Short Cuts

Thursday, March 13, 2003

How Do You Say "Hustled" in French? Check out Bill Safire this morning to see why Chirac, Too-Tall-Too-Tan Dominique Villepin have had their collective dresses over their heads. It's not like this stuff could have been kept a total secret. Maybe the folks who write the left hand side of the Times editorial pages will take a peek at the right side and get the picture.

The Loons Are Flying: We're beginning to wonder if the New York Times kissy-kiss-kiss profile of Bill Kristol's Weekly Standard is what did it but something has thrown Patrick Buchanan into a career killing, anti-Semitic rage worthy of Lincoln Rockwell. His current rantings are poisonous stuff and not helpful, to be gentle about it. Here's Andrew Sullivan's pithy comments. (Note to AS: When one of Igor's scratch-off lottery cards hits around here we are going to buy you a new site designer. We love you and hang on every word but your black and blue site breaks the eyes.)

We Knew It Was Catching: Cool, tough and never to be misunderestimated Ari Fleischer may want to stand a pace or two back from the boss. He's beginning to sound like he's caught the Great Brain-Tongue Disconnect Disease. Yesterday he came up with this one. --"I will be circumscribercise in terms of what I can say to you about any of the topics that are discussed here." It must have been Maureen Dowd clone Helen Thomas's incessant cackling from the front row that did it.

Chick Stuff: In a nice break from the War-That-Never-Starts news we got Elizabeth Smart back which should be good for a weekend of rank speculation and gossip. Next we have the news that Chelsea may have dumped that rather wet young man she played tonsil-hockey with for the tabloids for so long. She's also got a six-figure job from a company that is no doubt dying to meet Denise Rich....the Rodham boys? Madeleine Albright? There's an endless list of figures of fun.

Erin Go Bubbala: The Boston Globe just isn't going to let up on John Kerry for fudging his family history and well they shouldn't. Here they report he's going to skip the usual St. Patty's Day fun. Count on the Globe to check up on his plans for Passover.

- Your Multi-Ethnic All-American Plus One Canadian and One Russian LComStaff