"From the perspective of history, when people look back, they will wonder how the country could have gone so wrong in its struggle against an inimical ideology. And they will conclude that the wrong leaders were in power to understand and defeat this ideology; instead, those leaders advanced their own power in the guise of safeguarding the country's security while curtailing citizens' liberties.

At that future time, the people will still be struggling to undo what has been done to those liberties and their reputation.

Your list of what needs to be corrected outlines what they will understand has happened and what they know will be needed to restore their liberties and their reputation. Unfortunately, unlike liberties, reputation, once compromised, is never really restored. "

(correspondent to the NY Times)

Yonkers, March 4, 2007