"'We're not the Japanese. We're not into surprising other countries,' Matthews complained to radio host Don Imus."

Just how much of a surprise would it be? You'd have to be an Iraqi living under Irocki...er, I mean a rock, not to know that Saddam is all but beckoning the sledgehammer to fall on his people once again.

But on an emotional level, I know exactly where Matthews is coming from. American eyes--mine, anyway--are opening to some very frightening realities, and it'd be a lot more comforting if we could just deny them and continue to live in the past.

Perhaps "those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it," but those who fail to accept the present are likely condemned to lose the future.