Safire On Failuremongers

Safire On Failuremongers

I especially like the final sentence in this quote. What do our poor, failing efforts in Iraq have that the french don't?

The Failuremongers

On my return to the lists after vacation, let me animadvert on the swelling chorus of handwringing failuremongers. In Britain, for example, the BBC was recently revealed to have 'sexed up' a story that accused Prime Minister Tony Blair of having 'sexed up' a prewar intelligence report about Saddam's weaponry. When the anti-Blair, antiwar BBC learned of its reporter's exaggeration, it refused to correct his inflammatory story lest it appear to be caving in to government pressure. One board member claimed truth in reporting to be 'less important' than an image of fearlessness.

Some European media that had mistakenly warned of a long, high-casualty campaign, and were discomfited by the ease of our military victory, now claim vindication. They cite the present lack of proof of mass-destruction weapons, the lawlessness that followed Saddam's emptying jails of all criminals, and continued sniping and bombing. Iraqis are shown on TV blaming American troops — not Baathist-paid terrorists — for lack of electric power, lack of water and lack of protection (though 11,000 elderly Iraqis did not die from lack of care in the summer heat).