Beware pundits ignoring chronology

Roger Cohen engages in some egregious rhetorical sleight of hand here :

Already, there are shifts in Israeli attitudes as a result of the new American clarity. Last year, Netanyahu described Iran’s leaders as “a messianic apocalyptic cult,” which was silly. Of late we’ve had Ehud Barak, the Israeli defense minister, setting things right: “I don’t think the Iranians, even if they got the bomb, are going to drop it in the neighborhood. They fully understand what might follow. They are radical but not total ‘meshuganas.’ They have a quite sophisticated decision-making process.”

This is persuasive if you ignore a couple stubborn facts. One, Barak’s comments predate the recent blowup between the Obama administration and Israel. Two, Barak has long believed that Iran doesn’t pose an existential threat to his country. Here’s him saying as much back in September, and I’m sure I could find earlier examples. Three, Barak and Netanyahu come from different parts of the Israeli political spectrum; the two men aren’t even members of the same political party. They have different points of view. There’s precious little evidence Netanyahu himself has shifted his rhetoric.

Lesson: Beware pundits who throw around vague language like "of late." It’s a sign they’re trying to trick you, or at least being sloppy.