Poor Anna Quindlen, a.k.a. Little Ms. Woebegone, has the miraculous knack of spotting the sharp thorn in any bouquet, no matter how tiny or hidden; the propensity for sniffing out the possibility of tragedy in any joyous occasion. Her March 5 column ”Will the gulf war expose the dark side of victory?” is an example. She is constitutionally unable to bear the thought that somewhere, someone, anyone is/was just thankful and satisfied at the outcome. She sniffles that it might be good news that only a few Americans died in that combat, but more are ”habitually murdered in New York city during a comparable period.”
To her, euphoria is a ”buzzword” related to the ”microwave war.”
Those who feel it must surely be insensitive clods. You see, euphoria might make us ”cocky, and a cocky American is the cockiest creature on Earth.”
Finally, she laments, a soldier`s father once said to her, ”Every 20 years it happens.” So you see, we mustn`t be so euphoric; the worst is yet to come, and Anna is right there to turn down the damper on our false euphoria-to warn us lest a tiny smile brighten our faces.
