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Ben Franklin was the last...

Reader comment on item: Innocents Abroad Build Foreign Armies

Submitted by Dmitry (United States), Feb 13, 2013 at 09:59

Not pretending to be a high flying big shot, nevertheless I ones had an opportunity to have a one-on-one discussion with Sec. Donald Rumsfeld. Being a very well educated and just simply pleasant to speak with gentleman, he though expressed the same naivete in regard to American world wide policies' "successes" in the last century. He dismissed my comment (a bit exaggerated, but just to enforce the point) that the LAST really qualified and successful American diplomat was Benjamin Franklin by bringing up examples from Teddy Roosevelt to Cold War. I am sure that Dr. Pipes and enlightened readers of this blog would agree with me that ALL of even perceived (leave alone real ones) success were achieved more or less in spite of American efforts, not due to them. Obviously, a monumental total failure of Middle East/Islam issue, except of self made Israel' survival, is a gaping case in point.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (27) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Babes in the woods......... [60 words]Kenneth Duke MastersMar 8, 2013 14:38204126
naive policy [30 words]Fred SchwartzFeb 15, 2013 17:36203538
7More on Major Nidal [123 words]Mark WerfelFeb 14, 2013 08:30203496
The plan all along [188 words]DEBORAH THE JUDGEFeb 13, 2013 18:45203471
1Innocents Abroad Build Foreign Armies [12 words]SOLFeb 13, 2013 10:32203450
Ben Franklin was the last... [151 words]DmitryFeb 13, 2013 09:59203449
Mark Twain Nodding In Agreement. [40 words]Charles GriffithFeb 13, 2013 04:30203442
1Corporate profits from training [65 words]Richard WeissmanFeb 12, 2013 22:59203434
TRAINING YOUR ENEMIES [122 words]JACQUES HADIDAFeb 14, 2013 19:48203434
12Tell me, who is surprised? [277 words]Mark WerfelFeb 12, 2013 20:17203432
2Fundamentalist Islam as America's strategic ally [142 words]IanusFeb 14, 2013 02:38203432
2The War on Terror [29 words]Howard MarksFeb 14, 2013 21:56203432
4Do Allies Cheat or Kill Friends? [419 words]Mark WerfelFeb 15, 2013 00:08203432
2"Who can we trust, in the end? Who is telling us the truth?" - Two most fundamental questions [236 words]IanusFeb 16, 2013 05:08203432
OPEC oil imports into US declining [132 words]Howard MarksFeb 19, 2013 09:24203432
And we PAY these people [25 words]EthanPFeb 12, 2013 19:33203430
3No insanity , a method [149 words]IanusFeb 14, 2013 03:21203430
Don't forget Iraq, Dr. Pipes. [88 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Aymenn Jawad Al-TamimiFeb 11, 2013 13:55203404
That's only half the story [65 words]BJFeb 13, 2013 20:38203404
1The Soviets were not the same. [141 words]IanusFeb 14, 2013 02:51203404
2Here's why America doesn't create stability [260 words]Kepha HorFeb 17, 2013 09:01203404
3Chaos as the new US strategy and "Reflections on the overthrow of communism" [414 words]IanusFeb 18, 2013 08:04203404
As an American, I only wish... [262 words]Kepha HorFeb 20, 2013 21:13203404
To Ianus on America and Chaos theory [567 words]Peter HerzFeb 20, 2013 21:47203404
2Uncle Sam and Uncle Saud [1147 words]IanusFeb 22, 2013 07:15203404
2The apostle of chaos [2666 words]IanusFeb 24, 2013 15:42203404
4policing home and abroad [91 words]mythFeb 11, 2013 11:11203402

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Mark my comment as a response to Ben Franklin was the last... by Dmitry

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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 and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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