More morning op-ed roundup, Michael Gerson edition

To me, the fact that Michael Gerson was awarded--as a gift for his fabulous service to our nation--a regular column in the Washington Post is one of the great outrages in the history of political punditry. Nothing that I can think of is greater evidence that the editors and publishers who anoint opinion makers have nothing further from their minds than reasoned analysis and a strong record of good judgment. Today he drags us once again through some of the most redolent compost in journalism:

One of the most infuriating problems in Iraq seems to generate precious little fury.

In a kind of malicious chemistry experiment, hostile powers are adding accelerants to Iraq's frothing chaos. Iran smuggles in the advanced explosive devices that kill and maim American soldiers. Syria allows the transit of suicide bombers who kill Iraqis at markets and mosques, feeding sectarian rage.

This is not a complete explanation for the difficulties in Iraq. Poor governance and political paralysis would exist whether Iran and Syria meddled or not. But without these outside influences, Tony Blair told me recently, the situation in Iraq would be "very nearly manageable."

He goes on from there to outline all the ways in which we could escalate tensions with Iran and Syria. This would be an understandable critique if Iran and Syria had absolutely no reason to insinuate themselves into the Iraq fight other than for the enjoyment of watching us slowly bleed. Their motivations, of course, have basically nothing to do with that, and it's odd to see Tony Blair playing dumb about that fact. Moreover the idea that Iran and Syria are their own countries with their own interests was obvious well before the war and should be obvious now to men like Michael Gerson who, for reasons I will never understand, are still given wide berth to glide through the highest tiers of political society.

Comments

[stan]

"very nearly manageable"?????

[Brian]

I know. Insane, right?

[JimPortlandOR]

"flowers in our path"

"Iraq's oil will pay for the war"

I wish someone fabulously rich (Warren Buffet?) would just buy-out WaPo, turn it into a non-profit foundation, and return it to journalism. That's the only cure, except maybe bankruptcy resolved by dissolution.

[Cathy]

Reading that Gerson article, it reminded me of a joking comment that we through back and forth in the family to help people get over themselves, "it's not all about you". Gerson's view of Syria and Iran only rlates to the US, not their own national and religious interests. How naive. At least he mentioned Saudi Arabia but doesn't seem to hold them to account for their involvement.

[Michael Corcoran]

Thank you Fred Hiatt.