MR. WAFFLES

Always good to see the editorial page of The New York Times ratifying our snap judgments. The editorial board must be genteel, of course. It cannot be as blunt as we were about Colin Powell, but its considered opinion this morning is pretty much the same.

This is what we said yesterday:

So he warned our dopey Maximum Leader about owning Iraq. Let's not make the U.S. Secretary of State a hero. Isn't he the man of principle who went to the U.N. with so-called proof of WMD in Iraq, which he in fact doubted? Didn't his diplomatic charade come a month after he knew the decision to go to war for all intents and purposes had already been taken?

This is what the Times Web site said in its summary of today's lead editorial: "If Secretary of State Colin Powell thought the invasion of Iraq was a bad idea, his inaction is puzzling and disappointing." Such puzzlement. Such disappointment. Can't you see the sorrowful looks in their faces as the ladies and gentlemen of the editorial board gather for their meeting in the clubby atmosphere of the Times building's 10th floor?

The editorial itself is headlined "Which Powell Is Which?" There's no gainsaying that. It notes:

What we seem to have once again with Mr. Powell is a desire to have it both ways, to be seen as a loyal member of the Bush team, but also as a wise man who knew all along that the Iraq war would be a mistake. If the Woodward version is correct, Mr. Powell should have spoken up more than a year ago.

We also said of Mr. Waffles:

Not to put too fine a point on it, is he not the guy who went along with "the Gestapo," his own term for "the civilian conservatives in the Pentagon loyal to [Dick] Cheney," according to Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack"?

Now, according to CNN this morning and others, and as the Times reports separately from its editorial, Powell has "disputed Mr. Woodward's account in several respects." He said "he had an excellent relationship with Vice President Dick Cheney and that he did not recall referring to officals at the Pentagon loyal to Mr. Cheney as the 'Gestapo office.'"

Notice that he didn't deny the reference; he simply didn't remember saying it. Mr. Waffles is still waffling.