> No doubt both Chomsky and Bush believe this. But, once again, I'll ask: what
> is the mechanism of this advantage? How does it work, or would it work?
I'm probably derailing the conversation here, but I think Doug's stubborn questioning here is more than called for. Even if it were possible to figure out the exact aims and beliefs of the war planners--which, considering the wide range of interests at play, would be nearly impossible to articulate with any specificity--those goals tell us nothing about the effects of the war. The only thing they tell is is about ideology, which is telling us next to nothing. Chomskyan-style digging for historical documents makes for nice reportage, but it says nothing about the mechanics and techniques of the state. It only tell us about the intentions of its agents, which are never perfectly accomplished anyway. Gaddis said it best: believing and shitting are two different things.