Friday, December 15, 2006

A Fool and His Money

Jonah Goldberg, almost two years ago, proposing a ghoulish wager with Juan Cole following their much publicized feud about the respective parties' expertise:

Anyway, I do think my judgment is superior to his when it comes to the big picture. So, I have an idea: Since he doesn't want to debate anything except his own brilliance, let's make a bet. I predict that Iraq won't have a civil war, that it will have a viable constitution, and that a majority of Iraqis and Americans will, in two years time, agree that the war was worth it. I'll bet $1,000 (which I can hardly spare right now). This way neither of us can hide behind clever word play or CV reading. If there's another reasonable wager Cole wants to offer which would measure our judgment, I'm all ears. Money where your mouth is, doc.

One caveat: Because I don't think it's right to bet on such serious matters for personal gain, if I win, I'll donate the money to the USO. He can give it to the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade or whatever his favorite charity is.

What, do you suppose, could change between now and February 8, 2007 (less than two months) that would make any of Goldberg's predictions come true. Lucky for him, Cole had more dignity than to accept a bet placed on the lives and suffering of actual people.

Jonah Goldberg v. Juan Cole. Talk about a mismatch.

(via LGM)



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