Perhaps there is an inherent contradiction in punditry -- when that becomes painfully obvious with someone like Friedman who tries to pretend that he has brilliant insights: a pundit is somebody that is expected to have profound knowledge. At the same time, to keep in the business of punditry you must be able to say something about subjects that people consider important. You must pretend to be in the know. For special pundits like Friedman, you must be able to continue to rub shoulders with the rich and powerful, which means that you must echo what they believe and do it with an air of brilliance.
So here is Friedman, left with a stupid war which virtually everyone in Washington supports and few on Wall Street are willing to openly oppose. You have no choice but to say cheery things about the prospects for victory. So although I find Friedman offensive, part of the problem comes with his job description. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
