I'm a big fan of James Lileks' The Bleat. I rarely miss it and today's column has a very poignant ending. In speaking about the war on terrorism he writes:

Ever watched a fight on TV? Before the bout everyone’s milling around in the ring; there’s hard looks and grins and hangers-on and photographers, and a general air of excitement and anticipation, but everyone’s enjoying the moment. Then the bell clangs. Everyone heads to their corners. They know exactly which corner is theirs.
We may think that bell’s already rung, but it hasn’t. Believe me, you'll know it when it does.


It's a very simple but very powerful analogy. It's really true that when the gloves come off people instinctively flock to one side or the other. Even if they don't have a vested interest or even a well-formed opinion. Instinctively, we choose a side. Such choices are usually very telling.

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