Hindsight is 20-3

If Democrats and Republican spent half as much time bashing Bin Laden as they do each other, he’d be dead a hundred times over. [Maybe he’s dead anyway.-ed. I know, I know, but you get my point.] The latest salvos come from Condi who seems to have missed the point that Bill self-immolated the other day when wagging his finger (again!), this time at a perplexed Chris Wallace. (Off topic: Don’t you think sometimes that comparing Chris to his father is a proof point for nature in the nature vs. nurture debate?) Nevertheless, Condi felt constrained to defend herself after her opponent had already done it for her. Hello, Condi, time to reread Sun Tzu. This tawdry self-involved debate, naturally arising as an election approaches, is an example of American partisanship at its most self-destructive. The present objectives disappear in a blur as people turn backwards and rage.

Similarly, attempts to analyze the recent past like the “9-11” Commission and the newly-revealed National Intelligence Estimate throw off far more heat than light. Indeed, I question whether recent events can be analyzed in a a dispassionate manner. There are far too many living and breathing parties grinding their axes. The documents of these biased and perforce perfunctory investigations are then accepted by as gospel by whatever side thinks they have scored a victory. Sometimes, as with meretrricious news organizations like the New York Times, analyses are proffered to the public based only of partial readingss of the conclusions. What a disservice to our country!

But rather than blame the Times, et al, which I do admittedly, I think it is time to discard criticism and look to the present and future. The great American success has been problem solving. Rather than blame each other, we should roll up our sleeves. What about the putting the vast resources of the NYT on the task of finding solutions. Now there’s a thought. [They’re great at finding small Armenian restaurants in Brooklyn.-ed. Not as good as Chowhound.com. I thought you were being positive.]