Working on the Nick Cohen on Paul Berman post reminded me that I need to recommend a regular visit to the blog of British writer Clive Davis, who originated the Cohen link. His Normblog Profile will give you some useful background, including this bit:
Can you name a major moral, political or intellectual issue on which you’ve ever changed your mind? > I used to be a loyal Guardian reader, so I’ve spent the last decade learning that almost all the ideas I held about America and life in general were 99 per cent wrong.
More perspective on what Clive Davis has learned is reflected in this post (referenced by Neo-Neocon in "Left vs. right: mistaken vs. evil?"):
MEETING OF MINDS
Even though I still consider myself left-wing in some ways, I’ve almost given up trying to hold conversations with people on the Left. It’s simply too unpleasant an experience. I suppose I should take heart from Roger Scruton:
One of the great distinctions between the left and the right in the intellectual world is that left-wing people find it very hard to get on with right-wing people, because they believe that they are evil. Whereas I have no problem getting on with left-wing people, because I simply believe that they are mistaken. After a while, if I can persuade them that I’m not evil, I find it a very useful thing. I know that my views on many things are open to correction. But if you can’t discuss with your opponents, how can you correct your views?
See also this post from Clive’s Environment category which echos my ongoing criticism of how poorly the Bush administration communicates policy:
WARM AIR
As far as I can make out, it wasn’t a mistake to withdraw from Kyoto. But the Bush team made a complete mess of explaining the decision to Europe. Is the White House finally aware it needs to brush up its presentation? Some encouraging pointers in Irwin Stelzer’s preview of the Bush-Blair talks:
Administration officials have long regretted the brusque manner in which they dismissed the Kyoto protocol, supposedly designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Not that the White House thinks the protocol makes any sense: Without the cooperation of China and India, emissions will increase.
…
America is spending more on clean coal technology, and on reducing the cost of nuclear power, than all of the other members of the G-8 combined. So Blair thinks it absurd that the United States should allow itself to be painted as an anti-environmental thug, opposed to efforts to prevent global warming.
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