Premature Triumphalism

I nearly started weeping earlier this week when, on a whim, I looked up the exact date on which the Iraq War began. As it happens, March 20 - next Monday - will mark the three-year anniversary of Mr. Bush's War. (For what it's worth, Monday will be Day 1,096 of the war. The US was in World War I for only 584 days and in WWII for 1,347 days.)

All this makes this post from Tom Tomorrow all the better painfully worse. First, conso columnist Cal Thomas on April 16, 2003:

All of the printed and voiced prophecies should be saved in an archive. When these false prophets again appear, they can be reminded of the error of their previous ways and at least be offered an opportunity to recant and repent. Otherwise, they will return to us in another situation where their expertise will be acknowledged, or taken for granted, but their credibility will be lacking.

Thence follows a truly staggering and weep-inducing litany of asinine self-righteousness from conso pundits near and far. Read the whole list on the FAIR website to get the full bitter flavor, but my favorite's this one:

The war was the hard part. The hard part was putting together a coalition, getting 300,000 troops over there and all their equipment and winning. And it gets easier. I mean, setting up a democracy is hard, but it is not as hard as winning a war.
(Fox News Channel’s Fred Barnes, 4/10/03)

What a bunch of sad, blithering idiots.