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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Do you have spring fever? Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Kansas City Royals star pitcher Jeremy Guthrie visits Ashland to kickoff fundraising campaign Ashland's Standing Stone brew pub joins green beer coalition Police Reports Education Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Teacher's Tips: Who gets to teach history? Northwest Pizza to raise money for Ashland Schools Foundation Prisoners in their own home Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. 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Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Southern Oregon University Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Oregon State women come up short in second-round loss to Gonzaga Raiders roughed up at Corban Ducks survive, advance Voices Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Ted Cruz enters the 2016 race Mark L. Hopkins: Two years of free college tuition? Neal Simon: I’m finally ready to roll Letters to the Editor, March 23 Chris Honoré: 'Like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out ...' Editorial Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Letters Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Columns Chris Honoré: 'Like a ghastly rapid river, through the pale door, a hideous throng rush out ...' Herb Rothschild: Donating with care Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Matthew T. 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Jeffrey Gillespie: The return of the neocons Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Best bets for entertainment around Ashland, March 19 Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Theater Ticket Availability Camelot Theatre in Talent: This 'Sunset' is not as dark Ticket availability Ticket availability Ticket Availability Music Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 More wonderful wrinkles at 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Episode 2.4: The case of the missing client Cars We Remember: 1967 Rambler Rebel, 1960 Rambler American Super, and some early engine design flaws It Is What It Is: When in Rome... Kitchen Call: Cobblers, crisps and crumbles Get a Life: Shopping as a short person Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Do you have spring fever? ... Kansas City Royals star pitcher Jeremy Guthrie visits Ashland to kickoff fundraising campaign ... Ticket Availability ... Do you have spring fever? ... Kansas City Royals star pitcher Jeremy Guthrie visits Ashland to kickoff fundraising campaign ... Ticket Availability ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: The return of the neocons DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Mar. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Last week, 47 GOP senators, led by the fledgling Tom Cotton of Arkansas, wrote a letter to Iran. In that letter, they pledged that they would overturn any deal that was made as a result of the current Iranian nuclear negotiations with the United States, just as soon as President Obama ended his second term. Needless to say, the proclamation came within days of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's antagonistic diatribe before a joint session of Congress. The idea of a letter sent by a group of senators in an attempt to influence international affairs is not new. After World War I, during the crafting of the Treaty of Versailles, some 35 senators under the guidance of Henry Cabot Lodge sent a letter to the the key players in those negotiations. Among other things, the senators objected to the creation of a League of Nations, believing it to be antithetical to American interests. As a direct result (and much to the annoyance of President Woodrow Wilson) the United States never joined the league. If those senators had gotten everything they had wanted, there might not be a United Nations as we know it today. When George W. Bush was in the White House, a new and powerful group of anti-internationalist advisers grew in power. The neoconservatives, a group of ultra-ideological Republican operatives who had emerged during the 1970s and 1980s, effectively gained control over much of the foreign policy of the United States. Among their ranks were the two most powerful men in the president's Cabinet, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Paul Wolfowitz, number 2 at Defense, was a true believer, as was Richard Perle, the warmongering political operative with ties to the Israeli Likud party. The dominance of this radical aspect of the conservative right was a key intellectual influence in the formulation of the 2001 Bush Doctrine, and that stance of preemptive military action led directly to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Twelve years later, we have yet to clean up that mess. Even so, a new wave of neoconservative thought is emerging. The U.S. senators who are seeking to sidestep the U.S.-Iranian diplomatic process (not to mention five other world powers who are participating in the negotiations) have an outlook and tone reminiscent of the pugnacious outliers of the Bush era. Cotton and his club of scribbling dissenters are attempting to undermine a group of state actors who represent not only the interests of the United States and Iran, but also the concerns of over 1.5 billion world citizens. This makes the senators come off as nationalistic and smug, but that's not the main issue. They are showing themselves to be dangerously naive as to the nature and practice of international politics. They are undermining nuclear negotiations that will have a global impact in an attempt to appease a small, chauvinistic aspect of the Republican Party. At what point does domestic political maneuvering trump international diplomacy? The senatorial communique has been roundly criticized by most of the major news agencies in the U.S. and abroad, as well as by many in Washington. There has been talk of treason on the part of the signatories. A petition has been sent to the White House, signed by over 165,000 Americans, requesting the prosecution of the senators involved in drafting the missive. While it is unlikely that the this latest neocon faction will beheld accountable under the Logan Act, they should at least be marginalized by the GOP mainstream before they can gain an additional foothold. Otherwise, one of today's bellicose wingnuts may emerge as the next eminence grise of the Republican Party. We are still digging ourselves out of the smoldering hole created by a political philosophy that birthed the Bush Doctrine. Let's not create space for another one. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 20, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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