Don’t Let Events Get In The Way

Don’t Let Events Get In The Way

One of the most infuriating aspects of the war forever caucus (of which John McCain is the most vocal, visible member) is the imperviousness of their arguments to facts, and/or their ability to take any new fact pattern and retro-fit into an argument for more war. The arguments are grounded in a worldview about the gloriousness and or necessity of imperial conquest, but always masked in the vocabulary of the current tactical situation.

Take this gem discovered by Sam Stein at the Huffington Post. Turns out in McCain’s foreign policy speech the other day he basically lifted a paragraph verbatim from a column he wrote in October 2001 in support of the war on terror. The point is that the posture towards war is always the same, no matter the somewhat significant changes in the actual state of the world in the intervening years.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

One of the most infuriating aspects of the war forever caucus (of which John McCain is the most vocal, visible member) is the imperviousness of their arguments to facts, and/or their ability to take any new fact pattern and retro-fit into an argument for more war. The arguments are grounded in a worldview about the gloriousness and or necessity of imperial conquest, but always masked in the vocabulary of the current tactical situation.

Take this gem discovered by Sam Stein at the Huffington Post. Turns out in McCain’s foreign policy speech the other day he basically lifted a paragraph verbatim from a column he wrote in October 2001 in support of the war on terror. The point is that the posture towards war is always the same, no matter the somewhat significant changes in the actual state of the world in the intervening years.

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x