True, but...
Reader comment on item: Erdoğan Bares His Fangs
in response to reader comment: You don't have to be a scholar, but you can't be a politician either

Submitted by Abu Nudnik (Canada), Jan 10, 2009 at 10:48

A very thoughtful comment, Ms. Solis. Politicians pretty much bribe electors with their own money, as Adam Smith feared they might, and keep them placid. As for Patton reading Mein Kampf, yes, he knew his enemy. But his bosses kept a few thousand gallons of gas from him when he could have crossed the Rhine and cut the whole German army off from retreat. Check and mate. But the war dragged on - with the worst casualties to come and a full two million Jews murdered in that time. Who can argue that his bosses should have read Hitler? Patton read Marx too but his bosses helped the Soviets occupy Eastern Europe.

And you're right that the democracies have a real slow starting motor... Both world wars for example. But hey! We won because there are compensating strengths... how do you think a man like Patton came to be a general anyhow? Through recognition of merit.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.