Irony

Diana West's latest article begins with a story of a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears from the Bears point of view. Apparently presenting the Bears point of view is wrongheaded because it was confusing to children. Children need to learn that there is right and wrong, good and evil. Goldilocks is good; the bears are bad. That's what you need to know.

Of course the connection to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent visit to New York couldn't be more clear. He's evil; therefore we should pay him no attention. Good and evil - the world couldn't be simpler.

This point of view could be described charitably as a bit child like. The fact is America has had to deal with evil rulers from time to time, and I don't see that changing. It's child-like to assume we can simply eliminate evil from the world. Perhaps God can and will, but such is beyond the power of politicians.

But to Diana West this is the view point of grownups

Ahmadinejad was admitted into the country, hosted by Columbia, and respectfully received by the media on the say-so of supposedly seasoned adults. Which should make us all cry out: Where have all the grown-ups gone?

If you are looking for the kind of grown-ups that fling us willy-nilly into wars that we don't need and don't want, I suppose you could look in the Bush Administration.