“Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest. But even our commercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand; neither seeking nor granting exclusive favors or preferences; consulting the natural course of things; diffusing and diversifying by gentle means the streams of commerce, but forcing nothing; establishing (with powers so disposed, in order to give trade a stable course, to define the rights of our merchants, and to enable the government to support them) conventional rules of intercourse, the best that present circumstances and mutual opinion will permit, but temporary, and liable to be from time to time abandoned or varied, as experience and circumstances shall dictate; constantly keeping in view that it is folly in one nation to look for disinterested favors from another; that it must pay with a portion of its independence for whatever it may accept under that character; that, by such acceptance, it may place itself in the condition of having given equivalents for nominal favors, and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not giving more. There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion, which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.”

Thinking about a post higher upthread, it is curious that Paul O’Neil dropped out of sight. He said he was immune from blackmail on the grounds of old age and wealth, but maybe they had something on him. He shut up, that’s for sure.

Rove never took any prisoners. It’s going to get back to him, sooner I think rather than later.

Tweety is going to bash them right now.

How is the traitor, once things are inverted its all over. Is the one telling the truth about what these traitors did going to be the one labeled a traitor?