STEVEN DEN BESTE ANSWERS Donald Sensing’s statement that all the pacifists Sensing has met are cowards. Of course, it may just be that they’re not making pacifists like they used to. Den Beste also looks at the latest Israeli incursions into the West Bank and asks: “Where’s the outrage?” The answer, I think, is that the Palestinians have pretty much used up their moral capital. Which I think suggests that Bush’s rope-a-dope was successful. The Palestinian problem isn’t standing in the way of war anymore.

UPDATE: Sensing replies with an extended riff on why they’re not making pacifists like they used to. Excerpt:

American religious pacifism has a rich history going back to the early days of the republic, but its adherents also sought ways to serve their country in times of war. They did not shirk from sharing the risk of preserving freedom even though they refused to take up arms in their own hands.

They don’t make pacifists like they used to. On the whole, American “pacifist” ranks have been filled with white men and women of privileged backgrounds whose primary motivation seems mostly anti-American. Hence, they refuse to share the risks of preserving America, even in non-combat roles, perhaps because they don’t see America as something worth preserving.