I usually skip the Tom Friedman columns. He has a remarkable grasp of the obvious. And the fact he is paid to state the obvious in the NYT or on Charlie Rose is truly God's own mystery. But today's column should surely go into some sort of bizarro-world hall of fame.
http://select.nytimes.com/...
Today's column, surprisingly, isn't distinguished by him stating obvious facts with the awe and wonder of a 6-year-old. No, today he reveals himself as someone who clearly has zero understanding of what it means to be an American.
There is a poison loose today, and America -- America at its best -- is the only antidote. That's why it is critical that we stand by our principles of free trade and welcome the world to do business in our land, as long as there is no security threat.
There you have it folks. Friedman believes that THE American principle we have to share with the world is FREE TRADE. Not freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or any of the other concepts enshrined in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, but free trade . . . as long as those we trade with don't kill us.
How can the editors of the NYT allow him into their paper. Don't they read his stuff. Do they not see that on issue after issue he has been deeply and profoundly wrong. Does is not occur to them that his shock at the most obvious facts might be evidence of an uncritical and unimaginative mind. (Though I must give him credit for spinning an entire book out of the observation that India has the Internet, telephones, and a bunch of smart people.)
But then, maybe I'm wrong about Tom not understanding what it means to be an American. Maybe Tom and King George, with their deep allegiance to Free Trade, are right. Maybe I should start teaching my young children that the reason their Grandfather fought in Vietnam, and their great Grandfather in WWII, and their great, great Grandfather in WWI, and why a distant ancestor fought for the Union in the Civil War was to uphold the American principle of Free Trade.
After all, Free Trade is certainly worth dying for, don't you think? Tom and George Bush clearly do. At least, they think it is worth YOU dying for.