Keeping My Commitment

Yes, I'm still awake. It's been a very late night, and I'll explain why tomorrow if I get time. If not tomorrow, then very soon. But it occurs to me that I haven't posted anything since I got up this morning, so in order to keep my promise to myself of "something new every day" (a few people are aware of that promise, but it's one I've been fulfilling for myself rather than for my readership--sorry, guys, but at least you get the benefit of the promise, and if you want to tell yourselves I'm keeping a promise to you, as well, then I won't argue otherwise).

It's still August, so I guess that means Frank Rich is still on vacation, so there's nothing new from him today. I'm betting we don't see a new column until Labor Day at the absolute earliest. But in the meantime, Kevin Drum had a very thought-provoking post on restraint as a response to terrorism. It's certainly difficult to pull off in the short-term--who wants to turn the other cheek when we're attacked?--but it may have more substantial pay-offs in the somewhat distant future. Attacking back with both barrels is often playing right into the terrorists' hands. We're almost down to just the Prez, his surrogate father Dick Cheney, and his faithful sidekick Joe Lieberman who are still making the argument that our little adventure into Iraq has made us safer. And can anybody assert the Israel is better off after their no-holds-barred response to the Hezbollah? But at the same time, how long would the US--or any other country with freely elected leaders--continue to follow an official line of patience and mostly holding our fire? What's best for us in the long run may be exactly that which we'll never do.