Silly Little Country

One Reason I will keep reading William Shawcross

...even though there are many I know not worth further attention (I do not need to mention names).

Powerline document exactly the sorts of things one should expect of a reporter like Shawcross, and that he delivers on, unlike so many.

I am particularly impressed by :

Shawcross's magnanimity is reflected in his inclusion of the entire Rodman/Shawcross exchange in the Appendix to the most recent edition of Sideshow.

And I will repeat the full quotation they make, that should make people not forget certain aspects of Vietnam.

Those of us who opposed the American war in Indochina should be extremely humble in the face of the appalling aftermath: a form of genocide in Cambodia and horrific tyranny in both Vietnam and Laos. Looking back on my own coverage for The Sunday Times...,I think I concentrated too easily on the corruption and incompetence of the South Vietnamese and their American allies, was too ignorant of the inhuman Hanoi regime, and far too willing to believe that a victory by the Communists would provide a better future. But after the Communist victory came the refugees to Thailand and the floods of boat people desperately seeking to escape the Cambodian killing fields and the Vietnamese gulags. Their eloquent testimony should have put paid to all illusions.

Somehow few people I know seem to recall the boat people. But what is impressive is his willingness to review his mistakes and try to adapt.

It is a skill I wish more of our pundits had.

posted by Alan Adamson @ 11:42 AM