to the vanquished, the spoils

Combining historical accuracy with cultural sensitivity!
Here is the scenario:

Your side has just been decisively defeated by the opposition. While the rout can be credited in part to the superior leadership, organization, and tactics of the enemy, the unfortunate (but entirely forseeable) consequences of your side's ideological and policy decisions were also a major factor.

Even after launching every weapon in your arsenal and mobilizing your most loyal and reliable ground forces, you had to fight (and lose) on fronts that you hadn't even anticipated from the outset.

So, faced with such a colossal rebuke of your strategy, tactics, and global vision, do you:

1. Humbly reflect on the errors in judgement that caused your loss and recalibrate your focus?

2. Brazenly attempt to dictate terms to the victorious side while refusing to acknowledge the reasons for your defeat?

If you answered "2," you could have a great future ahead of you as a right-wing op-ed columnist.

Manual Scan - American Way (from a 1982 single; collected on This Is Mod v.6: The United States of Mod, 1999) - "Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness." If there's one thing I've learned as an American, it's that sociopathy and arrogance are more socially acceptable behaviors than signs of "weakness" are.

Don't let the compliation title fool you -- this cut may be mod revival by association, but the postpunk influences (Gang of Four and Pylon, specifically) are unmistakable.

goalposts moved while u wait

(from The Flash #145, June 1964; by Fox, Infantino, & Giella)
So Basra and Sadr City have become the latest theaters in Iraq's inevitable slide into civil war. This current wave of violence is between factions within the country's Shiite community, demonstrating the continuing fractalization of internal strife in the country.

It's the Pandora's Box scenario envisioned by the foreign policy realists prior to the invasion of Iraq and dismissed out of hand by the neoconservative contingent. The present situation is exactly what the "surge" strategy was supposed to forestall, boosting troop levels as a means of generating a level of security in which political reconciliation and stability could take root. Yet even as events once again prove the limitations of conventional military superiority in dealing with counter-insurgency scenarios, the "success" of the surge approach continues to be trumpeted by the powers that be and the mainstream media's host of enablers.

If what we're seeing is supposed to be viewed as a success, then I clearly need to reassess my own life, as under those metrics it can only be an unending series of laudable accomplishments.

That incident a few days ago with the staplegun and my thumb? A triumph for Andrew-ocracy!

When I slipped on the pile of magazines the other night and nearly dislocated my shoulder? Mission accomplished!

My first semester in college where I tried my hand at majoring in physics? A series of victories, despite what the anti-Andrew biased report card might have said!

The time I deliberately provoked my wife and she mashed wet cat food onto my face? A resounding achievement!

When I was a kid and stuck a nail under the tire of my dad's car? A remarkable accomplishment, ruined only by my father's hectoring negativity!

I'm beginning to understand the allure of adhering to neoconservative ideology...

The Ankh - Before Success (from a 1982 single) - Female vocals and a minimalist gothy feel? Yes, please. I make no attempt to conceal my biases.

Iggy Pop - Success (from Lust for Life, 1977) - Mr. Pop wrote the lyrics but the sound bears the unmistakable influence of co-writer David Bowie. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, mind you...