Some people are now blaming Pascal Lamy for the recent failure to conclude the Doha Round:
Observers say a big share of the blame for the failure should also be borne by Lamy, for he convened the mini-ministerial when even he was doubtful about its success.
I'm not sure I agree. I'm reminded of this quote from the great philosopher/hockey player Wayne Gretzky: "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." Even with low odds of success, I think it was worth taking the shot in this situation. To continue the hockey metaphor, it was from a bad angle, and there were a couple defenders in the way, but sometimes they still go in.