April 4, 2003
Woke up and turned on the TV. Paula Zahn of CNN was saying there were important developments in the war. I put my glasses on. There was a tight shot on the back of a tank and the reporter was saying “Coalition forces are on the move and within five miles of Baghdad.” I watched while I got dressed, went out to studio, checked E-mail, fed the dog, made breakfast. Kept coming back to the TV. Same shot of tank. Went into work. Fretted all day. Worried about the troops. Between meetings, imagined big battles and ambushes. Worked hard on copy for Wyatt Earp photos spread. Called Craig Fouts, Bob McCubbin and Lee Simmons. Finally got the skinny on the Wichita photo. Finished about six. Locked up, drove home, turned on the TV. Paula Zahn was still there (when does she sleep?) and she pitches to an embedded reporter who says, “U.S. troops are within six miles of Baghdad.”

Sometimes we know too much about too little.

“The ingenuity of self-deception is inexhaustible.”
—Hannah More