The big problem Dr. Rice had this morning was that she wasn't Richard Clarke. His straightforward, honest, direct answers left a much better impression on the neutral viewer; perhaps her oleaginous, tone-deaf excuse-mongering (especially after Ben-Veniste and Kerrey made her seem more like a character in Glengarry Glen Ross than someone who has responsibility for preventing attacks on our nation's soil) might have worked three weeks ago, but now it just seems hollow. Dr. Rice represents everything the Bushies have come to symbolize: incompetence, ideology and sycophancy are valued, while results and achievement aren't. I predict she's going to find her true calling selling some choice property to retirees in Florida when this is all over.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR:

"Why do papers like the [NY Times] and [Washington Post] misread the plainly vague meaning of Bush's words?"
--Mickey Kaus

Those who look carefully enough may notice that I now have something like an RSS feed, whatever that is. Let me know if it works.

Former-marxist-turned-neo-fascist writer Oriana Fallaci has a new book out, which blames Arab immigrants for every problem now afflicting Europe, and hypothesizes that the Roman Catholic Church is now controlled by a Wahhabist cabal (ed.--yeah, it's called Opus Dei). If another Hitler ever rises to power in the future, he will probably scapegoat Muslims.