When you talked about the border between Iraq and Afghanistan, that was a mistake.
When you talked about Barack Obama’s announcement that he would attack Pakistan, that was a lie.
Ummm … Senator? About this?
I’m afraid that it’s a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border. And I would not announce that I’m going to attack Pakistan, as Senator Obama did.
1. Iraq and Pakistan do not share a border. They’d like to share a border, they’ve tried to share a border, but 1000 miles of Iran and Afghanistan keep getting in the way.
That was a mistake, Senator. You’ve been making a lot of those lately.
2. Barack Obama never announced that he was going to invade Pakistan. That was a lie, Senator. You’ve been telling a lot of those lately, too.
Author: Mark Kleiman
Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out.
Books:
Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken)
When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist
Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993)
Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989)
UCLA Homepage
Curriculum Vitae
Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com
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