Roll Out the Pain Killers

Megan McArdle, on why she was wrong about the war in Iraq, and What She Has Learned from Her Chastening Experience:

The biggest thing I've learned is simple humility.

Megan McArdle, replying to those who are less than satisfied with her account of this error:

I have no particular interest in the opinions of my harsher critics on this topic; the only interesting criticisms of my thought process so far have been made by me.

Shazam!

Also, what Roy said.

Comments

[Mudge]

Megam McArdle..Ann Althouse..

And I thought they threw away the mold with Ann..oh well.

[julia]

Yeah, if I fell publicly into the abscess in my own soul, I'd definitely wait for a forty year old woman who likes to be though of as a really tall elf to guide me out.

And I'm sure as soon as she makes her way out of the abscess in her soul she'll be right along.

[Bob]

Poor Jonah still awaits a single intelligent negative review of "I Know You Are but What Am I?" and now Megan has to get in the same line and await what will never come; criticism of her writing which praises her writing. It can’t be easy being that dumb.

[Ripley]

She's a righteous dude!

[DrDick]

"the only interesting criticisms of my thought process so far have been made by me."

Self-indulgent narcissism defined.

Thank you. Starting the day with laughter ...

[rea]

I was particularly impressed with her response to me and other in comments. She claims that back in '03, she was calling for civility on both sides. Well, what about her famous statement about beating antiwar protestors with 2X4s? Oh, that was only violent protestors. But there were no violent protestors! Well, then she didn't actualy call for violence, did she? Complaints about her 2x4 post are the stupiest argument she's ever heard, and I'm illiterate for making it, and everyone stop making ad hominem attacks on her!

How did this person get a national platform for her nonsense?

[Jay B.]

Shorter McArdle:

As a libertarian, my trusting the government over their obviously inflated claims about the danger posed by Saddam is proof that governments are incompetent and I'm right about being a libertarian.

[Jay C.]

Good gravy is she terrible.

She's kind of a taller, less narcissistic Althouse fueled by appletinis. She and Andrew Sullivan make the Atlantic a real bear to get through these days.

[low-tech cyclist]

The biggest things she should have learned are that actions have consequences, and that in terms of consequences, her having learned humility is small potatoes compared to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who've lost their lives, and the millions who are exiled.

[Bitter Scribe]

If this is her being humble, I don't want to be in the same time zone with her when she's being arrogant.

[flory]

I've come to the conclusion that the entire conservotarian wingnutolunasphere is actually a giant joke.

Fafblog and The Onion got together over beers one day.

And we still haven't caught on.

[Davis]

I'll believe that she's learned from her mistakes when I hear her denounce McCain's saber rattling about Iran.

[actor212]

the only interesting criticisms of my thought process so far have been made by me.

So, we talking split personality, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia here?

[rea]

I don't want to be in the same time zone with her when she's being arrogant.

We wouldn't fit in the same time zone as her when she's being arrogant.

[P. Drano]

Mmm...But no one is as smart as some of you have decided you must be. And every word that you type mocking me, a supporter of the war will, I guarantee, be hauled up and thrown in your face. So be wide.

[John O]

Concise sure can be lovely.

Thank you. I laughed hard at this one.

[John O]

Over the course of my life I've known a handful of people with Megan's background, near to a T.

It's always the same.

[John O]

Shorter McArdle: Let them eat cake!

[DrDick]

"I'll believe that she's learned from her mistakes when I hear her denounce McCain's saber rattling about Iran."

I'll believe she has learned from her mistakes when she says plainly, "I am sorry. I have been completely wrong about everything I ever said," and then enters a remote nunnery and takes a perpetual silence.

[shrimplate]

All this is very interesting, but what we really need to know is what she thinks about Obama's pastor. Or pasture.

[spencer]

How did this person get a national platform for her nonsense?

I have a theory on that, but it's not a particularly polite one.

[Jemand von Niemand]

I miss all Megan's descriptions of being a wife and mom, and how her insights somehow relate to larger questions of foreign policy and the awsome truthiness of our national media.

And details about her children -- especialy her troubled son, Megalon, who has just completed an unplanned urban renewal of Osaka and is currently swimming back to North America, followed closely by most of our Keyhole satellites and the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet.

[Midwest Product]

The entire Megan McArdle phenomenon is adequately described in this review of David Dunning's recent psychological research:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/01/18/MN73840.DTL?2

Perhaps we ought to campaign to have this diagnosis named as McArdle Syndrome?

[Midwest Product]

Oops, that didn't link properly.

Maybe this one will work? Clicky clicky