Hey, idiots! There's an upside to Russia's conquest of Crimea. Just ask Tom Friedman! Indeed, the invasion is a "blessing in disguise":
Here’s the deal Obama should offer oil-patch Republicans and Democrats. “You really want to open up the country to the exploration of natural gas? You really want to be free to export oil and gas to global markets — so long as it’s consistent with our national interests — and affect global markets in ways that could weaken Putinism? You really want the Keystone pipeline? Fine, I’ll give you all of it. And in return you’ll give me a bridge to a secure, clean-energy future for America.”
And here I thought the invasion involved Russian Spetsnaz in disguise! Foolish me. It was a blessing!
I won't bother going into the energy price-spiking policies he advocates. Amazingly, this is the one time that Friedman doesn't explicitly call for a gasoline tax increase.
What I will say is that Friedman is saying Democrats should hold hostage the health of our economy and foreign policy in defense of the victims of more powerful aggressors--which is the very basis for the United Nations, I will add--for Republican agreement on increasing energy costs in the West!
No matter that Ukraine was dismembered a little bit this month and faces threats of future dismemberment, Ukraine should be honored to be sacrificed in the name of greater Green energy opportunities! In a "grand bargain!" Isn't dismemberment grand?
Yeah, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.
I used to just mock Friedman. I'd write that I'm not saying that you can't drown in a pool of Tom Friedman's wisdom. But you would have to be drunk and face down to do so.
Yes, the man is a fool who pretends to be deep, sustained by the applause of fans who know even less than him and so don't know any better. So he deserves that derision.
But that is too kind. Friedman's long-time Chinese autocrat crush has plumbed new depths and reached the point where he dismisses the fate of Ukraine, which is trying to take its place in the West free of domination by Putin's fledgling empire that looms over their land, and thinks their loss of Crimea is nothing more than a wedge issue to promote solar and wind power.
Now Friedman is visible as a monster dismissive of mere people who stand in the way of his windmills and solar panels. There is no disguising that, even with his usual nonsense.
I'm done with the man. He disgusts me. Friedman can write for the Upper West Side and enjoy their fawning awe.
