Tom Friedman: wrong on Iraq, rich, but no home in Aspen yet

My hat goes off to the folks at Radar Online. They put together an intensely smart feature that asks, since political pundits play such an important role in shaping public and elite opinion, “surely those who warned us not to invade Iraq have been recognized and rewarded, and those who pushed for this disaster face tattered credibility and waning career prospects. Could it be any other way in America?”

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Of course, it’s the other way ’round. For folks like Thomas Friedman, who beat the drums of war, business is booming, and the speaking fees and book contracts are rolling in. But pundits who vigorously opposed the war, such as fired liberal Los Angeles Times columnist Robert Scheer, are down and out.

The ones who got rich by being wrong: Peter Beinart, Thomas Friedman, Jeffrey Goldberg, Fareed Zakaria.

The ones who got it right, but stayed poor: William Lind, Robert Scheer, Jonathan Schell.

As for Friedman, he admits he got it wrong on Iraq, but nonetheless wants the record set straight:

Thanks for your piece on Radar[Online]. You got all your facts right, but one. We don’t have a second home in Aspen, or anywhere else. I will need to get more things wrong to achieve that status. I think you might be referring to my in-laws’ home, where we stay when we visit them. You seem to be interested in facts, so I figured you would want to know. All best, Tom Friedman