Some people call me the space cowboy

I get so tired of Right-Wing crap like this, in which the writer criticizes another bat-shit crazy Righty, but has to add the inevitable Straw Man:

“Iraq needs a Pinochet” is the name of a column written by one of the supposed leading lights of the conservative movement, Jonah Goldberg. The sub-head is even better: The general was no saint, but he’s a better model to follow than Castro.

Saying that Pinochet was “no saint” is something akin to to saying that Genghis Khan had an anger management problem. There are more than 3,000 families in Chile whose loved ones were “disappeared” (a Pinochet gift of nomenclature to the English language) who might take issue with Goldberg’s milquetoast denunciation of truly one of the more brutal dictators of the late 20th century.

(That's this Jonah.)

On the plus side, Goldberg only writes columns for the LA Times once a week. Otherwise, we’d be forced to endure this kind of sophistry far more often. And yeah, Pinochet made the trains run on time and infant mortality went down, and his “free market” reforms (short hand in Latin America for enabling crony capitalism and other kleptocrats) created some trickle down wealth – after he left. And while I understand the realpolitik reasons for the US supporting this thug, I think to wish his kind of rule on anyone – especially an ally – is the height of idiocy.

First of all, to even think that a secular anything will emerge from the current chaos in Iraq is loony.

Yeah. Sounds about right. Until you read this:

Goldberg has now confirmed every nasty thing that the Glenn Greenwalds, Dave Neiwerts, and Jane Hamshers have been saying about the right being in love with authoritarianism and dictators. For that, he should be criticized roundly by all sides of the political spectrum. But let’s also keep in mind that the left’s love affair with the lickspittle Castro has been one of the most astonishingly stupid and ignorant manifestations of moral blindness in the post World War II world.

Yep. Got me. I confess. When I became lefty blogger, I was required to sign a Castro Loyalty oath, and have it tattooed on my inner thigh.

For the record, no one other than the last 3 Communists left alive in some dimly-lit bar in Berkeley believe that Fidel is a good guy, because, like you said, the trains run on time, infant mortality is low, and, you know, Viva La Revolucion.

You know, Rick, you'd actually make sense if you stopped trying to put out the fire in your shoes. With your own urine.

Idiot.