>
> Reading Brecher requires a good deal of filtration to
> remove the adolescent, faux tough guy I-don't-give-a-fuckism
> and get to the point (a similar noise to signal ratio
> problem marred his essentially solid analysis of Hizbollah's
> battlefield effectiveness).
Among other things Brecher's shtick is intended to out-do all the other tough guys. It succeeds too; otherwise whenever he'd criticize the American way of life in general and Our Leader in particular, said tough guys would blow him off braying, "Aren't you a big girl's blouse! Just like those utter girly-men John Kerry and John Murtha."
Everybody says Baudrillard was full of shit, but you've got to love how, in public discourse these days, a bunch of typewritten faux-tough words by a fat guy sweating in Fresno are a far better defense against dismissive accusations of wimpiness than having earned a Silver Star in combat.
Yours WDK - WKiernan at ij.net