A mind is a difficult thing to change—and to write about
I don’t make any promises, but I’m planning to start work this week on the next installment or two of my “A mind is a difficult thing to change” series. It’s long overdue.
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Perceptions about Iraq: why so impervious to change?
Michael Yon describes the extreme disconnect he sees between the facts in Iraq and perceptions about it. Never the twain shall meet; at least not yet, although he’s doing his bit to change that. Why has the corrective news of … Continue reading →
Let’s hear it from everybody who’s tired of the 2008 election: so how about it, baseball fans?
I don’t know about you, but I’m bone tired of the 2008 election already. I can’t remember ever feeling this level of fatigue so early in a campaign before. Maybe in previous years I didn’t follow politics so closely, although … Continue reading →
Pakistan: which conspiracy theory do you prefer?
There’s no dearth of conspiracy theories to explain the audacious attack on Bhutto’s convoy, and Bhutto herself has hinted that the government may have been involved. Has she just been watching too many Oliver Stone movies? No. The sad fact … Continue reading →
The judgment of history takes time
Those who are so certain they know how history will judge George Bush—or any other president, for that matter—show their ignorance of history itself. It’s not just that contemporary perceptions of a leader are often quite different from their evaluations … Continue reading →
Bhutto’s back
After eight years of exile, Benazir Bhutto has returned to Pakistan in a deal brokered with President Musharraf. She’s talking the democracy talk as she walks the comeback walk: “Restoration of democracy is the only guarantee to the people’s progress … Continue reading →
The family that eats together…
…eats more nutritious meals together. So saith the NY Times. Research indicates that families who eat a regular meal together—be they troubled or un, and their ubiquitous TVs on or off—are eating better, as well. No one knows quite why, … Continue reading →
The Kurds, the Americans, and the Jews
Michael Totten writes about a group of Iraqis who not only welcomed the US invasion (they refuse to use the “i”-word, though; they consider the event to have been strictly a liberation), but love America and Americans to this day: … Continue reading →
Let’s give Turkey a feel-good tongue-lashing: it’s bound to prevent further genocide
This Congress has one of the lowest approval ratings in modern memory. Perhaps that’s because it has accomplished so very little. Then again, perhaps that lack of success is a good thing, seeing the caliber of many of the bills … Continue reading →
What Sanchez really said
Today’s NY Times prominently highlights a speech by retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, ex-Commander of US forces in Iraq, in which he is deeply critical of the conduct of the Iraq War. The Times summarizes Sanchez’s speech in its lede … Continue reading →
More on the death of innocents, and the press
This fairly straightforward article in the NY Times headlined “U.S. investigates civilian toll in airstrike, but holds insurgents responsible” describes a recent raid in Iraq that killed nineteen of the enemy who were the targets but also inadvertently led to … Continue reading →
Bullish on Iraq
Here’s an interesting summary of events in Iraq so far, bound to infuriate those who believe the whole thing is obviously a failed enterprise. The annoyances begin with its title, “Mission Accomplished,” harking back to that infamous banner on the … Continue reading →