Dear Anne Applebaum

Before you call anyone a "useful" idiot, perhaps you should understand the concept of "it takes one to know one".

For I don't think you are really the person to call anybody out for being a stooge.

Let's go to the videotape the archives:

February 6, 2003:

Washington, D.C.: Many here in the US view European countries opposed to a possible war as manipulative and self-serving. Is it the view in Europe that the overwhelming rejection of the Bush Administration's policy toward Iraq is simple common sense?

Anne Applebaum: I think there is some genuine opposition to the war in Europe which is perfectly legitimate. There is nothing wrong with (as you put it) common sense questions like "why now" and "what will the long-term consequences be for the region." Some of the opposition, however, is in fact partisan hostility towards President Bush and the political views he is alleged to represent, and that strikes me as short-sighted.

AND...

New Haven, Conn.: Right now, Saddam Hussein seems to be "contained" by the inspections, and is not using any WMD outside of Iraq. So, the inspections ARE working in this respect, but we all agree the work isn't finished. The investment and risk involved in continuing the inspections seem far less than that involved in a war (and ethically necessary reconstruction of Iraq).

However obvious this issue may be, there is a conspicuous lack of discussion of the two options in terms of U.S. economic and military commitment. Aside from the inevitable "costs" of war measured in innocent lives and military waste, what is the administration saying about the billions of dollars and significant commitment of American troops needed to occupy Iraq following a "regime change"?

Anne Applebaum: Except that inspections haven't worked - that is, they haven't prevented Iraq from developing weapons. And we don't know that they wouldn't prevent Iraq from giving them to terrorist groups.

As for the costs of occupying post-war Iraq - they depend almost entirely upon what kind of a place post-war Iraq turns out to be.

In a sane world, these kind of past statements would cause shame -- and certainly prevent those who uttered them to have some sense of reflection when calling other people dupes and idiots.

But, it helps if you are an idiot yourself to have no sense of reflection.

And, of course, who is Fred Hiatt to call anyone out on these issues?