Mornings at breakfast is about the only time I get to watch a little bit of TV. The mess hall has a TV, and they have AFN TV on. Unfortunately for me, the show that is on when I go to chow is Lehrer News Hour. There is very little news shown on the News Hour, it's mostly editorializing. This morning they had Juan Cole on to talk about something. I'm not exactly sure what it was, I lost interest as soon as I saw him. He's been so wrong on so many things about Iraq, I wonder how on earth he's considered an expert on the middle east. Sure, he's read a lot about things over here, and I'd be willing to bet that he knows more of the history of this area than the average joe, but he's completely off-base when he talks about current events. It would be like me trying to write a definitive history of the US Army; I couldn't do it. But I sure as hell could tell you more about what the Army is like right now, and more about the soldiers around me, than any scholar writing about the Army at some university or at Carlisle Barracks. Same thing with Juan. Sure, he knows why Shia cut their heads during Ashurra, and he probably knows the difference between a mosque and a hussaynia, but listening to him the other day (again, on Lehrer News Hour) try to explain why it's in Iran's best interest to have a stable Iraq as a neighbor, it is clear that he is unable to synthesize the many and varied political, theological, and fanatical undercurrents in this region. He can't even come up with a coherent statement about what's going on right now. His dissection of the issue is skin deep.
Just before we left to come over here, one of Juan's fellow professors at the University of Michigan came to talk to us about the middle east. I won't name him here. Knowing the Army, I'll bet we paid him handsomely for his expertise. The audience was made up mostly of soldiers who had been in the middle east many times. He was so wrong about so many of the things he put out in his brief to us that there was snickering and quite a few derogatory comments made throughout his address. We were too professional to sharpshoot him at the end, of course, but he didn't impress any of the soldiers I was sitting with. It is apparent to me that we understand the people in a way that no scholar can. We understand them as enemies who are trying to kill us, and somtimes as brothers in arms. Our lives depend upon knowing them and their motives. When your life is on the line, the motivation is a bit stronger to know what makes a person, a group, a society, tick.
I need to get on that gravy train where "experts" are consulted simply because they are sure to comment in a manner that won't disagree with the editorializing you are trying to pass off as news. It sure would be a lot easier than actually coming over here and getting shot at.
Thanks for your blog, i really enjoy reading milbogs. They give you a much clearer picture of what is going on in the world. keep up the good work and thank God America still produces people like you and your family.
Posted by: Stu | March 29, 2006 at 10:14 PM