Not only did I miss several weeks’ worth of important developments, but in particular the clarity of thinking that the Christmas spirit brings. As Rafe Colburn observes:

“I’ve often said that the fundamental difference between most hardcore conservatives and the rest of us is a lack of appreciation for the old bromide, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ The inability to put yourself in the shoes of people worse off than yourself, or just different than you, period, is the enabler for what passes for modern conservatism.”

Rafe also has a cogent argument about why it doesn’t wash to claim that Libya’s renunciation of WMD is a consequence of the US invasion of Iraq, even though dysadministration propaganda crows about how it is our victory.

Another thing that may not be our victory to crow about is the apprehension of Saddam Hussein, who may actually have been taken into custody by the Kurdish opposition, hogtied and left for the US to claim.