonably literate. Not only are there thousands and thousands of kanji, each one can be pronounced in different ways, can mean many, many different things, and can be combined with other kanji to mean even more things.

Even so, I will conquer it eventually. Ha HA!

Martel-Sobieski (#67) wrote:

These are completely separate and distinct. A Real world example? OK, compare Jimmy Carter, Nuclear Engineer and all-around wonk,(Intellectual) vs. Teddy Roosevelt, Cowboy, Pioneer, Soldier and Statesman (Leader).

Not only was Roosevelt all of the things you mention, he was an intellectual in the classic 19th century sense of the term, an absolutely brilliant and disciplined scholar. He read incessantly, and could speak intelligently on every topic. When he was in his early twenties, before his political career began, he wrote a book on naval warfare which instantly became the textbook on the subject. If our definition of the word "intellectual" has become so debased as to include such people as Carter and Chomsky and exclude Theodore Roosevelt, I suggest we abandon it altogether, for it is meaningless.

OT: Jihad Takes on New "Benign" Look (Daily Times, Pakisistan)

Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC)...will no longer use the words jihad, lashkar, jaish or mujahideen with their names so that they appear more political than militant...“We have been told that these names are damaging Pakistan’s image abroad as well as the Kashmiri freedom movement,” a jihadi leader said.

#73, excellent point / well taken.

The hedgehog metaphor has been used before to describe Ronald Reagan. The one thing he knew well was that the Evil Empire was our enemy and the US could beat it. And we did. Good to be a hedgehog.

#73 Sarah e.g

For inspiration, you should read about the incredible American codebreakers who broke the Imperial Japanese codes during the second world war. To this day, there are Japanese writers and historians who insist that the (shtooopid) Americans could not have learned and mastered Japanese. But they did-they broke the codes.

Just my two cents.

WriterMom (#77) wrote:

To this day, there are Japanese writers and historians who insist that the (shtooopid) Americans could not have learned and mastered Japanese.

Ha. Yeah, the Japanese are very proud of the complexity of their language, and many still believe it's impossible for a westerner to learn it. I've read stories on sci.lang.japan from westerners who are fluent in Japanese, but sometimes can't make anyone listen to them just because they're foreign-looking and ergo can't possibly speak Japanese. They'll ask a shopkeeper for something, in perfect Japanese, and the shopkeeper will say "I'm sorry; I don't speak English."

#78 Sarah e.g

For some stunning examples of how well they speak English check out [Link: www.engrish.com...] and you'll kill yourself laughing.

So, Hanson mentions that Bush lacks Clinton's encyclopedic knowledge of names, places and dates, and the LA Times classifies this as Bush's "intellectual shortcomings"? Is the LA Times capable of a bias-free article?