[mburbank]

Neither is likely, but you already know that.

"Some seem to doubt that the latter even exists. "

Find me a quote from someone somewhere that impies terrorists don't exist. That is SO the easy way out.

"Some poeple today think rapists should be allowed to rape at will. And, well, call me old fashioned, but I think that's wrong."

I agree that the lack of alternative plans for Iraq, and the lack of media coverage of alternative plans that are out there (My old pal George McGovern has a good one, I'll find the link, but no one wants to cover an old wild eyed liberal because it's much more fun to say 'Defeatocrats', and you risk carpal tunel less for your paycheck). IF the point of the article was that looking back was a solution to current problems on the ground, I'd be all for it. But there is a disdain for looking back that I think makes Ziggys quote perfectly appropriatte.

We need to look back for a number of reasons. If we got into this position because people deliberately lied, they need to be exposed and punished so that they cannot regain positions of trust and power. Not for vengance, but because lord forbid they pull more shit. We need to make clear how we got into this mess, so that we might recognize it the next time it happens. I think this is what Santayanna had in mind, and I do find it relevant to the article.

Do you think that as a country we are incapable of looking back and trying to stabalizing the middle east? Do you think we can only 'win' if we plow forward and refuse to look back?

'nothing reasonable', 'added nothing'. I didn't think so. If Ziggy had posted "Cow bucket pringles sunset" THAT would have added nothing. I thought your taunt added nothing, in that is was no funnier than if you';d written 'yeah, so's your old man!' actually, that would have been funnier. Just becuase a reaction is different than your own, you shouldn't immediately assume it's meaningless. I'm way older than you and I don't do that yet.

Respectfully, I disagree that it was a derailment. The article brought to mind that quote for me before I read Ziggy's post, and I dare say it brought it to mind for many people who read it, here and elsewhere.

What's going on with you that you've become such a big fan of dismissing people? Count up the number of folks who post here you outright dismiss. Give me a tally. My own totally solid count is three, but I bet all three of them are on your list too.

I'm gently suggesting that you are becoming a little rigid and dismissive. It's unbecoming in a young man of your intelligence and writing skills.

In the last pargraph the guy says that the bad thing that happened in Vietnam is that we didn't win when we were so close. No wonder this guy doesn't think looking back is good policy.