13 Comments
Oct 13, 2021Liked by Robert Wright

This is the best analysis of the Blob I've ever read. Well done!

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Oct 12, 2021Liked by Robert Wright

Clear and excellent start! Much appreciated and lauded, Bob 👏

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Oct 13, 2021Liked by Robert Wright

Excellent article, particularly as regards the proclivities of international interventionists, which haven't had their share of the MSM spotlight. I hope that changes. All of The Blob needs to be running for cover right now.

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Thanks Bob, The concept of the Blog helps clarify the distinction between left/right restrainers vs. liberal interventionists and neocons. The American exceptionalism theme is key. I wonder if you might address 'The Blob" in historical terms. There was a "Blob" in the 1960s that lead us into Vietnam and there an exodus of Blobsters who could not support the war (Richard Holbrooke, Mort Halperin, Tony Lake) but the largely stayed out of the furious debate about intervention in El Salvador and NIcaragua on behalf of counterrevolutionaries and death squads. These ex-Blobsters returned to positions of power with the Clinton/Obama regimes, which is when they began to converge with the neocons. Ultimately, the Blob split overThe Vietnam was tactical, not strategic--it was the wrong place to intervene, not intervention is a lousy tool. So I wonder, Why didn't the VIetnam disaster prompt a deeper reconsideration? IThe answer, I think, would help account for the Blob's staying power today.

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I would add that restraint does not mean that democracy and rule of law are not promoted or incentivized. It just means you don’t assassinate, overthrow, bomb or invade other people to achieve it.

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There are three related notions. Military-industrial complex. Deep state. Blob. I would like to understand better how they relate.

And, to keep up with our times, one should probably also bring into the picture the surveillance industry, both private (Amazon, etc) and governmental (CIA, NSA, etc).

Any insights?

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There are a lot of sources on how Ben Rhodes pushed for war in Libya, that unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

'It is not a war, it is kinetic military action': National security adviser finally puts title on Libya

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/obama-ben-rhodes-libya/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/obama-ben-rhodes-libya/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1369656/Libya-It-war-kinetic-military-action-says-National-security-adviser.html

Etc

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Hi Bob, So how is this not "threat inflation"? - "I’m not kidding when I say I believe the Blob is a grave threat to America’s and the world’s future."

Just asking?

Maybe all the things you object to, you are guilty of? Idk ...?

More or less meditation? Less or more silent retreats?

Please don't misinterpret - I love your posts and all that you do.

Robert Wright for president!

Keep on keeping' on. Your voice is important - to me. Worth the $6.

cheers

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It strikes me that drawing a clear line between Blob and Non-Blob is difficult, and Blobbiness probably exists on a spectrum. Are there circumstances where you would support some Blobbiness (my new favorite word, for what it's worth)?

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