Another political language thing that's been bugging me 

Legislators and candidates who want to stop the war should stop with that tepid phrase, "in harm's way." Soldiers are dying. They're coming home with blown-off arms and legs, and brains that will never be the same. Softening the words shields us from the reality in the same way the Pentagon order against photographing coffins is trying to keep the bloodshed out of sight, out of mind.

Forcefeeding fictions 

I'm imagining after listening to Lindsey Graham on Meet the Press that the LoyalBushies Talking Points Service must have issued an alert something like this:

With the number of subscribers to our service in decline, it will be your responsibility to repeat the phrase "fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq" 20% more often than usual. We recommend three mentions per 30-second answer during your Sunday interviews, more if possible.

Remember (but don't mention) that a Newsweek poll discovered 41% of Americans still believe Saddam's regime was responsible for 9/11. Let's not let the Iraq-9/11 association wither when we have the means to nourish it! Most voters skim along on the surface of understanding, and you can feed them the words that will form their opinions. Repetition works. Don't hold back! Thank you!

Pity the yipping little terriers 

Tom Wolfe's comments in The Wall Street Journal's blogging anniversary opinion roundup didn't rile me, though I suspect he was going for a little Andrew Keen action. He's always been a snob, and I've never minded that about him -- he seems to make it work for him. I'll continue to enjoy his books after knowing what he thinks about blogs, but I won't admire his gift for insight so much as I once did.

More and more I feel something like pity for pro writers who can't embrace amateurism. You can tell by the way they posture that they believe the market for their views is larger than it really is, which shows a lack of awareness, not good in a professional writer. They don't seem able to see how defensive they're coming off either, like a pack of little terriers yipping bravely in the face of a superior force. That's sad, and I feel kind of sorry for them.