Idiocy on Parade

Item 1

A Palestinian suicide bomber set off an explosion at a sidewalk falafel stand near Tel Aviv's central bus station today, killing the bomber and at least eight bystanders.

A spokesperson for Hamas described the explosion as an act of self-defense.

Is that insight into the maladjusted mind of a Muslim fanatic? Self-defense is killing men women and children who have done nothing to you? Appears to be.


Item 2

Six retired generals have come out of retirement to criticize Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Most thinking people give little credence to this criticism. However, the errant generals drew fire from another general.

"I think there are professional standards that you have when you are in uniform that carry on when you retire," Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said. "It's inappropriate because it's not the military that judges our civilian bosses. We'd be in a horrible state in this country, in my opinion, if the military was left to judge the civilian bosses, because when you judge Secretary Rumsfeld, you're also judging the commander in chief, because that's the chain of command, and that's just not appropriate," Gen. Myers told ABC's "This Week" program.

Gen. Myers said the generals did not question the prewar plans, and went a step further by saying that any military officer would be derelict in his duty if he did not voice his concerns.

Another on-point comment came from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who commented, "Don Rumsfeld listens to generals. He doesn't obey them."


Item 3

Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui suffered a traumatic childhood, a social worker testified in his trial last week. Moussaoui, who calls “shoe bomber” Richard Reid his "buddy" from their days together in al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan, testified last month that he and Reid were going to hijack a fifth plane on Sept. 11, 2001, and fly it into the White House.

Poor thing. Should we feel sorry for him? No doubt some softheaded Americans will.