Gonzales and Wolfowitz as neocon monuments

u u u

Mr. Gonzales’s pathetic performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee exhibited, to a frightening degree, the plastic conscience of the supposed examplar of our national law enforcement, who had no trouble rationalizing the tortures at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo with our obligations under the Geneva Conventions. He deserved a national prize for forgetfulness about the political reasons for firing of the United States attorneys.

Mr. Wolfowitz set an example of how to reduce corruption in Third World countries by lobbying to get a cushy State Department post for his lady friend, who had been at the World Bank. What remains a mystery is how Wolfowitz, an intellectual who had been a dean at Johns Hopkins, could have been so woefully ignorant of the history and culture of the Middle East previously, while he was throwing his weight around as deputy secretary of defense and arrogantly dismissing those who differed with him on the war.

It could be that Bush, by continuing to sing the praises of Gonzales and Wolfowitz, is preparing their exits in the fashion of Donald Rumsfeld (remember him?) But don’t bet on it. Anyhow, it would be hard to find replacements who could be this crass.

u u u

A respected voice from the past, Lee Iacocca, has come up with a muscular new book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" He defines our national needs as a veritable ocean of "Cs" — curiosity, creativity, ability to communicate, character, courage, conviction, charisma, competence, common sense and ability to act in a crisis. I like his earthy definition of common sense, attributed to a mentor as the ability to distinguish between a dip of equine excrement (euphemism mine) and a dip of vanilla ice cream.

"We’re immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We’re losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership," writes Iacocca.

A bit simplistic, perhaps, and notably lacking in concern for global warming and the environment generally. But a tocsin not unlike that which Ross Perot was trying to sound a decade-and-a-half ago. What, by the way, is he doing now?

u u u

The United States is sometimes accused of indifference to the concerns of its northern neighbor, Canada. It is noteworthy that in a 10-day period earlier this month Canada lost nine soldiers killed in Afghanistan — the equivalent, on a population basis, of almost 90 American losses. Canada contributes about 2,500 troops to the 37-nation International Security Assistance Force; the United States has just under 25,000 there.

What has been lamentably apparent in recent months is that far from buttressing the hold of the democratically elected government in Afghanistan, the international force has been losing ground to a resurgent Taliban in parts of the country. More help from the United States and its European allies is crucially needed. More help from this country is highly unlikely so long as the United States is distracted by the war in Iraq. Afghanistan remains the focal point of the terror that, thanks partly to the boost from the Iraq war, now is manifest around the world.

u u u

Do you remember when it used to be the practice to have your worn shoes half-soled with new heels? That dates you; for many years we seemingly have had to discard our old shoes for new ones, often made of plastic. I long for the days when Danny Loffredo ran his shoe repair shop in a small brick building next to the jewelry store that stood at the southeast corner of the junction of Connecticut Route 41 and U.S. 44 in Lakeville.

The Lakeville baseball team had no more ardent supporter than Danny. His wife, Josie, who worked in the bindery of The Lakeville Journal, no longer lived with Danny, but looked in on him frequently while she kept the bindery staff stuffed with confections. Danny loved to chat with visitors and spoke contemptuously of the "plastics" that he said were ruining his business.

Well, Danny and the shoe and jewelery stores are long since gone and it has seemed impossible to get shoes repaired anywhere this side of Torrington, That is why I was so glad to learn that Saperstein’s in Millerton performs this service. A hark back to former times that I feel sure many persons who cherish favorite shoes will welcome.