ERIC ALTERMAN deserves credit for saying forthrightly what a lot of other people should be admitting:

I WAS WRONG

Paul Wolfowitz thought U.S. forces would be greeted as liberators in Iraq. I did not. His prediction in this case, was correct. I was wrong. (And not for the last time, I’m guessing.)

He strikes a somewhat less gracious tone in the rest of the post, but still, let’s give credit where credit is due.

On the radio (I think it was CBS radio news) I heard a correspondent from Mosul say that an Iraqi there asked him if America was there for freedom, or for the oil. What do you think? he asked. “If you stay,” responded the Iraqi, “you’re here for freedom. If you leave, it’s just for the oil.”

Interesting perspective.

UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan identifies more laudable candor.