P.J. O'Rourke is a kind of guilty pleasure of mine - a conservative columnist. While I tend to disagree with him - a lot - he's funny and insightful and aware that most of the time, there are no easy answers to anything. While it may feel good to say, "Screw France, we do what we want," it's never quite as simple as all that.

This book is a collection of articles that he wrote from various combat zones, mostly centering around the Middle East. He writes from Israel and Egypt and, of course, Iraq. This is what he has seen of war and terrorism. He's a very good observer and, like the best of reporters, he is not afraid to ask that extra question that gets him a little closer to the Truth.

The question, however, is what the Truth is, and this book doesn't really help figure it out. While the essays are certainly interesting - especially the Iwo Jima epilogue - it's tough to figure out quite what he's trying to get at here. Maybe because he figures we're intelligent enough to figure it out.

Near as I can tell, it's this - war sucks, but it is necessary. And there are those out there who will ensure that it never ends. The best the rest of us can do is to hope for the best....