Fake Tom Friedman

“One more 9/11 and you’ll be taking off more than they loved their own
children. They glorified martyrdom and left families behind. Second, Osama bin
Laden declared war on us when Bill Clinton was president. I believe that the
person next to you on a plane or in a theater might blow up, there can be no
open society. And therefore, the post-9/11 era a deeply confounding war in a
variety of ways. First, Al Qaeda was undeterred by normal means. Al Qaeda’s
tactics are designed to be used against, and to not prosecute the lawyers and
interrogators who implemented the policy. But there is nothing for us is if Al
Qaeda aspired to deliver a devastating blow to America.”

“I am tagging along. All 11 Iraqi leaders around that table: “The U.S. is not
going to solve” Iraq’s problems. That is the job “of a sovereign
nation.” So Iraqis better get to work, because “on the current withdrawal
plan, coalition forces will not be here in 18 months.” That’s an important
message — otherwise Iraqis will tell you that they want to go there again. Yet
on the head and said, ‘That is so beautifully done. I had no idea all this
happened to me.’ ” Talabani’s joke seemed to have been directed as much to
his fellow Iraqis as to how much people of different backgrounds can accomplish
when they work together. We are the only trusted player here — even by those
who hate us.”

“They really get it. It’s all about building relationships from the ground up,
listening more and serving the people of Afghanistan.” So there you have it.
In grand strategic terms, I still don’t know if this Afghan war makes sense
anymore. I was dubious before I arrived, and I still don’t know if this Afghan
war makes sense anymore. I was dubious before I arrived, and I still am. But
when you see two little Afghan girls crouched on the front steps of their new
school, clutching tightly with both arms the notebooks handed to them by a U.S.
admiral — as if they were their first dolls — it’s hard to come to
Afghanistan and not ask: Why are we here?”

“No one throws it to you. You initiate the swing, and you will learn everything
you need to know about his character. Golf is played on an uneven terrain
designed to give true bounces. Golf is played on flat surfaces designed to give
true bounces. Golf is played on flat surfaces designed to surprise.”