"Krauthammer's Take [NRO Staff] From last night's Fox News All-Stars."
"On the split between the White House and the defense establishment on strategy in Afghanistan:
"Well, it's not just the process of the White House appearing to preempt or overrule the military, and the White House not exactly having the background and expertise that the military does.
"It's also the substance and the logic of it. What Gates was saying is this is preposterous that you have to wait until after the election to decide on the troop level.
"After all, look, there are three things that we can say with confidence about what the government of Afghanistan will look like after this election. It's going to be weak, it is going to be pro-American, and it's going to be corrupt. That's how it was yesterday, and that's how it will be tomorrow.
"More or less corrupt and more or less weak, but that's how it will be, and that's how it was a year ago. So it's not going to depend on the outcome of the election. That's the card that we're dealt in Afghanistan, and that's going to be.
"Now, the best outcome would be if you had a coalition so you wouldn't have to have a runoff with all of the complications that are talked about. But even so…why would you hold off and delay a critical decision on the strength of our troops? Because you don't know the exact composition of the cabinet?
"It's nonsense, and I think Gates shot it down pretty strongly today.
"On the Obama administration attacking Fox News and, now, the Chamber of Commerce:
"It is one thing for the government, the administration, to attack opponents, institutions, media. It is another to go out and try and delegitimize them and destroy them.
"I thought it was sort of repulsive audacity on the part of the administration to go out and to declare Fox is not a real news organization, particularly when there might be big companies out there who might think twice about having an ad on Fox or other news media who might think twice about following a Fox story because it might incur the displeasure of the administration.
"Similarly, to go after the Chamber of Commerce — you can argue against it, defend yourself on the arguments — but to try to induce defections as a way to destroy it is a new level. It's Chicago-level politics.
"Look, there is nothing illegal about it. It is not unconstitutional. But it is outside the Democratic norms of our society, which is Madisonian.
"Our idea is that you have — as a way to protect against tyranny in government — the growth, the interaction, and the clash of what Madison called "factions" but what we call "interests," special and otherwise. You argue, interact and you clash. But you don't undermine, delegitimize, and destroy.
"That is the Madisonian way, and we are getting, instead, is the Chicago way.
….It isn't a question of defending the Chamber. It is a question of being offended by a certain style of politics. And that's what I think is the problem here.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/page3.p
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