Profiles in naiveté

This year, Sen. Dodd was one of the contenders for the Democratic presidential nominations. James Webb writes of Dodd's actions back in 1975:

Then-Congressman Christopher Dodd typified the hopeless naiveté of his peers when he intoned that "calling the Lon Nol regime an ally is to debase the word.... The greatest gift our country can give to the Cambodian people is peace, not guns. And the best way to accomplish that goal is by ending military aid now."

Mr. Dodd had his wish and with the result that Pol Pot succeeded in overthrowing Lon Nol and creating the killing fields of Cambodia.

Dodd's logic is very familiar Democratic logic. His claim was that war is caused only by the US. If we "end military aid now" then we can "give peace" to Cambodia. Dodd seems to have given no more thought to how Pol Pot would react to such a "gift" in 1975 than Sen Obama has given to how bin Laden will respond to such a "gift" in Iraq in 2009.

On possible explanation for this thought process is denial. The New York Times reports that this is the process used by Sen. Clinton. The Times quotes Judith Hope, a friend and informal adviser to Mrs. Clinton, and a former chairwoman of the New York State Democratic Party who says:

. "When she's on the road and someone has a negative news story, she says, 'I don't want to hear it; I don't need to hear it.' I think she wants to protect herself from that and stay focused."

Denial may be mal-adaptive but it certainly can help one stay focused and confident.

Hat tip: BotW.