From the Quotation of the day mailing list, 2009-12-11:
"It's like they're coming in and saying to you, 'I'm going to drive my car off a cliff. Should I or should I not wear a seatbelt?' And you say, 'I don't think you should drive your car off the cliff.' And they say, 'No, no, that bit's already been decided--the question is whether to wear a seatbelt.' And you say, 'Well, you might as well wear a seatbelt.' And then they say, 'We've consulted with policy expert Rory Stewart and he says. ...'" -- Rory Stewart, describing how his advice on Afghanistan is sought and used, in an interview with the Financial Times.
[ http://www.tnr.com/article/world/the-t%E2%80%85e-lawrence-afghanistan]
(submitted to the mailing list by Terry Labach)