Tim Shorrock: another allegedly outside-the-box steno, stumbles, this one over Dylan, JFK and Camelot

Tim Shorrock writes a paean to Bob Dylan's new song about the JFK assassination, "Murder Most Foul."

There's two main things to note from the piece.

One it that Shorrock claims Dylan is NOT promoting JFK assassination conspiracy theories:

The effect of the song, with its pointed lyrics about treachery and betrayal, are similar to the sound Dylan captured in 2012 on Tempest. … (T)here is little joy to be heard in this recording, where the subject is dark and unfathomable: President Kennedy “being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb” by unseen men seeking to collect “unpaid debts” who killed “with hatred and without any respect.”

But, contrary to some of the hot takes you may have read about it, the point of the song is not to publicize JFK conspiracy theories or take us on a nostalgia tour of the 1960s.

Really? Let's look at the lyrics.

Twas a matter of timing and the timing was right
You got unpaid debts and we’ve come to collect
We’re gon’ kill you with hatred and without any respect
We’ll mock you and shock you, we’ll grin in your face
We’ve already got someone here to take your place
The day that they blew out the brains of the king
Thousands were watching, no one saw a thing
It happened so quickly - so quick by surprise
Right there in front of everyone’s eyes
Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
Perfectly executed, skillfully done
Wolfman, oh wolfman, oh wolfman, howl
Rub a dub dub – it’s murder most foul.

That right there has "conspiracy theory" written all over it.

And if you think that doesn't, this does:

What is the truth and where did it go
Ask Oswald and Ruby - they oughta know …
That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
I’m just a patsy like Patsy Cline.

Dear Tim and Bob: "I did it. Here's the receipts." Yours, Lee.
Oh, Tim and Bob? "If you're wondering, yes that's me."

Wow.

And, what's also sad is that Shorrock can make his claims in the face of such clear evidence. And, the evidence is clear, starting with the fact that there is no such thing as a "magic bullet." In fact, per Wittegenstein, except to reference-quote it to refute it, I refuse to use the phrase.

But, that leads to reason two.

Shorrock appears to believe the myth of Camelot.

This is laughable, if not tragic because Shorrock believes it.

At its most essential level, “Murder Most Foul” marks the collapse of the American dream, dating from that terrible day in Dallas, when a certain evil in our midst was revealed in ways not seen for a hundred years—a day that, for Dylan, myself, and others of our generation is forever seared into our collective memory. The murder and the hidden machinations behind it, he tells us, robbed us of Kennedy’s brain, a symbol for the positive, forward-looking American spirit that he represented.

Shorrock knows — and if he doesn't, fellow Nation contributor Rick Perlstein could tell him — that JFK had no such positive spirit, definitely not on Vietnam.

Nor was JFK (or brother Bobby) a positive, forward-looking American on civil rights. Martin Luther King knew that. In fact, the best thing Jack ever did for civil rights was get himself killed so LBJ could make him into a martyr.

Nor was he a positive forward-thinking American on the Cold War, other than the test ban treaty. He blew Cuba out of proportion after ignoring early warnings about what Khrushchev was doing. He did trade missiles (in Italy as well as Turkey) for missiles. He did so without ever telling LBJ this, which may have had a small part in LBJ being so tough on Vietnam. He talked about a phony missile gap in the 1960 election campaign. He was an unrepentant friend of McCarthy. Please, Tim. If Dylan doesn't know all of this, I know you do. Stop.

He had this, much earlier:

Like Kennedy’s murder in 1963, the federal government’s utter failure to protect the people in 2020 is a collapse of biblical proportions. 

Uhh, wrong!

There was no "collapse of biblical proportions." LBJ did escalate Vietnam, but Jack had no secret plan to leave. He had a public plan to leave AFTER it was clear South Vietnam could survive on its own. That's what's NSAM-263 indicates. And, to make sure that the US could leave sooner rather than later, it calls for military incursions into Laos. Shades of Nixon!

Beyond that, NSAM's basis, per Wikipedia, is itself laughable. McNamara, the computer man who focused the war on body counts, and Kennedy consigliere Max Taylor were either ignorant as hell, lying their asses off, or a mix of both about how well South Vietnam was doing. The ignorance angle could be backed by MACV commander Paul Harkins lying HIS ass off. And, it's arguable that the top pair was engaging in self-deception over the likelihood of a coup against Diem when, at the same time, Ambassador Lodge said it was gaining steam. Had Jack dodged the post-Diem fallout enough to be re-elected in 1964, whether he would have stuck by his desire not to insert combat troops in numbers would have been open for debate. He was an ardent Cold Warrior, he had had "failures" on his watch so far, and looking ahead to 1968, he would have been trying to thread needles on this issue not only for himself, but assuming the Old Man would have been pushing for it, the election of Bobby in 1968.

Even had Jack avoided the insertion of massive new troops, he surely would have put in limited numbers after his re-election, or maybe earlier, had he faced the same Tonkin Gulf incident as LBJ did. He  undoubtedly would have engaged in the same bombing campaigns as LBJ did. Bombing in Laos would have accompanied other "incursions." Like Tricky Dick, JFK might have dropped a few in Cambodia, too.