Replies

There is still some free speech in the United States. Even the left and anti war protesters have their right to complain. Not sure what the point of this article was.

To me the essay's point is that armchair foreign policy experts and celebrity loudmouths ought to make an attempt to understand that which they criticize, rather than spouting opinions based on slogans. Too many people think that their constitutional right to free speech must mean that what they say is relevant. It's amazing how many times I've argued with a liberal who fell back on, "I have a right to my opinion," after I showed them that their opinion was based on falsehoods.

I think this exchange from the article sums it up pretty clearly:
MM: Bush had no business saying we won. This is another Vietnam.
YM: We could have won in Vietnam, but the will of the people wasn’t there (a view supported by historian Mark Moyar in Triumph Forsaken).
MM: Yes, it’s another quagmire like Vietnam.

The middle aged man didn't want to hear what the cadet was saying, so he ignored it and just kept talking. Life in reality can be a challenge for some folks.