A reader writes:
I'm a reader of your blog, a sometimes reader of The New Republic, occasionally catch you on talk shows, and will likely buy your book. I just want to thank you for being honest, open, and not afraid to be publically against the current. When the war in Iraq first began I really struggled to deal with who I was (liberal, Democrat, "a peacenik" as my Republican father might have said) and how I felt about what was happening, which was at odds with the opinions of others in my demographic. I discovered that I did believe there were things worth fighting for, that I did believe it was appropriate to go in and help people who were oppressed by their leaders, and that I believed that we not only had the right to help those who were oppressed by tyrants but that we had the moral obligation to do so, even when we weren't asked and when it didn't involve a direct threat to our national security.
It was a lonely place to be. Reading you made me feel saner, smarter, and less alone. Of course, I now feel sad, betrayed, and hopeless about what's happened. But I thank you for making public these current thoughts and feelings as well as the original ones. I'm not a Conservative, not an Independent, not male, not a Catholic, not gay, and am certainly not a Blogger, but perhaps I'm a kindred spirit. Thanks for doing what you do. It helps me and I believe it helps in a larger way as well.
We are all fallible. The issue is whether we admit it; and what we do about it.