William Pfaff, a former editor of Commonweal, was a political columnist for the International Herald Tribune in Paris and author of The Irony of Manifest Destiny: The Tragedy of America's Foreign Policy (Walker & Company). Also by this author Sensational, but Ineffectual Get Commonweal’s latest, delivered twice weekly. Email address Published in the 2004-04-23 issue: View Contents Recommended for you A Presidential Smash and Grab By The Editors May 21, 2026 ‘As an Emerald Is Green’ By Ellen Wayland-Smith May 25, 2026 ‘The Real Thing’ By Anthony Domestico May 19, 2026