If you had any doubt about which altar boobus americanus kneels before, doubt no longer. The Oh, Really? Factor renders unto Caesar, and renders, and renders some more. Bill O’Reilly on Cardinal Martino:
[Y]ou can afford to feel compassion for Saddam, Cardinal, because the USA protects the Vatican from the forces of evil. America has been doing this since 1945. While you pray, we protect at the cost of American lives.
David Frum underspoke. Bush is not merely God’s agent; He is God.
I do hope John Derbyshire did not contribute to The National Review Treasury of Classic Children’s Literature. Here, a bedtime story from Derb:
Actually, my favorite story of victor’s justice is the treatment given to the defeated Sultan Bayezid “the Thunderbolt” by Timur after the battle of Ankara in 1402. Bayezid was pulled around in a cage in Timur’s baggage train till he died, and his wife was forced to serve naked at Timur’s banquet table.
(Brought to my attention by Justin Logan.)
Thanks to Matt for bringing the Select Smart 2004 Presidential Candidate Selector to our attention. It’s true that looking down the preference hierarchy list creates absurdities, like my own Sharptonite Libertarianism. But in defense of the candidate selector I have to point out that the carefully-hidden result analysis instructions (found only on the “Your ideal theoretical candidate” page) resolve the absurdity:
“If your top candidate scores in the 90’s or the high 80’s then you’ll be very pleased with this candidates positions. If your top candidate scores in the low 80’s or less, retake the selector…”
No need to vote Democrat just yet.
Pro-Saddam demonstrations are on the rise and being put down by US troops.
Meanwhile, the initial spurt of anti-Saddam demonstrations seems to have dissapated, with “Only small groups of Communist Party supporters were seen celebrating in the capital.”
Iraq’s Communist Party has organized demonstrations all over the country.
As Matthew Barganier pointed out, the should drive the neocons crazy.
Apparently, winning the peace will take a while:
‘About as far as we are looking is through the next couple of years,’ Myers said at Baghdad’s airport, where he addressed troops.”
Via Franklin Harris, the Select Smart 2004 Presidential Candidate Selector. My results certainly look odd, which suggests a BCS-like inscrutability in the formula, as well as a lack of exhaustive choices on some questions. Here’s what I got:
1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (100%)
2. Libertarian Candidate (90%)
3. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT – Democrat (47%)
4. Sharpton, Reverend Al – Democrat (45%)
5. Bush, President George W. – Republican (42%)
6. Socialist Candidate (39%)
7. Phillips, Howard – Constitution (36%)
8. LaRouche, Lyndon H. Jr. – Democrat (35%)
9. Kucinich, Rep. Dennis, OH – Democrat (35%)
10. Kerry, Senator John, MA – Democrat (28%)
11. Clark, Retired General Wesley K., AR – Democrat (27%)
12. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol, IL – Democrat (23%)
13. Edwards, Senator John, NC – Democrat (23%)
14. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT – Democrat (17%)
15. Gephardt, Rep. Dick, MO – Democrat (16%)
Clearly, this blog’s detractors are right, at least about me: I am a Socialist (#6). Oh, and I love George W. Bush (#5). What really amazes me, though, is Howard Dean’s ranking. Granted, the agreement percentages drop dramatically after Libertarian, from 90% to 47%, but I think this highlights how unreliable rhetoric is. If I agree with Dean or Bush nearly half the time, it must be on the basis of vague campaign promises, not anything either has actually done or will do.
