Jim Henley, reflecting on his opposition to the war and his place in the media landscape, writes the blog post of the year. The LOL-ing stuff is the heart of the piece, but I'll just quote the soul:

What all of us had in common is probably a simple recognition: War is a big deal. It isn’t normal. It’s not something to take up casually. Any war you can describe as “a war of choice” is a crime. War feeds on and feeds the negative passions. It is to be shunned where possible and regretted when not. Various hawks occasionally protested that “of course” they didn’t enjoy war, but they were almost always lying. Anyone who saw invading foreign lands and ruling other countries by force as extraordinary was forearmed against the lies and delusions of the time. It’s a heavy burden, I’ll admit. But the riches and fame make it all worthwhile.

Certain warmongerish friends of mine need to absorb this stuff before they write me hysterical and self-parodic emails.