You do realize people die in war, and that dying is bad?

Maybe you  think   life is better when there's WAR and KILLING and BLOOD?  And that manhood is forged in the fiery wrath of destiny?  Sheesh.

The War of Independence was obviously a big unnecessary blunder. The Brits obviously played their hand badly. A lot of the British public was for American independence even.

Really interesting. I'll check all of it out.

You're a zealot, but an engaging one James.

"Israel and America are the only two countries that came from an idea"?

That's a thought provoking one. I suppose there are a lot of parallels between the native Indians experience of both. But our own Republic was also the creation of an idea, that can be traced through history, as was Bismarck's Germany, as was...I don't get the point, can you explain?

And I think you're rather naive about the international public consensus on America. Very naive.

Yea, you still have the "poor and downtrodden" arriving, as does Europe. It's called third world poverty and mass emigration. You should talk to Teplukhin.

But on the whole, great discussion.

Christ, I always forget that you people are, like, 12.

jhilner, yeah it looks like James doesn't even shave yet. despites iggys prompting I think I will pass on this, that last sentence rehashing the Revolutionary war followed by Kirchick writing "word" tells me I have far better things to do in the office, like defrag my hard drive.

Fair enough Blackton. I'm getting to that age where "word" and "dude" start leaping out from the background, like one of those creatures from Aliens as well.

It's just such a relief to see, read, something on TNR that isn't horse race gossip.

god, why did I get Roy Cohn flashbacks as I watched this wet-behind-the-ears little inquisitor...

The lad missed his calling by about 55 years...would have fit right in with Joe and Roy...

A good representation of the absolute worst of bloggingheads.  Two guys who seem to think they are jacks of all trades and clearly are masters of none.  Lots of shoot from the hip nonsense.  James, why was your smug facial expressions so predictable from your smug writing.  Smug and ignorant.  A bad combo.  

Beltway staples: chatty, pasty nerds who need a date.  I remember them well (oops, I think I actually was one at some point).

Chatty pasty nerds who say "word" with no shame is a new development.

Canada is a democracy and a pretty decent one. They never had a war of independence from Britain. People from all over the world immigrate quite eagerly to Canada as well. Just sayin.

INteresting discussion, though, especially once we got past the "but don't you think America is awesome?" stuff.

Um, dude, it's Yglesias and "me," not "I."  

being a glutton for punishment, I watched this horror show again, just to see if I was too hard on the little wanna be Torquemada...

combine that smug, arrogant/ignorant facial expression with inquiries like

I want to question your patriotism...

Don't you think America is exceptional?  How exceptional?

You don't like American hegemony...

man, wandrey & eharder were right; This does represent the worst of talking head nerdism.

(and on the longer video, the sop to marty with the Carter bashing...blah)

Where I grew up, you combine that facial expression with the not so latent hostility and solipsism of the style of inquisition and unlike the gentlemanly Yglesias, we would have performed some much needed facial reconstruction, combined with a head first dump in the closest trash can...

I can't decide if I respect Yglesias for keeping his cool with this guy or if I have lost respect for Matt for not going for a much needed KO...

no wonder my instincts with these brainy nerdy white guys was laugh at them and then steal their girlfriends...

Keep the comments coming - I don't want to have to watch the thing to figure out what the spoilers are.