I have just read the entire thread starting with M's original post and I have to agree, you seem to have, almost willfully, missed his/her point and then become a bit uncharacteristically shrill in response.

M's point, if I may, was that there is a cultural and linguistic divide that we as the presumed force-for-good in the world need to compensate for. God forbid we should all learn a little Farsi, a language in which massive use of indirection and gild-the-lily, almost poetical verbal ornamentation is the norm. MA's speech was off-the-cuff and translated on the fly by a native Farsi speaker and really needs to be listened to at much deeper level than just what the words seemed to say.

Imagine some poor Missourian with a degree in Middle Eastern languages trying to translate GWB on the fly in such a way as to convince Arabic/Farsi speakers that our Fearless Leader is really quite sane and should be taken seriously.

What is this vital insight that he shared that everyone except you and a few enlightened others refuse to recognize? Is it that Israel has no right to exist in the Middle East because the Holocaust isn't the fault of the Palestinians? Is that the point you think that everyone should be in awe of?

Not in awe of, but neither in scorn of. It is such a central issue in the debate, conflict, misunderstanding, mutual deafness -- whatever you want to call it -- that exists between most people in this country and residents of the Middle East that it can hardly be overstated. For MA to take the podium and state it in his way, is his job and duty. (And I don't deny that he and the Iranians must get a little fun out of watching Americans react like an anthill stirred by a child with a stick.) To scoff at it really misses, not the content of the message, but the fact that -- as in a rocky marriage -- one party is feeling unheard. We do so little to "tell" the Middle East that we understand why plopping Israel in their midst as reparation for an atrocity that occurred in Central Europe -- and doing it simply because we had the power to do so -- has harmed them and angered them.

Anyway, I agree with those who say, "Gee, Glenn, we haven't heard you this uptight and strident before. Whassup widdat?"

Another reason for European bottled water, though I'm sure tap water was an unacceptable alternative much of the time, was that waters from various and sundry springs and "baths" were thought to have preventive, restorative and even curative powers.

I was talking to Garrison. He and I feel the same about the Republicans. You can feel any way you want. I wasn't talking to you.

One can buy a reverse-osmosis filter system, put it in your kitchen and make all the tasty filtered water one will ever need, for years, with minor maintenance. It comes to pennies a gallon over time, tastes just as good as most if not all bottled waters, and nothing has to be carted across the street much less around the world.

Stop giving them good advice. We don't want the Republicans to win in 2008.

Was that he did expect a scene out of Amos 'n Andy, by way of Snoop Dogg, with motherfucker my soup's too hot and Holy Mack'l, dere, Sapphi'. He said it by admitting his surprise that it wasn't like that. And it made me kind of sad. I mean, there's this guy with all this influence, who sits up there at the mike and tells people what they should think and here he is, in public, telling us all how wrong he was about something he has no business being ignorant of. That's something B.O. almost never does and I'm not for positive sure he's aware that's what he was doing. But it reminds me of Lenny saying he din't mean to kill da rabbits, George.

But I see that pageiger already said everything I wanted to say, and probably better.

This whole thing was another welcome distraction for the Bush administration. They don't care if it's Larry Craig or Brittney Spears or Ahmadinejad or the new Ken Burns movie...anything to keep their disasters off the front page.

I was appalled at his posturing last night. Ahmadinejad was relaxed, amused even, as this telemonkey leapt and babbled. Really a sorry performance and yes, doing everything possible to fuel the notion of Iran as worthy of being attacked.

And over at Columbia, the state is talking about withholding funds from the university because they want to let this guy come and speak.

We're in deep shit, folks.

Losing our rights is not funny. Yet by making jokes of it, I think they do more harm then good.

I have been a fan for the last year; my wife and I end our day chuckling at Stewart and Colbert. But the feeling has been nagging at me of late: why am I laughing at this stuff? To keep from crying? Maybe this isn't good. Maybe I should be crying.

A heck of a lot of gun nuts don't want to bear arms because they expect to repel invaders or thwart terrorists. The true gun nut wants to be able, some day if necessary, to protect himself against the U.S. Govvamint!

And the way things are going, I'm not so sure that's crazy.

I'm all for standing on principle, but CD could've voted for this, then voted for a tougher bill later. Dems have to stick together, this internal strife is playing right into Bush's hands.

Bush is fiddling while Rome burns.

Yes.

I can't see it lasting.