John did a great job and I chalk up my association with Argghhh! as pure, dumb luck. "I'm with him..." as the saying goes, standing next to and pointing at the Real Power in this assemblage.

Anyway, I wanted to point your attention to this. I invite you to read it and come back. I'll wait.

OK?...

Here's my take, FWIW:

Dean's right about the speed characteristic. It's the closest thing to cocaine in its effect on the human mind--and typing fingers--for this virtual world's denizens. Too often my fingers and my brain become obviously disconnected. Alas, there's nothing to stop me from posting something (usually in response to something that hits a personal button) while tired, pissed off or drunk, even. So, not only is it addicting, it's legal, and easily doable. Bad combination, so the "count-to-thirty" rule of engagement is a good one. The problem is, you have to have the discipline to adhere to it.

That said, the cream often floats to the top (among other substances) in that if you DO post something after reflecting and polishing, people like Glenn find it and give your voice more exposure than you might expect, despite the fact that you didn't beat Markos to the draw, so to speak.

Maybe there's a word for what Glenn does--cruising the 'net, spotting cogent analysis and comment and giving it the spotlight it deserves, in spite of the fact that it may not have been produced nanoseconds after the event that inspired it. Feel free to coin one.

Anyway, when watching Andrew Sullivan rant (reading his commentary and listening, with a kind of morbid fascination to his occasional interviews with Hugh Hewitt) I can't get the thought out of my head that Andrew is the Richard Simmons of American letters.

That's probably grossly unfair to Simmons. Richard is obviously conscious of his self-parody while Andrew isn't even remotely aware that he's becoming a caricature to many who would probably otherwise pay attention to him.

Even more in Richard's favor is his resisting the temptation to either take himself too seriously or succumb to the victimhood mentality too many "minorities" do in today's American societal milieu.

I just wish Andrew would stop "running around, screaming like a girl" every time someone has the temerity to publicly disagree with him.

He's just sort of...panicky. Needs a good, hard, frickin' slap.

Problem is, you slap him, and he just screams louder and his running-around circle just gets bigger. Sheesh. Shut the hell UP, BOY! Whatever salient points you want to make about the depredations of Abu Ghraib get lost in the spectacle you make of yourself.

NOTE: FWIW, Hell Week at the Academy (in the mid-70's at least) was probably worse than the hanky panky in the Iraqi prison under American control. And that, um, character building experience came after a year of daily harassment as a freshman. "Squat," "Doolie," "Smack-wad"...the labels I had to answer to...the horror. Was the Ghraib bad? Yeah, but "stupid" is a much better word. The tactical blunder had strategic implications because people like Andrew--who have uniquely influential access to the society--were physically incapable of providing an ounce of perspective. And the 'Net provided him a forum with which to further undermine public support for a critical GWOT effort in the Great Middle Ground of the American body politic.

You know, there's a scene in Zulu, near the beginning, where the Color Sergeant (bless 'im) counsels the utterly panicked Reverend Witt to, well, STFU, before his fear infects the whole garrison. Every time I see Jack Hawkins' character brown his pants in anticipation of certain disaster, I think of Andrew. Get a grip on yourself, lad.

Of course Abu Ghraib was a blot on our military's reputation but we reacted swiftly and thoroughly...and probably not near as brutally as I would have vis-a-vis the final disposition of the officers and NCOs in charge. But listening to Andy prattle on about the horrors of torture and how the Administration is evil incarnate because some low-ranking enlisted Army duma$$ made Abdul wear a bad over his head and get barked at by Shatzi the German Shepard is looks, well, silly.

In short, while Sullivan might have something to contribute, both his tone and content have become unmoored from sweet reason. The resultant screech affects millions of potential readers like fingernails on a blackboard. At least that's what it appears to do because you Just. Can't. Get. A. Word. In. Edgewise.

That's why listening to Hugh try to conduct an interview with Sully is such a scream...the poor man (Sullivan, I mean) just has no idea how much of a laughingstock, caricature, buffoon, whatever, he seems to have become. We're all guilty of the ready-fire-aim blogging lends itself to but, krikey, I wish some of these guys could hear themselves sometimes.

Unfortunately, blogging allows you to do that to yourself. So, Andy, my man, take a deep breath and wait 30 minutes for goodness sake.

God forbid I should ever get interviewed on the air. And, yes, I waited 30 minutes...

*Sigh*...time to go back to work...Toodles

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