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Entry: A Thanksgiving Turkey From a Chickenhawk Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/a_thanksgiving_turkey_from_a_chickenhawk#10221 Post contents: @Michael Morris: <i>"Well, Medved is full of manure, but I still think you can draw a straight line from Mather to Wilson to W."</i> The question isn't one of drawing lines of descent; it's of imputing doctrines of the present day back on the Pilgrims and Puritans--and doing so to justify the destructive doctrines of the present day. The thing is, I predict that some paleoconservatives and others who opposed current neocon foreign policy, and normally think that Kagan's books are worse than worthless, will nonetheless praise this one--pointing out, of course, that they don't agree with Kagan's foreign-policy prescriptions but arguing nonetheless that Kagan has correctly laid out the history. But if Medved has properly characterized the book (which I haven't yet seen), then Kagan hasn't. There's plenty to criticize the Pilgrims and Puritans for; but blaming them (or praising them, as Medved does) for directly inspiring the current neocon crusade is ludicrous, as John Watson has pointed out even better than I did. "In Adam's fall, we sinned all"--but Adam bears only the most minor responsibility for my <i>personal</i> sins. So, too, the Pilgrims, with regard to the neocons. Sent at: 2008 07 24