Lileks on the soapbox

Every so often events drag James Lileks off his regular subjects, his dog, daughter and daily grind, and trigger a good ol'fashioned rant that reads like someone who is barely taking time to inhale. These sort of rants are actually rather commonplace across the blogosphere but a Lileks rant is intelligent and witty, which is much rarer. I have had exactly nothing to say on the Bolton hearings so far. I've been waiting for my personal pot to boil over I guess, but Lileks boiled first so will let him do the steaming.

I am not impressed by those who want to shiv Bolton to collect a scalp, but that’s their job; I do not understand the useful idiots on the Republican side who want to hand them the knife. (“It’s all sharp the way you like it! Can I come to your party now? I’ll help with the dip and everything.”) I don’t have to like Bolton, and I certainly don’t approve of his mustache, but I want someone who will stand up to the UN. And by “stand up” I don’t mean the cut-rate back-alley hooker method of leaning against a brick wall and hiking up the skirts. I mean, someone who doesn’t give the Syrian ambassador the old collegial nod in the break room or say “How’s it goin’” to the Zimbabwe attaché when you’re standing at adjoining urinals, and consider it a promising diplomatic overture.

There are good & decent people of either party, but they would be more impressive if they took big hard whacks at their colleagues, in public, without fear of seeming “unsenatorial.” If this goes on, “Senatorial” is the last thing they’ll want to be, because the word will by a synonym for blind preening egotism matched only by mulish cluelessness.

Don’t get me started on DeLay.

...And that's just a portion of the fun. I myself have not made any comment on Delay because he is plainly boring. A politician with all of the political vices. Tiresome, yes, and embarrassing too, since we share party affiliation, but nothing really new at all.

But this Bolton hearing is not boring, just too painful to watch. Most everything I've heard about him makes him seem even more qualified for the job. Europe likes to call Americans "Cowboys" intending it to be a great insult. They called Reagan a cowboy and he showed-up in the hat and boots and said, "Yup, that's what I am!" They don't even need to level the accusation at "W". Bolton's mustache might be a bit over-the-top (reminds me to go trim mine, its been a while) but let's get the Pres to buy him a hat and some boots and he's all set to scare up some action at the UN. Let's pin a big star on his chest and call him "Sheriff Bolton". Goodness knows the place needs a good western style "cleanin' up". I don't see what we have to lose; our image there can't get much lower, or so we are led to believe. Let's take a cue from the Catholics and send in an enforcer.