The most important piece on

The most important piece on the Web today is Mark Helprin’s critical assessment of the president’s war leadership, “Failing the Test of September 11.” Helprin’s assessment is relentlessly negative and I fear incurring the wrath of Rocket Man even in posting this item. But Helprin’s knowledge and thoughtfulness are self-evident in this piece and it deserves our thoughtful consideration and response.
Helprin is not alone in this negative assessment of the president’s war leadership. Among the few analysts who share this assessment and whose opinion cannot be disregarded is Angelo Codevilla, an intelligence expert who teaches politics at Boston University and who is also our fellow fellow at the esteemed Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship. Professor Codevilla has set forth his views at length in successive issues of the Claremont Review of Books. The Review’s current issue features an outstanding symposium including responses to Professor Codevilla’s articles by William Buckley, Norman Podhoretz, Frank Gaffney and others. Professor Codevilla has the last word in the symposium and it is not at all evident to me at least where he or Helprin are in error.
Rocket Man, take it away.

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