"When you’re sitting on a volcano, it is never easy to tell exactly what is happening underneath — or what will happen if you move." This is when Thomas Friedman uses imageries. Sitting on a volcano? I don't know about you, Mr. Friedman. But I have never had the experience of sitting on a volcano. Is this your idea of being imaginative? Do you feel pleased with yourself when you write such sentences? And do you notice that Friedman now writes as if he was opposed to the war in Iraq all along, when he was an early cheerleader? People should use lexis-nexus to find some of his early triumphalent articles. And he very late in the process started to voice strong criticisms of Rumsfeld, but do you remember when he said early on that Rumsfeld is very good in the job?