[PEN-L:29574] war/election bet

["Devine, James" <jdevine@xxxxxxx>]

Title: war/election bet

RE: [PEN-L:29564] Re: Re: Re: production & realization

 Michael, I bet you that there will be no war against Iraq before the November election. If there is, I'll give you a full case of the best carrot juice. (I'd give you single-malt scotch, in honor of Mark Jones, but I know you don't drink enough.)

Of course, we need to define war. I'll let you do it and then decide whether to keep the bet or not. It's got to be more than a couple of cruise missiles.

BTW, it's not wars that win elections. It's saber-rattling, if done right. Similarly, the Pentagon and the rest of the Military-Industrial Complex don't want _war_ as much as military spending increases. This is especially true given the persistence of the "Vietnam syndrome," under which there's intense fear of US casualties. Despite Afghanistan, and the largely successful effort to canonize the US war dead, if the war against Iraq goes big (as seems likely), it's Vietnam-style deja vu all over again.

JD

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Pollak
To: pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 8/18/2002 2:47 AM
Subject: [PEN-L:29564] Re: Re: Re: production & realization

On Sat, 17 Aug 2002, Michael Perelman wrote:

> I suspect that the war is directed at the Nov. elections.

Michael, if it will cheer you up, I'll bet you there's no war before the
elections.  In fact I'll give you 2 to 1.  And if you'll give me 2 to 1,
I'll bet you they will be no war in next 365 days.

Michael