About reality, ignorance and balderdash

Another holiday from the serials. Some very remarkable news bits have been discovered in the niches of the current affairs vacuum. The first one is exactly that, a first:

- An article by Michael Rubin in Beirut's The Daily Star dated 1st December 2006
Is this evidence that anti-Bushism is finally lifting, a bit? While blind hatred for George Bush reached heights of hysterical proportions over the past two terms in office, this may be the first sign that a sense of reality is setting in, two years before the administration is wrapping up. But please don't stay around for the unveiling of the statue just yet. One paragraph I'd like to quote in full as it is illustrative of the depths some people will go to, to criticize President Bush, throwing the democratic baby away with the bathwater:

... Nor will Arab civil society organizations be able to rely on their "progressive" counterparts in the West to defend liberalism and reform. Hatred of Bush trumps declared principles. Because Bush made democratization and reform the centerpiece of his Middle East strategy, many Western progressives dismiss them as priorities or even as desirable. After all, in progressive rhetoric how can Bush be both an idiot and correct?

- It is getting an irritating habit of some debaters to define Christianity in terms of Islam, confusing all the issues no end. The call of Pope Benedict XVI for a return to Christian tradition, to them is either propagating a Christian version of Sharia law; or the shoe is on the other foot and it is explained as a call for Islam to be marginalized in favour of a form of militant Christianity. This is the combined result of the fact that generations under baby boom age (my apologies for the generalisation) are clueless when it comes to the principles and teachings of Christianity, and of the monopolization of the debate by assertive Islam. Which goes to show that the papal call doesn't come one day too soon.

- I just heard the former U.S. President Jimmy Carter reply to a question of CNN's Wolf Blitzer if the war in Iraq is a bigger blunder than the one in Vietnam, say that "well, it's a close call". That's apart from his saying Israel is perpetrating Apartheid (if that is what you do with Apartheid? Is it not committing?). Now he's clarifying that what he meant wasn't Apartheid in terms of racism. But that is exactly what Apartheid is ... now, where have I heard something such before...?

Just so that it's all on record.