"Though Osama bin laden is on the run, alQaida will carry on because it has grown from a ‘movement to an ideology.’
"This is not an entity that can be defeated on the battlefield."
That is what terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman, director of the Rand Corporation, told the New Mexico Anti-Defamation League Sunday, reports the Albuquerque Journal this morning.
How surprising!
I try to keep my limitations in mind. You probably are aware of yours, too. And then along come the "experts," like Mr. Hoffman, to retail the obvious. Only then do I realize, as I did during the Vietnam War, that the "experts" never are.
Sometimes I think democracy fails to the extent that we delegate to those we elect and their "experts, " those who give educated counsel.
We have to, of course; we have other concerns. So we allow them discretion, then forget they’re our creatures and eventually concede to them power and respect. I've heard people say in so many words that they have "faith" in our leaders.
Thus, Vietnam. Thus, Iraq.
Sure there are individuals who know more about certain topics than we do. They are not, however, "objective" (whatever that means), so it's a mistake to respect their authority.
If we can, we should participate, make our own decisions. Failing that, we must cultivate not faith, but skepticism.