"What's the difference between Robert and Ted Kennedy?"

I was asked after Mincha yesterday. "Um, Ted Kennedy is alive? Robert Kennedy wore his own pants to JFK's funeral?" I guessed. Both correct, of course, but the answer my (quite liberal!) questioner was looking for was far funnier:

"They won't be naming a bridge after Ted!"

Leaving aside the question of whether RFK deserves the honor, what a waste of money this is. Here's one person who'll keep using "Triboro," thankyouverymuch.

Speaking of legacies, of course, the One- not even in office yet- is solidifying his. The Iraqi parliament approved of this new forces agreement, and it calls for US forces to go back to their bases this June, and to leave Iraq by 2011. How con-VEN-i-ent! The One can claim credit for the former shortly after assuming office, and can claim credit for the latter as he runs for reelection, having had nothing to do with either. Bush, of course, will get no credit at all.

Well, on to brighter reports. I still have some things to do, and yet this has been a grand Thanksgiving weekend. It began Wednesday night with a lovely dinner at Sarah B.'s- good food, company, and conversation, and a CD of the Shat leading an Exodus Oratorio from my good friend Yonatan K. (whoa, beginning to sound like Kafka here), who also alerted me to Evacuation Day ceremonies last week. Thursday was a fascinating program about birds courtesy of the OU and YU, and the rest, thus far...has been lots of sleep. Good times. Onward!

Now They Tell Us (part infinity)

Spotted today: ad for a TV special on the side of a bus: "How the media keeps you stupid."

As we used to say in elementary school, no-duh.

Steep learning curve

This move by Russia is very clever, isn't it? John J. Miller has a good point, but I have another: They know Obama doesn't like missile defense, so he's sort of trapped: If he follows his instincts, it'll look like he's bowing to Russia's demands anyway- or, at least, they can claim "victory." The only way he "wins" is by doing something he doesn't want to do in the first place.

That is, if he wants to win at all, or even believes in the concept. I don't have high hopes, but, while we may not like war, it likes us very much. Welcome to the big leagues, junior.

"...normally a very sensible constituency with a high proportion of people who aren't a bit silly, has gone completely ga-ga."

"And so it's beginning to look like a Silly landslide..."

(Let's pause a moment in appreciation of the people who actually typed all this stuff out, here and on other sites.)

Me, I'm just waiting for the oceans to start receding. :-) And no, I'm not about to jump on the gooey-syrupy "Isn't it so nice" feeling that seems to have infected many at NRO.

On a more serious (and parochial) note, one thing I'm concerned about is something the Rav said, about how secular American Jewish support for Israel early on proved that they were still part of the k'hal. Now...I'm not so sure. (Also see here.) The Jews I know were all (OK, mostly) saying the same (frightening) thing going in. The vast majority of American Jews, usually oh-so-sensitive? Not so much.

With the election upon us, it seems the media has decided to let their guard down a bit. (h/t) Why, just yesterday, the reporter on WCBS-AM who's been breathlessly pushing a bad economy for quite a while, perhaps forgetting that it was only Monday, allowed (somewhat improbably, IMHO) that the economy might be improving somewhat. Expect such stories to proliferate come tomorrow. (Ah, someone beat me to it.)

Remember when I posted this about big-L Libertarians? (Small-l myself, which is why I a) always vote Republican and b) never third party.) Anyway, this confirms it in spades, especially the disgusting last question. (Where else do my h/t's come from? Or my news, for that matter.)

Anyway, my good friend Sussman can always be depended upon to sum it up best:

‘. . . our God whom we serve is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace,
and He will save us from your power, O king. But even if He does not, be it
known to you, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the statue of
gold that you have set up.’ – Daniel 3:17-18