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Lance Knobel reprints a wonderful letter from the British foreign secretary today, in which the Rt. Hon. Mr. Straw displays his familiarity with various dead Commies. Lance then asks whether there is "any US politician that would admit to reading Lenin (even for research purposes), or who would know how to use terms like revanchism, false consciousness and splitism".
The irony, of course, is that Condi Rice, as an old Kremlinologist, probably knows more about Leninsim vs Trotskyism than Jack Straw does. (She might even be able to pull off that wonderful feat of explaining the difference between a Trotskyist and a Trotskyite.) But the idea of her ever penning a letter like this one is so outlandish that one wonders what might happen if she ever did, and whether an ice-pick might be involved...
No, I don't see Condi or any other American government official (of either party) writing that kind of letter. Occasionally, when nothing else is at hand, I'll flit through the Spectator at lunch. I don't quite get it. Apparently reasoned arguments inevitably meander, until you're left with an opinion piece of jello; or a tirade that is so obscure that I'm grateful for being an ignorant buffoon. For what it's worth, however, the English do exhibit a certain eccentric panache that I like, and an obvious savoir faire when it comes to public presentation that many Americans lack.
Do tell, what is the difference between a Trotskyist and a Trotskyite?
Posted by: Stefan Geens on November 25, 2004 01:28 PMTrotskyism is an example of splitism, I believe.
Posted by: Sterling on November 25, 2004 03:35 PMI believe that Christopher Hitchens once elucidated that the difference between a Trotskyist and a Trotskyite is the same as the difference between a socialist and a socialite.
Posted by: Felix on November 25, 2004 04:51 PM-ite is perjorative, I believe, used by Leninists (not Leninites, curiously) as a slur, ususally before embedding said ice pick. I suppose that's what splitism could be, although I had assumed that had something to do with the misues of infinitives.
Posted by: Matthew on November 26, 2004 04:06 PM