Juan Cole sure is grumpy. I think he said more than one thing that you are not allowed to say and still remain in polite society. But I understand his frustration. On the other hand, when have we ever had a better lesson, that reached a bigger domestic audience, about the true costs of our policies in the Middle East? Isn’t that the cause for some optimism?
I think it is.
People are learning something. They are learning something that our elites spend billions to keep them from knowing or understanding.
And, our government, while not having any great choices, is doing a decent job of finessing this. Mubarak may have thumbed his nose at us yesterday, but he did agree not to run for reelection. He son has been sidelined. All is not lost. It’s too early for despondency.
I’m not saying that Juan should be chipper, but he could cheer up a little.