O’Hanlon Grades Himself On Iraq: ‘I Give Myself A Score Of 7 Out Of 10′
O’Hanlon Grades Himself On Iraq: ‘I Give Myself A Score Of 7 Out Of 10′
In an op-ed in the National Interest today, Brookings analyst Michael O’Hanlon responded to Salon’s Glenn Greenwald’s criticisms of his and the media’s often wrong portrayals of the Iraq war. O’Hanlon said that his work has “generally” been “proven right.”
O’Hanlon provided a “brief evaluation” of his “track record.” Continuing his penchant for inflating the grades of war supporters, he remarked: “Grading my own homework, I give myself a score of 7 out of 10. Whether that is a good or bad grade is in the mind of the beholder.” This self-praise, however, overlooks much of what O’Hanlon has written and said about Iraq over the years. A few highlights:
O’Hanlon today: “Prediction that the occupation/stabilization mission would be long and challenging: correct.”
– “The United States and coalition partners would win any future war to overthrow Saddam Hussein in a rapid and decisive fashion. This will not be another Vietnam or another Korea.” [9/25/02]
– “In all likelihood, the war will culminate in a battle for Baghdad starting anywhere from five days to two weeks after bombs begin to fall. The war could be over within a month. … the battle for Baghdad will almost surely not last more than a week or two.” [3/18/03]
O’Hanlon today: “I believe Ken Pollack and I have been generally proven right by events—especially since we did not overstate by arguing that Iraq was calm, or that a good outcome was within easy reach.”
– “Here’s why things are going well and why they will soon go even better.” [3/28/03]
– “I would say that the main surprise for me was probably that one could travel around the country, even flying over contested areas, with relatively confident sense of security. … [Y]ou’re talking about specific, isolated acts [of violence] just like you would get in an American city.” [9/28/03]
O’Hanlon said his belief in 2004 that a withdrawal “would help matters” was “probably wrong.” And in a classic “incompetence dodge,” O’Hanlon criticized President Bush: “It was very hard to realize how shoddy this preparation was, looking from the outside, but I wish I had dug deeper and pressed harder.”
In O’Hanlon’s eyes, a history of rosy assessments adds up to a “7 out of 10.” Ironically, he concluded the op-ed by recommending that journalists and analysts should “occasionally scrutiniz[e] one’s own work for accuracy, consistency, rigor and care.”
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“I give myself a score of 7 out of 10.”
What an ass! In every test/challenge I have ever taken I gave myself 10 out of 10. If not I would have changed some of the answers until I got it right. I am not claiming that someone else doing the grading held the same opinion but I would never rate myself at 70% of anything I could control.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:39 pmI don’t know where he went to school but 70% is just a “C;” an average grade. Only a Rethuglican would praise himself for being average but, on second thought, have you ever seen one above dirt, let alone average.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:42 pmUmmm…that’s -7 out of 10.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:44 pmCrackpot realism is riding high.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:51 pmThis seems like grade inflation
May 20th, 2008 at 8:55 pmI give myself a 10 out of 10 on any issue that I think I am right about.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:59 pminteresting to see that glennzilla’s criticism provoked a response. usually it’s ignored; so greenwald clearly hit his target.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:03 pmI just looked at a test and without even taking it gave myself a passing grade and there is no need discussing it.
And now I can be a floater and get paid for swimming around sensory depravation tanks aound DC!!! Whoooo!!
May 20th, 2008 at 9:07 pmO’Handjob, another case of the soft bigotry of low expectations.
I have had enough of these hapless tools.
-GSD
May 20th, 2008 at 9:09 pmO’Hanlon’s grading methodology is flawed. Given the weight of each of the issues that he got wrong versus any that he got right (assuming that he can’t be perfectly wrong), then a score of 3 out of 10 is more likely to be representative of his performance. Kind of similar to Bush’s approval rating, giving the 3/10 score some additional validity.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:10 pmTP referred to O’Hanlon as a “Brookings *n*lyst” but if I type the word or a derivative in a post, I get “moderated”.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:14 pmThis is a test: Anna Lyst
May 20th, 2008 at 9:19 pmThis is a test: Anna Lyze
May 20th, 2008 at 9:20 pmDoes anyone else see the notice that my comment, which is also visible, is awaiting moderation?
May 20th, 2008 at 9:32 pmI give him a 10 out of 10 for d-baggery.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:33 pmI don’t see it, Nevar. Did you say something naughty? ;)
May 20th, 2008 at 9:34 pmAnother variation on the word O’Hanna List uses to describe himself…. ;)
May 20th, 2008 at 9:37 pmWill TP allow me to report myself for abuse?
May 20th, 2008 at 9:39 pmApparently it will…..
May 20th, 2008 at 9:40 pmCool Trick!
May 20th, 2008 at 9:42 pmNevar Says:
Does anyone else see the notice that my comment, which is also visible, is awaiting moderation?
May 20th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Dude…
I don’t know what’s up with this moderation crap.
A few months ago it started happening to me; I could post a couple of notes and they would be fine, yet a third one would give “awaiting moderation.”
I wrote the admin and they said they didn’t know why it was happening. They fixed it and things were fine.
A couple of days ago it started again. I wrote them again and still have not received any answer.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:57 pmIn my day the difference between 70% or 69% was a D minus or an F. To have that kind of a mark regarding going to and conducting a war is morally reprehensible.
May 20th, 2008 at 9:57 pmHeh…
May 20th, 2008 at 10:02 pmI’ve never scored as low as 70% on any test. Missing a single answer is unacceptable when the stakes are high. That being said, ALL chickenhawks deserve a big, fat, zero. And a sound thrashing.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:16 pmIt must be nice to be able to assess the questions, then alter your answers, THEN grade yourself.
How do I become a pundit?
May 20th, 2008 at 11:36 pm7 out of 10? That’s 70%. At my college, that’s a C-, one step removed from a D, not a passing grade. I’d say that the only way O’Hanlon would get a C- in any class is being given a Gentleman’s C…kind of like his boy, George!
May 20th, 2008 at 11:39 pmCan we grade him on military casualties?
How about creating enemies?
Breaking the U.S. taxpayers back for war profiteers?
May 21st, 2008 at 3:35 amWait a moment. He wrote the question himself, and still got a 70%?
These people do not deserve the exposure they get. Setting them up on TP for us to ridicule is not punishment enough. Ignoring them would do more good.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:09 amClearly O’Hanlon would have flunked my class!
May 21st, 2008 at 8:11 amHe believes in 7 out of 10 “noble lie`s”. He is another candidate that should be “Hangin High” come 2009.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:15 amIn my class that would have earned the wanker an F & a trip to the Dean’s office. You can’t rewrite exam questions, write in “all of the above” on every multiple choice, and cherry pick your responses.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:27 amGreat job nailing this wanker!
My ass is a 10 and I’m am one hot mo fo.
According to me.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:53 amAnd, of course, he replies in a forum that doesn’t allow reader comments. He appreciates Glenn’s attempt to scrutinize the accuracy of pundits, as long as he’s not included among the scrutinees…
May 21st, 2008 at 9:25 amI have been subjected to numerous scalding critiques since my house burned down. The constant vitriol leveled at me leaves me unable to remain silent. I will address all issues relevant to the fire and rate myself in a purely objective scholarly manor.
1) Yes – I did start the fire myself. The north by northwest wall in the basement seemed to be infested with termites. A controlled fire that would be out in days, possibly a week, would eradicate the pest infestation and leave my house and occupants safe. Score = 0.0
2) No – I did not call 911 but attempted to put it out myself. I do not want to point fingers at the person or persons who forgot to replace the extinguishers which were 6 years past their expiration date. Score = 0.0
3) No – I did not have backups of my files off-site so I lost all of my work. However, this will give me a chance to start anew. The next 6 months will be critical. Score = 0.5
4) I saved my goldfish Moby Dick. Score = 1.0
5) I saved my turtle Cuff but Link inhaled too much smoke. My repeated valiant efforts of C.P.R. were unsuccessful. Score = 0.5
6) I managed to crawl upstairs to retrieve my autographed photo of Senator Joseph Lieberman. Score = 1.0
7) I had the foresight to put my George W. Bush Cheerleading Legion of Merit Award in a fireproof container. Score = 1.0
8) I salvaged 2 bags of marshmallows which I toasted for my neighbors who thoroughly enjoyed the episode. Their cheers brought tears to my eyes. Score = 1.0
9) I was allowed to stay rent-free as long as needed in the Project for the New American Century Bunker provided I make a first draft of a letter stating the reasons why the USA must attack Iran and force a regime change. Score = 1.0
10) There are no termites left in the rubble. Actually the fire marshals said they saw no sign of any termite activity but in any case, the mission to eradicate them was a success and in no way does the fact that they were not there in the first place, undermine the absolute success of the struggle. Score = 1.0
Grading my own actions, I give myself a total score of 7 out of 10. Whether that is a good or bad grade is in the mind of the beholder.
Derf OhNo’ Derfery
May 21st, 2008 at 10:02 pm