In a television studio this morning, I met Seth Jones, the author of a just-released book called Hunting in the Shadows: The Pursuit of Al Qa’ida since 9/11. (Nice apostrophe, by the way.) Jones was a senior adviser at U.S. Special Operations Command. He’s an intellectual — Ph.D. from Chicago, a high-level analyst at RAND, etc. But he’s an interesting kind of intellectual: He looks like he could kill you with his bare hands. Lovely guy, mind you — just gives off that vibe.
I also have the impression that he knows pretty much everything a person could about the War on Terror. He has facts, to go with his opinions.
We were on a Voice of America show hosted by my old friend Eric Felten — who leads an interesting double-life, and long has. By day, he is a political journalist and writer, of considerable distinction. By night, he is a musician — a jazzman and bandleader (again, of considerable distinction). I have played his recordings at many a National Review party. They help the parties swing, when the conversation gets bogged down into tax policy. (“Child credits: common sense or gross governmental favoritism?”)
Learn more at EricFelten.com.