Günter Grass’ admission that he was a member of the Waffen SS has proven to be a welcome opportunity for those eager to strike a righteous posture whenever possible (think, for example, Christopher Hitchens). Interestingly enough, many well-known colleagues of Grass’ have refused to follow that pattern (the latest of them John Irving in the New York Times), and now there’s Timothy Garton Ash’s new piece, well worth the read.