LET THE HEALING BEGIN?

Nice bit of snark in today's New York Times review of two new neocon books, Norman Podhoretz's World War IV and Michael Ledeen's The Iranian Time Bomb:

The most astonishing part of "World War IV" is Podhoretz's incessant use of violent imagery to describe American politics. Critics of the Iraq war represent a "domestic insurgency" with a "life-and-death stake" in America’s defeat. And their dispute with the president's supporters represents "a war of ideas on the home front." "In its own way," Podhoretz declares, "this war of ideas is no less bloody than the one being fought by our troops in the Middle East."

No less bloody? That's good to know. Next time I talk to my sister-in-law, an emergency medicine doctor serving at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, I'll tell her we have it just as rough here at home. Norman Podhoretz is practically dodging I.E.D.'s on his way to Zabar's.

Ouch. Yeah, the last time I was in Zabar's, the death-squad activity at the nova lox counter was pretty bad.

Oh, but this is actually unfair, because Matt Bai interviewed Podhoretz for his Giuliani article in the Times Magazine and Norman wasn't on the Upper West Side at all -- he was at his vacation home in the Hamptons.

In any case, you should read the whole Podhoretz/Ledeen review -- it's just what those two guys deserve. And you know who wrote it? Peter Beinart. You know, he's trying to make amends -- I'm almost ready to forgive him for what he said about war opponents early on. Almost.