Did you catch Maj. Gen. Anthony Zinni (Ret.) on "Meet the Press"? Rachel will have a full fill on Russert Watch, but I couldn't resist a curtain-raiser.
Zinni is a national treasure. He's what Wes Clark was, before he opened his mouth on Iraq during his first in-flight press gaggle and shot himself in the tongue. He's what John Kerry was supposed to be, until he did the same thing at the Grand Canyon, and was for wind-surfing before he was against Swift Boating.
But Zinni's aim is sharp and true. He's a real, uncompromising straight-talker: I can't imagine him giving the commencement address at NeoCon College. On national security, Zinni has the authority of a chestful of ribbons and a lifetime of service. I loved his answer to the BushCo claim that we had to go to war because we didn't have Saddam in a box -- that it's an insult to the American forces who risked their lives to keep him in that box for ten years.
I know: I pimped for Russ Feingold for President in this spot a coupla weeks back. I still love him, and for the same reasons. But what's wrong with throwing a spotlight on all the public figures who are willing to tell Iraq like it is, and who are prepared to be counterrevolutionaries against the silent coup in Washington?
If Hillary wants to send a signal that she's got a real position on Iraq, and not just a poll-tested tangle of mealy-mouthed talking points, she could name Zinni her Secretary-of-Defense-to-be. Oh, I forgot -- she's running for the Senate. No plans past that for now. Yup, ya gotta love the rituals and kabuki of American politics. After all, it's not as if there's a war on or anything.