I'm afraid I'm going to make one particular person, with whom I had a lovely time yesterday, (and, come to think, maybe my mother too) upset with this, but I don't like Maureen Dowd. I really don't. She's long been criticized for citing pop culture in her columns, but today's really takes the cake. Look, citing pop culture is good- Lord knows I do it quite a bit. But then again, I'm not asked to write a thougthful column for the all-mighty Times. She is. Instead, we get a blatant distortion of a 9/11 Commission (leaving aside questions of whether that body should have any relevance at all) finding (the Times itself does this in a headline, but I'd expect Mo to have her own research), dressed up in latest-movie speak. The Stepford Wives. My God. Oh, there's another source- fashionable DC parties she goes to. Fashionable parties without any of those nasty Republicans, that is. People at those parties (and Mo) are amazed that Bush is a nice guy, as if he never gave any signs of that before.

Speaking of Times columns, another wonders why pro-abortion Catholic Republicans aren't being hit by the bishops the way Democrats are. Of course, they are: National Review, for example, says the same exact situation applies to members of both parties. Search long and hard in the article, but you won't find anyone saying that.

One more Times point: This article contains this beaut of a line:

Otto J. Reich, President Bush's special envoy to Latin America, resigned on Wednesday, taking with him a lifetime of experience fighting Fidel Castro and other opponents of American foreign policy.

Oh, so that's what Fidel Castro is. An "opponent of American foreign policy." Not a bloody dictator or anything like that. Oh no.

Off to check Houseofhock. Java should be banned.