What are they smoking?

The lede article in the week's The Talk of the Town is by Hendrik Hertzberg, a fine writer.

He cites quotes from all over calling the war in Iraq a hopeless failure. The WashPost's Thomas E. Rick's writes "the hope for victory is gone." The NYTimes' Thomas Friedman, who Rik Hertzberg calls "the most influential foreign-affairs columnist in the country" --- an early cautious supporter of the war (as was Rik) --- believes "...we can't throw more good lives after bad lives." A Heritage Foundation "foreign policy specialist" is quoted thusly: " This is the biggest gamble any President has taken in my lifetime " (How old is he: Twelve?)

And so on: there may a civil war, the Lieberman supporters were against the war, Iraq has forced the short-changing of the Islamo-fascist-jihadist-terrorists working out of London --- yada - yada - yada.

Let's review the bidding from an American perspective:

All the troops, men and women are volunteers. Many have volunteered for three and four tours, including many who were injured.

The London terrorists were intercepted.

Civil wars are especially ugly, and very common. Why, Americans even had one themseleves, murderously slaughtering each other, putting prsioners in festering hellholes. An Iraq as three nations might work, and might not.

Leiberman was closing fast, and the FBI is investigating political sabotage by rich-kid Ned Lamont's sabateurs. Lamont framed his victory speech photo-op with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson unavoidably in the background (surely two of the most popular men in America.) Sen. Joe will probably win.

Amidst all this the stock markets are moving sideways, not down.

American popularity has shrunk --- in some places. But the nations of the world still hoard our scrip and give us goods and services in return.

They invest big sums here --- because we have the most stable, transparent markets in the world.

It seems as most everyone wants to come here: "Yankee go home --- and take me with you."

Rik, old friend: Get real.