Sunday, October 03, 2004
‘For sure’ and ‘in fact’ and ‘with absolute certainty’: Tom Friedman is back after months away writing a book. He ain’t too pleased with Iraq. ... The NYT seems to be harping on the run-up to the war again, with a long piece on centrifuge tubes and, when you get right down to it, Vice President Cheney’s stubborn pre-war conviction Saddam was on the cusp of rebuilding his nuclear arms program. I happen to like Cheney, an intense, almost visionary man who’s done a hell of a lot to make today’s military so sharp, flexible and effective. But, boy, he blew it on Saddam and the bomb. ... But enough with the past. Here’s some lukewarm good news: Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr is trying to worm his way into the democratic process with promises of disarming his battered militia. He probably senses the January elections will, in fact, be held. So that’s ultimately the good news. They probably have to play along with him, whatever his motive. Sadr has a highly dubious consultant: Ahmad Chalabi. Cripes. Him again?
