History and This Moment ...

Over at Altercation, Eric Rauchway, subbing for Eric Alterman, offers thoughtful historical perspectives on the current crisis in Iraq, with links to other responses by Fareed Zakaria and Niall Ferguson. Add to those Richard Cohen in the New York Daily News and Tacitus on"successful" counter-insurgencies."We don't know what the hell we're doing," says Cohen."The lesson of Vietnam is that once you make the initial mistake, little you do afterward is right." Thanks to Gene Healy and Chris Matthew Sciaberra at Liberty & Power for the tips.