Wolcott kicks Christopher Hitchens arse.

[Jade Fox]

There is a lot of good new stuff on his blog today.

<http://www.jameswolcott.com>


WHY ANTHONY EDEN NEVER WORE A COONSKIN
CAP
POSTED BY JAMES WOLCOTT

In the latest issue of The Nation, my distinguished colleague Christopher
Hitchens issues a less than full-throated cry for the reelection of Bush
("Why I'm Slightly for Bush"). He seems more peeved about the left than he
is passionate for Bush.

"'Anybody But Bush'--and this from those who decry simplemindedness--is
now the only glue binding the radical left to the Democratic Party right. The
amazing thing is the literalness with which the mantra is chanted. Anybody?
Including Muqtada al-Sadr? The chilling answer is, quite often, yes. This is
nihilism. Actually, it's nihilism at best. If it isn't treason to the country--let
us by all means not go there --it is certainly treason to the
principles of the left."

<snip>

First of all, I don't know of any liberals or lefties who brandish the name of
Muqtada al-Sadr. This isn't 1968, he isn't Ho Chi Minh, his ragtag militia isn't
hailed as a liberation front, and nobody--including me--knows how to
pronounce al-Sadr's first name without hurting our teeth. The man simply
doesn't come up in cocktail party conversation when we nihilists get
together to drink blood.

There's also a practical problem with this al-Sadr. In an episode of The
Honeymooners germane to this topic, Kramden and Norton were bemoaning
the drop in membership of the local Raccoon chapter. Norton complained
that the membership rules were too strict, keeping out good applicants.
Ralph said that all the rules required was that the person had to be male, of
legal age, and a US citizen. Exactly! said Norton. Under these rules,
"Anthony Eden could never become a Raccoon!"

[Dudley_DUright]

1. I love how he describes Ann Coulter

The man does have a way with words. :-)

Ann Coulter may be a travesty of humanity, as unacceptable a hank of flesh draped on a hanger ever to be foisted upon an ignorant populace hungry for more ignorance. Her racism, her character slurs, her whirlwind talent for rewriting history, her ability to leave a glossy coat of slime on any issue she discusses (when she licks a stamp, it curls up and dies), these are condemnable.

[emulatorloo]

2. I love his put-down of the Iowa Electronic Markets

under TEA LEAVES, given how breathlessly it was quoted on DU for a brief while.

<snip>

Pundits love to cite the Iowa Electronic Markets, where "real people"--translation: men with nothing better to do--put real money on futures contracts to bet on whom will be the next president.

<snip>

[indigobusiness]

3. Decrying simple-mindednesss isn't so much pretending to be smart...

as a willingness to listen to them that are.

edit--- ...or, I could pretend to be smart and say "those that are".

[johnfunk]

4. Wolcott is the High Zen Grandmaster of Snark

Nobody -- but nobody -- can beat Wolcott at the art of the artful, hilarious put-down.