Tom Friedman on Afghanistan circa 2002: "Give war a chance." We did, Tom. And it was fucked up advice then, and it's even worse now. For SHAME! [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) August 22, 2021

In November 2001 the Taliban was defeated, OBL was in Tora Bora, crucial decisions, poor judgement ... Rumsfeld "the warrior" decided the Americans wanted to see more blood ... the moment for a settlement and peaceful transfer was missed ... 20 years and 100,000 lives lost Leaves the Afghans distraught and the Americans suffering due to waste of 💵💵 two trillion.

... At the bottom of the pyramid are the liberal hawks in the punditocracy, figures like New Republic editor Peter Beinart, Time writer Joe Klein and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman. These pundits, along with purely partisan outfits... help to both set the agenda and frame the debate. The journalistic hawks churn out the agitprop that the more respectable think tanks turn into "serious" scholarship, some of which eventually becomes policy, or at least talking points, when adopted by the politicians. [Source: EuroTrib in 2005]

The Madness of NYT's Tom Friedman By Tom Parry

The Taliban Peace Deal Might Have Been Had Many Years and Thousands of Lives Ago | Daily Beast - Feb. 29, 2020 |

'Sapere aude'