I just finished watching a most fascinating movie called The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara. The title refers to the Secretary of Defense during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Only the greatest authors in history could dream up such a hero/villain as ambivalent and ambiguous as real life. To me, he is everything that is great and wrong about America at the same time.
A couple of quotes that hit me:
Referring to this country's unilateral action in Vietnam, he said, "If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we better reexamine our reasoning." Does that sound familiar to anyone?
Regarding his dealings with the press: "Never answer the question that is asked of you; answer the question that you wish had been asked of you." Clearly, this has become one of politic's ten commandments.
There is a whole lot more. You should watch it.
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