A reminder of the works of a post-9/11 government.

TPM:

When it comes to Middle East policy, career U.S. intelligence officer Patrick Lang is hardly a slouch. He was in charge of the Middle East, South Asia, and terrorism for the Defense Intelligence Agency in the 1990s, and was later tapped to run the Pentagon's international spying operations.

So when he sat down in 2001 with Doug Feith for a job interview, Feith probably should have been anxious to bring someone with Lang's experience, stature, and expertise into the young Bush administration. Feith needed someone to run the Pentagon's office of special operations and low-intensity warfare, and Lang had been recommended for the position. The interview didn't go well. (via TP)

...

"He says, 'Is it really true that you really know the Arabs this well, and that you speak Arabic this well? Is that really true? Is that really true?'

"And I said, 'Yeah, that's really true.'

"That's too bad," Feith said.

...

Says it all. If you go and take the time to read Imperial Live on the Emerald City, you will see how deeply embedded this attitude was in the government and those it choose to lead, act, and think.

This is the opposition to pre-9/11 thought? Ideology over skill. Ignorance over experience. Blind devotion over passionate debate.

And they want 4 more years...