Misreading History

David Halberstam's final essay is a typically trenchant look at what can happen when history is misinterpreted.

Despite his recent conversion to history, the president probably still believes, deep down, as do many of his admirers, that the righteous, religious vision he brings to geopolitics is a source of strength — almost as if the less he knows about the issues the better and the truer his decision-making will be....

Those who know history best tend to be tempered by it. They rarely refer to it so sweepingly and with such complete confidence.... Its most important lessons sometimes come cloaked in bitter irony. By no means does it march in a straight line toward the desired result, and the good guys do not always win....