Forget it Jake, it's Iraq

In a NYT op-ed today, a reserve soldier explains that one of the most frustrating things about her time in Iraq was not knowing whether her efforts were having any impact:

In the fantasy, you know exactly what you’ve done, what impact it’s had, and you’ve put smiles on peoples’ faces. But in reality, you don’t necessarily ever get to find out the true impact of your actions. You’re left with questions instead. Did rebuilding all those schools over there have any kind of lasting impact? Did the Iraqis we tried to assist believe that we were sincere in our efforts?

In my hero fantasies, there are no such loose ends or doubts.

Fog of war and all that, but it also reminds me of Chinatown:

EVELYN
 Tell me something -- does this
 usually happen to you, Mr. Gittes?

  GITTES
 What's that, Mrs. Mulwray?

  EVELYN
 -- Well, I'm only judging on the
 basis of one afternoon and an evening,
 but if that's how you go about your
 work, I'd say you're lucky to get
 through a whole day.

  GITTES
  (pouring himself
   another drink)
 -- Actually this hasn't happened
 to me in some time.

  EVELYN
 -- When was the last time?

  GITTES
 Why?

  EVELYN
 Just -- I don't know why.
 I'm asking.

Gittes touches his nose, winces a little.

  GITTES
 It was in Chinatown.

  EVELYN
 What were you doing there?

  GITTES
  (taking a long drink)
 -- Working for the District Attorney.

  EVELYN
 Doing what?

183  Gittes looks sharply at her. Then:

  GITTES
 As little as possible.

  EVELYN
 The District Attorney gives his
 men advice like that?

  GITTES
 They do in Chinatown.

She looks at him. Gittes stares off into the night.

Evelyn has poured herself another drink.

  EVELYN
 Bothers you to talk about it,
 doesn't It?

Gittes gets up.

  GITTES
 No -- I wonder -- could I -- do
 you have any peroxide or something?

He touches his nose lightly.

  EVELYN
 Oh sure. C'mon.

She takes his hand and leads him back into the house.

184  INT. BATHROOM - MIRROR

Gittes pulls the plaster off his nose, stares at it in
the mirror. Evelyn takes some hydrogen peroxide and some
cotton out of a medicine cabinet. Evelyn turns Gittes'
head toward her. She has him sit on the pullman tile
adjacent to the sink.

  EVELYN
 Doctor did a nice job...

She begins to work on his nose with the peroxide. Then
she sees his cheek -- checks back in his hair.--


  EVELYN
  (continuing)
 -- Boy oh boy, you're a mess

  GITTES
 -- Yeah --

  EVELYN
  (working on him)
 -- So why does it bother you to
 talk about it... Chinatown...

  GITTES
 -- Bothers everybody who works
 there -- but to me -- It was --

Gittes shrugs.

  EVELYN
 -- Hold still -- why?

  GITTES
 -- You can't always tell what's
 going on there --

  EVELYN
 ... No -- why was it --

  GITTES
 I thought I was keeping someone
 from being hurt and actually I ended
 up making sure they were hurt.

  EVELYN
 Could you do anything about it?

185  They're very close now as she's going over a mouse very
near his eye.

  GITTES
 Yeah -- make sure I don't find
 myself in Chinatown anymore --
 wait a second --

He takes hold of her and pulls her even closer,

  EVELYN
  (momentarily freezing)
 -- What's wrong?

  GITTES
 Your eye.

  EVELYN
 What about it?

  GITTES
  (staring intently)
 There's something black in the
 green part of your eye.

  EVELYN
  (not moving)
 Oh that... It's a flaw in the
 iris...

  GITTES
 ... A flaw...

  EVELYN
 (she almost shivers)
 ... Yes, sort of a birthmark...

Gittes kisses her lightly, gradually rises until he's
standing holding her. She hesitates, then wraps her arms
around him.

As an aside, I always thought a cool idea would be to make a show--on HBO, say--about Jake Gittes' days on the Chinatown beat (that are only obliquely alluded to in the movie).