The former CNN founder and reformed media mogul, Ted Turner, made some interesting remarks in a recent interview:

“[The decision to invade Iraq] will go down in history — it already is going down in history — as one of the dumbest moves that was ever made by anybody,” Turner said, citing the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the German invasion of Russia during the Second World War as other “dumb” moves.

“We lost so much,” he said of the U.S. invasion. “It literally broke my heart, it was so dumb. … If you started wars with everyone you don’t like, well good God, we would all be at war with everybody.”

That kind of honesty is all too rare from Turner’s social set. And as welcome as it is to hear, I like even better his statement that he has no interest in being at war with anyone — even Rupert Murdoch:

“I’d fight [Murdoch] in the ring, with gloves on, but I wouldn’t bomb News Corp.”

Well I guess that’s one less imaginary threat Bill O’Reilly has to worry about. The funny thing is, if Turner and Murdoch met in the ring, Murdoch’s network would probably snap up the broadcast license for the match. Turner would kick Murdoch’s ass, and then Fox would go back to celebrating the war that Turner so insightfully dubbed as stupid. Turner has also said that ceding control of CNN was one of the stupidest things that he’s ever done. On that I’m going to have to agree with him again.

This seems like a good time to remind everyone to read Turner’s inspired essay, “My Beef With Big Media.” If you’ve never read it, then drop everything and read it now. If you have read it, you’d be surprised how stimulating it is to read again. I make a point to read it at least annually.