Uniquely Broad

The Brookings Institution invites me to an event:

The nation is now readying itself to assess America’s Iraq policy against the progress report General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker present to Congress. On September 13, leading Brookings experts representing a uniquely broad spectrum of views will examine the implications of a pivotal Iraq progress report. Specifically, they will review the details of the surge report card; assess if President Bush’s “surge” strategy is working; should be modified or abandoned; and provide an assessment of the way ahead in Iraq.

Participants will include Philip H. Gordon, senior fellow; Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow; Kenneth M. Pollack, senior fellow and director of research, Saban Center for Middle East Policy; Bruce Riedel, senior fellow; and Peter Rodman, senior fellow. Brookings President Strobe Talbott will provide introductory remarks. Carlos Pascual, vice president and director of Foreign Policy Studies, will moderate the panel. After the program, panelists will take audience questions.

And a broad range of views it is indeed. From Philip "Iraq: Why France Should Join the Coalition" Gordon on the left, to Peter "Some opponents of the Iraq war are toying with the idea of American defeat" Rodman on the right, all kinds of different Iraq hawks will be on the panel.

UPDATE: Bruce Reidel, it should be said, is a good guy. Still, this overall situation is absurd. Would it really kill them to invite people representing an actual broad range of views?