RICHARD CLARKE
AKA The Grumbler

The phrase “history is written by the winners” has been widely misattributed. Ironically, most people believe it was one of Winston Churchill’s witticisms when, in fact, Hermann Göring, head of the Luftwaffe, has as much claim on the truism as Britain’s wartime hero.
But whoever the real author, it appears obvious that, with the 20:20 vision of hindsight, we like to draw straight lines of inevitability, pivotal moments when, deep down, we know there are few cast-iron signs of imminent success and certainly no map. This is especially true in the re-telling o...