All The Best Generals are Editing Newspapers

The Belmont Club has a good article on the Left and it’s assumption that there is really no War on Terror because there really is no “Terrorist Threat.” It’s an excellent read, as are all of Wretchard’s essays.

However, I found the following comment most appropriate, and it is a quotation from Robert E. Lee (yes, the Confederate General):

This is Robert E. Lee talking to a friend admitting that the south had made a huge mistake from the beginning:

"Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers.

I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late. I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper."

Basically what he is saying is that, you know, "It is amazing all these generals that write for the newspaper have no clue what they are doing. They are always telling me what I am doing wrong after the fact. Why don't they tell me what I'm doing wrong before I get started? In fact, let's trade places. You people in the media think you know what is best and run the war, you go ahead and do it and we'll take your jobs." That is Robert E. Lee.