Yes, it’s true. . . our week of REFLECTIONS is drawing to a close. . . the velvet curtains are about to cover the mirror once again. . . we must act quickly to catch a final, fleeting glimpse of ourselves. . .

Here’s a morning “flex” from Josef Joffe:

Still, “Where did we get it wrong?” remains a valid and compelling question. Though as a realist, I felt queasy about the “democratic peace theory” behind the war (“only despots make war, while democracies are inherently pacific”), I hesitantly thought, Why not? Maybe the fall of this horrifying regime would serve as an example to all the other despotisms in the neighborhood.

(My emphasis, because: Why not?)

Where did we get it wrong? . . Why did we all get it so wrong? . . Were we all so blind? . . Did we take a wrong turn when we were all on our field trip together? . . That was a fun field trip we all took. . . Remember when you gave me part of your sandwich, and I let you have a little of my juice box? . . WHY WERE WE ALL SO WRONG? . . (SOB)