Thought I’d dip into my mailbag, to share with you a love note:

“The ‘evil dictatorship in Moscow’ began its collapse just eight years after Carter’s speech! Carter was right — you did suffer from inordinate fear — or, at least, you tried to spread inordinate fear as a means of furthering your political ends.”

Yup, that’s what I did. And boy was it tiring.

Now, what happened between the Carter presidency and the collapse of the Soviet Union? Anything? New leaders, new directions? Were there any debates about armaments, treaties, regional wars . . .? Any convulsive activity, political or otherwise? I can’t remember. It’s all a little fuzzy.

On a happier note, a reader sends in a flock of metaphors:

“I had heard of hawks and doves in relation to war, but I wasn’t prepared for so many peacocks: War is a heck of a time for moral preening. Am I a silly goose because 9/11 scared me? Maybe, but I’d rather be a silly goose than an ostrich.”

Such readers are feathers in NRO’s cap.