I guess we now know whose side Fouad Ajami will come down on in November:
In the past five years, the passion has drained out of the war’s defenders and critics alike. Our soldiers and envoys are there, but the public at home has moved onto other concerns. Still, the public is willing to grant this expedition time, and that’s for the good. There is no taste in this country for imperial burdens and acquisitions in distant lands. But Americans also know that the lands and sea lanes of the Persian Gulf are too vital to be left to mayhem and petty tyrants.
“But Americans also know that the lands and sea lanes of the Persian Gulf are too vital to be left to mayhem and petty tyrants.”
Not all Americans think this way, unfortunately. Usually it’s the ones with “D” behind their name, too.