Mickey Kaus over on Slate
http://slate.msn.com/id/2108682/ who is generally a moron called tech following brilliant. And no, it is not, brilliant it is stupid. Can you find all the stupidity?
The Batman Effect
October 29, 2004 02:23 PM
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/archives/2004/10/29/the_batman_effect.php#001525So there's another Bin Laden tape out, the first in a long while.
This could be seen as an attempt by Bin Laden to influence the election against Bush; his mocking comments towards the President certainly make it come off that way.
But I don't think it will work, because of a theory I'll call "The Batman Effect".
Batman is constantly trying to put the Joker out of business for good. But if you haven't noticed, he generally never quite manages. The Joker is never, ever truly vanquished; he'll always be back for more.
But when the Joker's on the loose again, you don't stop to think "Damn, Batman still hasn't managed to get rid of this guy, we better find somebody else." You don't say "get me Aquaman on the phone." You think about the only guy who actually does something about the Joker, even if it hasn't been a permanent solution: the only guy who's been able to do the clown some damage and set back his schemes a ways.
You put up the damned Bat Signal and hope that Batman answers the call.
Bush is Batman to Bin Laden's Joker. And the American public isn't going to dump Batman just because he hasn't won the final battle with the Joker yet.
Bottom line: Bin Laden probably just gave the election to Bush. Not because of anything in particular he said: but simply because he lives, and Americans will realize that the lunatic has escaped from Arkham Asylum yet again...