Explain this to me... or I could just call it like I see it

Andrew Sullivan links to Fareed Zarkaria's article in Newsweek offering up that "If Fareed is giving in, you know it's beyond serious."

Now I'm going to get a little cruel here on the conservative warrior-types, both those who have been drinking the kool-aid and those still swilling it. Why is it that sudden converts to the school of "hey, things are fucked up!" have so much more credibility than people with the foresight to say "whoa, this is gonna get fucked up!" I mean, does actually being wrong and then later changing sides somehow make you wiser? I can see how nobody likes a pessimist, but to give extra weight to the opinion of someone who has been wrong about a life-and-death matter for years? I just don't get it. Let me rephrase...

It's great when the war cheerleaders put down their pompoms for a second to take a look at the scoreboard. Whether that person eventually comes to that conclusion that the reason we're woefully behind in this contest is because the coach calls bad play after bad play after bad play, or because he took us to the wrong stadium from the start doesn't matter. I'm not trying to diminish the value of that awakening by splitting hairs: knowledge and insight are wonderful things. Converts, I'm happy to welcome you to reality (happier than you'll be when you finally see it), but I want you to remember something. The reason I'm not interested in your revelations is because inside, at the core of your being, you're still the same ditzy cheerleader you were last week, month, or year. People like you brought this clusterfuck to pass, and you should be ashamed of yourself. I don't expect you to have the grace to shut-up, but at least put away the megaphone. You're embarrassing.

I hope I didn't lose anyone on the metaphor.

(PS: since I linked to Sullivan, it's only fair to say: he's one too. It's time for him to stop make-believing that changing anyone on our end will fix Iraq.)
(PPS: apologies to actual cheerleaders)