I just can't pass this up...

Note: I never read Goldberg because he is really abrasive, cocky, and often completely in the dark as to what he is talking about (most notably things having to do with the Middle East and North Africa). His words are the party line and are useful only to those who can ignore reality and walk the party line. But Atrios picked out this Friday gem (h/t Kos).

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. [link]

Ha! You can only get that from an alumni of the American Enterprise Institute.

BTW, Cole didn't take the bait, and it's a good thing because he clearly won this bet. Had he taken Goldberg's cash it would have -- according to Jonnah -- ended up in the coffers of "the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade." Cole, instead, called the bet the most recent step -- at the time -- in "Goldberg's descent into pathetic lack of humanity."

Silly neocon's you should know by now that you've let your ridiculous ideologies ellipse reality when it comes to dealing with the MENA.