This is Decca Aitkenhead, with a thought prompted by contemplating Christopher Hitchens:
When the invasion of Iraq was first debated, one couldn't fail to notice the preponderance of left-wing men of a certain age who came out in support of the war. Radicals as adults, but often from conservative backgrounds, now beginning to confront their own mortality, and preoccupied by masculinity and legacy, their palpable thrill about military might suggested that, deep down, they secretly feared progressive principles were for pussies. Now here was their chance, before it was too late, to prove their manhood.
Now, where have I come across this idea before? Oh yes, it was in something else by Decca Aitkenhead. I wonder if she knows the meaning of 'preponderance'. No matter - because, encountering and reflecting on this thought of hers for a second time, I have arrived at a deeper understanding of why it was I supported the Iraq war. As I return in my mind to late 2002 and early 2003 it comes back to me that, when considering the projected invasion of Iraq, I would experience vague stirrings that I didn't then understand in the... er, nether regions. What gained my support for the war wasn't the fact that Saddam Hussein was a foul tyrant whose regime had presided over genocide, torture and other crimes against humanity; it was, rather, a concern about the size and potency of my penis. What is more, I now see that I am linked in this not only with Hitch, but also with such other of the lads as David Aaronovitch and Nick Cohen. Penis concerns there, evidently. Hey, what about Michael Ignatieff and Paul Berman? Yup, for sure. And Adam Michnik and Václav Havel? Who can doubt that what each of them was thinking about - below the surface, as it were - was the status of his male member? Yes, and Ann Clwyd and Julie Burchill too (one is bound to infer) 'secretly feared progressive principles were for pussies', lamenting their non-possession of... well, a schlong. That's what top journalism does for you; it opens up fresh vistas of comprehension.