by JAMES TARANTO
Wednesday, October 29, 2003 3:29 P.M. EST

Wesley Clark's Tinfoil Beret
This column has always been skeptical of the notion that Wesley Clark was the Democratic Party's savior. The rationale for his candidacy seemed to be that his military experience automatically lent him credibility on national security, on which the Democrats have been weak for more than 30 years, and that Democrats were hungry enough for victory to vote for the "electable" Clark over Howard Dean, favorite of the Angry Left.

What has happened instead is that Clark--who not long ago was known to speak at the occasional Republican fund-raiser--has succumbed to the madness that is consuming his newly adopted party. From today's New York Times:

In a blistering review of President Bush's national security policy, Gen. Wesley K. Clark said on Tuesday that the administration could not "walk away from its responsibilities for 9/11."

"You can't blame something like this on lower-level intelligence officers, however badly they communicated in memos with each other," said the retired general, the latest entrant in the Democratic presidential field. "It goes back to what our great president Harry Truman said with the sign on his desk: 'The buck stops here.' And it sure is clear to me that when it comes to our nation's national security, the buck rests with the commander in chief, right on George W. Bush's desk."

"And," he added, "we've got to say again and again and again, until the American people understand: strong rhetoric in the aftermath is no substitute for wise leadership."

Goodness, Clark is threatening to tell us "again and again and again, until the American people understand," that the cause of Sept. 11 was decisions made in the White House, but only in the 233 days between Jan. 20, 2001, when Bush took office, and Sept. 10, 2001.

This is delusional stuff; Clark is in Michael Moore or Cythia McKinney territory. But while they may believe the things they say, it's hard to imagine that Clark doesn't know better. His viciousness is a sign of panic in the face of declining poll numbers, and the particular form it has taken shows just how far off the deep end some Democrats have gone.

Did Nethercutt Get Dowdified?
On Oct. 15, we approvingly noted a comment from Rep. George Nethercutt, a Washington state Republican who is challenging Sen. Patty Murray in next year's election. "The story of what we've done in the postwar period is remarkable," the Seattle Post-Intelligencer quoted Nethercutt, who had just returned from Iraq, as saying. "It is a better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day."

That day we received an e-mail from Mary Lane of the Nethercutt Senate campaign:

The Seattle P-I actually cut off the second part of Nethercutt's quote about losing soldiers in Iraq. Here is the full sentence (I have it on tape): "It's a bigger and better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day, which, which, heaven forbid, is awful."

As you know, the P-I put a period after "day." I contacted both the reporter and the editor and attempted to get the P-I to print a clarification, but to no avail.

This struck us as a fairly minor complaint. The abridgment of Nethercutt's quote changed only its emphasis, not its meaning; and surely it goes without saying that the deaths of American servicemen are awful.

But in light of the way the Post-Intelligencer has been savaging Nethercutt since then, we have to conclude Lane had a point. First came an Oct. 16 editorial denouncing "an effort to put a more positive spin on Americans' perception of the war in Iraq":

Then there was U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt's ham-handed attempt to redirect news coverage and public attention to the war's positive side. "It's a better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day," the would-be senator gaffed at a gathering Monday.

The family of Pfc. Kerry Scott of Concrete, who buried their young hero Tuesday, likely would not share Nethercutt's news judgment.

Anyway, yesterday Nethercutt bought an ad in the Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Times in which he accused the former paper of misquoting him, and this prompted the P-I to publish its first news story acknowledging the dispute. It quoted managing editor David McCumber standing by the story: "Congressman Nethercutt was quoted accurately and within context by the P-I, and that's sort of the beginning and the end of it, as far as I'm concerned."

But it wasn't the end of it as far as the paper was concerned. Today the paper ran a petulant editorial denouncing Nethercutt again:

Consider, again, the quote in question--fleshed out a bit more.

"The story of what we have done in the postwar period . . . is remarkable," Nethercutt said, because the coalition has been rebuilding power plants, police stations, schools and other infrastructure, as well as taking early steps toward self-governance. "So the story is better than we might be led to believe in the news. I'm indicting the news people. It's a bigger and better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day, which, which, heaven forbid, is awful."

A bigger and better story? Thank you, George, for clarifying your callow, shallow position.

This followed a cartoon yesterday by the P-I's David Horsey, which depicted Nethercutt standing up in the middle of a church, raising his hand, and saying: "Hey! Why don't you tell us the good news about Iraq?" The pastor replies: "Sorry, Mr. Nethercutt, maybe after the funeral." (Just to be clear, Nethercutt actually made his comments at the University of Washington, not during a funeral.)

Compare this with the P-I's response last year, when Sen. Murray gave a speech in which she said the following about Osama bin Laden:

He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that.

The P-I published an editorial on Dec. 26 praising Murray for, as the headline put it, having the "guts to stir needed debate." The paper praised every bit of Murray's statement, including even the claim about "day care centers"--after all, "there is apparently a long-standing rumor" that bin Laden "built an orphanage."

Now that Americans like Kerry Scott are in Iraq and actually are building hospitals, schools and other facilities, the P-I wants to suppress the news. An Oct. 11 P-I story on Scott's death quotes his father, David Scott, as saying of his son: "He was brave. He was a hero. He always wanted to help people." The Seattle Post-Intelligencer seems to have a big emotional investment in the notion that fallen heroes like Kerry Scott gave their lives in vain.

The End of Liberal Compassion?
Here's a conundrum for our left-of-center friends: Does the rise of the Angry Left mark the end of the Democrats as the party of compassion? Yesterday we noted a fascinating article on "antiwar" activists by Salon's Michelle Goldberg; Goldberg's piece prompted a variety of letters from fellow liberals, some of them quite thoughtful. But we were struck by this one, by one Tom Pryor (third letter):

George Packer and Paul Berman can pontificate all they want about how America needs to commit more resources to Iraq, but those guys have nice, cushy think-tank jobs and don't really have to worry about surviving President Bush's recession like the rest of us.

I'm as big a liberal as the next guy, but I've been out of work for a year now and my unemployment insurance is long gone, and frankly, I couldn't give a flying f--- about the plight of the Iraqi people. I've got my own problems. What the hell have they ever done for me? Why should I subsidize their healthcare when I can't even afford my own?

I was against this war and this president from the beginning, and since nobody seemed to want to listen to me, I really do not feel any personal responsibility for the plight of the Iraqi people. I say let the Republicans choke on their mistakes in Iraq--or better yet, let Fox News, Halliburton and the Trireme Group pay for the costs of reconstruction. If these clowns love privatization so much, let's see how they handle it. Then, after they f--- up, let's let the U.N. handle the rest of it, so we can bring the troops home and start worrying about dumping Bush and fixing the economy, healthcare and the national debt.

If Packer and Berman (and their ilk) still want me to support $87 billion for Iraqi reconstruction, how about they pony up $87 thousand for my own personal financial reconstruction?

It seems clear that the Angry Left is appealing in part to pure selfishness. And in any case, it's difficult to be considerate of the well-being of others when you're blinded by rage.

Too Tough?
"The Army has filed a criminal assault charge against an American officer who coerced an Iraqi into providing information that foiled a planned attack on U.S. soldiers," the Washington Times reports:

Lt. Col. Allen B. West says he did not physically abuse the detainee, but used psychological pressure by twice firing his service weapon away from the Iraqi. After the shots were fired, the detainee, an Iraqi police officer, gave up the information on a planned attack around the northern Iraqi town of Saba al Boor.

But the Army is taking a dim view of the interrogation tactic. An Army official at the Pentagon confirmed to The Washington Times yesterday that Col. West has been charged with one count of aggravated assault. A military source said an Article 32 hearing has been scheduled in Iraq that could lead to the Army court-martialing Col. West and sending him to prison for a maximum term of eight years.

The Times adds that "some soldiers are privately questioning the Army's drive to punish the officer for an interrogation technique that likely is used regularly to get information from terrorists."

It's hard to know what to think of this. The paper gives only Col. West's side of the story; the Army presumably is saving its side for the court-martial. Under the circumstances, though, the actions West describes do not sound all that outrageous, especially if the saved the lives of American servicemen. "I accept being retired at the grade of major and paying whatever fine required, but resignation and prison seems an attempt to destroy me," Col. West tells the Times in an e-mail. "All I wish is to go away, re-establish my family and retain some of my dignity."

What Would We Do Without Syria?
"Syria: Red Cross Attack Harmed Iraqi Interests"--headline, Reuters, Oct. 29

Zero-Tolerance Watch
New Jersey's Tinton Falls Middle School has suspended 14-year-old Scott Switzer, whose father and stepfather are both in the military, for a week over a patriotic drawing--a "stick figure of a U.S Marine blowing away a Taliban fighter"--reports the New York Post.

"A teacher saw the image on a computer and described it to the principal," the Post explains, quoting superintendent Leonard Kelpsh: "We felt it was highly inappropriate, and we took it very seriously." Scott's mother tells the Post that school officials described the drawing as "not the work of a normal mind." Gloria Tillman, a psychologist who has treated Scott for attention-deficit disorder, is a voice of common sense: "I don't attribute pathological significance to it. I have to wonder what is expected of our children today when 1) our country is at war and 2) both his father and stepfather are out fighting the war."

The Dems' Crack-Up Gets Racial
Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton launched a blistering attack on Howard Dean yesterday, accusing his rival of promoting an "anti-black agenda":

"Howard Dean's opposition to affirmative action, his current support for the death penalty and historic support of the NRA's [National Rifle Association's] agenda amounts to an anti-black agenda that will not sell in communities of color in this country," Sharpton said in a statement.

Sharpton's statement was in response to Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s endorsement of the peevish peacenik, which we noted yesterday. "Any so-called African American leader that would endorse Dean despite his anti-black record is mortgaging the future of our struggle for civil rights and social justice," Sharpton said. Can this get any uglier?

Is Dean a 'Metrosexual'?
This item from a Denver Post story on Howard Dean's visit to Colorado requires no comment:

Dean declared himself a "metrosexual," the buzz phrase for straight men in touch with their feminine sides, as he touted his accomplishments in "equal justice" for gay and lesbian couples.

But then he waffled.

"I'm a square," Dean declared, after professing his metrosexuality to a Boulder breakfast audience with an anecdote about being called handsome by a gay man. "I like (rapper) Wyclef Jean and everybody thinks I'm very hip, but I am really a square, as my kids will tell you. I don't even get to watch television. I've heard the term (metrosexual), but I don't know what it means."

What a Relief
"Space Storm Hits, Earth Survives"--headline, Space.com, Oct. 29

The World's Smallest Violin
"Roughly 40,000 poor people have been dropped from the Oregon Health Plan this year because of their failure to make monthly premium payments, some as low as $6 a month," the Associated Press reports from Eugene.

"Advocates for the poor" are outraged. "It's an enormous barrier," said Ellen Pinney, director of the Oregon Health Action Committee. "Let alone the $6, there is the whole issue of writing a check or getting a money order, putting it in an envelope with a stamp and putting it in the mail to this place in Portland that must receive it by the due date."

The Friend Didn't Enjoy It Much Either
"Cutting Up Friend a Nightmare, Heir Says"--headline, Associated Press, Oct. 28

Maybe We Should Cut Him Some Slack
"Castrated Molester Claims He's Changed"--headline, Monterey County (Calif.) Herald, Oct. 29

Life Imitates the Onion

"March Named Breast Cancer Obliviousness Month"--headline, the Onion, Feb. 27, 2002

"With three days left in October, the lack of breast cancer awareness has been evident. Not only is October National Domestic Violence Month, it is also National Breast Cancer Awareness Month."--letter to the editor, Daily Tar Heel (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), Oct. 29, 2003

Pulling the Plug
"Court OKs Death for Analog TVs"--headline, CNN.com, Oct. 28

Helping Hnad
Michael "Jacko" Jackson is raising money for the HELP Organization, a charity that "uses study techniques developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, as one of the beneficiaries of his largesse," Fox News reports. Fox says HELP "stands for Hollywood Literacy and Education Program." If that's accurate, we hope they also hlep people cope with dyslexia.

Not Too Brite--CXIX
"A British woman died and two other people were seriously injured Tuesday when part of an escalator in a train station in Rome collapsed and they fell into the cogwheels beneath," Reuters reports from Rome.

Oddly Enough!

Have Blog, Will Travel--II
Thanks to all the readers who responded to our call yesterday to help fund our trip to cover the Hawaii caucuses in February or March. We've raised a grand total of $1, which exceeds our expectations by 100%. If the money continues coming in at this clip, we should have enough to go to Hawaii by 2020.

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Today on OpinionJournal:

• Bernard Lewis and James Woolsey: The Hashemite solution for Iraq.
• Dorothy Rabinowitz: Was that a Democratic debate or a Republican campaign ad?
• Jack Valenti: In the war against film piracy, some must pay a (small) price.