Dave Brooks, Then and Now

The man who has tried to cultivate the image of himself as above the partisan scrum, an honest, authentic broker of truth, justice, and the American way, today ("No Apology Needed"):

Far be it from me to get in the middle of a liberal purge, but would anybody mind if I pointed out that the calls for Hillary Clinton to apologize for her support of the Iraq war are almost entirely bogus?

I envision him in his signature pose, sadly shaking his head at liberals who fail to see truth as it is, blinded by their own twisted biases.

It was much the same pose he struck in 2003, when he wrote:

I'm curious about how all the war opponents are going to react if things continue to go well. Sure, they opposed Saddam, they will say. They just didn't want to do anything about him. They had no practical suggestion for how to end his murderous reign and spread freedom. They were tolerant. Tolerant of tyranny. They doubted, and continue to doubt America's willingness and ability to serve as a force for good in the world. That was their crucial mistake.

I suspect they will not even now admit their errors. I doubt the people of Europe will say: We were wrong. You really are the liberators of the Iraqi people. I doubt the Arab propagandists will say: We will never spread such distortions again. We will never again be so driven by resentment and dishonesty.

Sad to say, human nature doesn't work that way. The rump 15 percent of Americans who still oppose this war may perhaps grow more bitter, lost in the cul-de-sac of their own alienation.

All of this is via the month-old Horse's Mouth, a subsidiary of the Talking Points Memo media empire, and a very fine addition to the blogosphere.

(Note: I'll be out of town for the next five days and not near any computers. Regular blogging to resume Tuesday 2/20)