On Friendship, the Grim Trigger Strategy, and My Nagging Wife Theory of the Anti-War Movement

I woke up today thinking about Iraq. It still burns me that France did not support us in the UN. Aren't they supposed to be our friend? And shouldn't a friend follow a friend into a fight even if it's the wrong fight? We can get into all the nuance and details of the actual situation (and the side theory that Bush wanted to go at it alone), but when it boils down to it, France should have stood by us no matter what. Because by not, they provided cover for every other country who didn't want to get their pants dirty, for Russia, China, and the entire Middle East. (did we do the same in the 1956 Suez Crisis - maybe)

Would things be different? Who knows? It might still be a mess, but it would have felt like we were in it together, rather than in it alone, and it would give us (and Iraqis) strength.

The Grim Trigger Strategy is a term from game theory when a player cooperates with his co-player until the co-player defects a single time from their cooperation. After that, the original player will never cooperate with the player again. As a real life example, if a husband cheats once, the wife leaves forever.

And speaking of spouses...my current theory of the anti-war left is they adopted tactical strategies used by awful, nagging wives. Imagine coming home every night to someone who points out all your small failures, your inconsistencies, your problems, your weaknesses. Once in awhile, they'll treat you well, or make an aside, to appear fair or evenhanded. But in the end, it's a psychology of failure, designed to slowly wear down your confidence, goodness, and courage. The awful wife wants the husband to completely submit to her, knowing he is miserable and it is only she that can save him or stand him. They do it through a long, careful, arduous process of belittling, and undermining. A lifelong castration. You see men worn into little nubs after living a lifetime with a nag.

The Michael Moore's and Cindy Sheehan and Daily Kos crowd are the nagging wives of this country. They are the people who cleverly point to our failures and inconsistencies and weaknesses. "Who they hell do you think you are?" Is their favorite thing to say.

I will not submit to a nagging wife nor allow Western Civilization to do so.

I am off to watch Miami Vice, the unrated directors cut. Thank you.

QUICK UPDATE: Evidence of my nagging wife theory and the role of the news media as the shitty sister of the nagging wife who whispers ideas to the nagging wife, but pretends to be neutral.