March 26, 2004

Lileks v/s Clarke

James Lileks' Bleat today is wonderful - he excoriates the media reporting on the Richard Clarke and 9/11 media fiasco. Very well researched and quote-by-quote fisking of Clarke's own words. There is too much good stuff to excerpt - I'll leave you with the final paragraph: bq. And I bring this up . . . why? Because I want to blame the Clinton administration? Look: to me that’s ancient history. That’s Flintstone time. If it weren’t for these hearings I wouldn’t give a tin fig for who didn’t do what when and where. September Eleventh was the bright red gash that separated the Now from the La-la Then, and we’ve been living in the hot spiky Now ever since. I am interested in the Now and the What Next. I don’t have much patience for people who believe that the salvation of Western Civilization depends on hiking the marginal tax rates to pre-2002 levels. But if you want to play Eight Years vs. Eight Months, fine. Just remember that before 9/11, the skies over Afghanistan were clear. After 9/11, they thrummed with the sound of B-52s until the job was done. bq. No small distinction. That is the sound of a writer on a roll... Posted by DaveH at March 26, 2004 9:12 AM