or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
•
"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
October 23, 2005
Close Friends
This profile of Scooter Libby mentions that Alan Simpson, the former Wyoming senator, is "one of Cheney's closest friends."
Huh. Well, maybe it's worth remembering that Simpson cozied up to Saddam Hussein in an April, 1990 meeting, telling Saddam his bad reputation could be blamed on "a haughty and pampered press" who "all consider themselves political geniuses."
Maybe it's also worth remembering Simpson said this to Saddam JUST ONE MONTH after Saddam had executed Farzad Bazoft, a reporter for the Guardian.
Of course, as soon as it became politically convenient, Simpson called Saddam "pure evil" and publicly wept big wet crocodile tears about the poor suffering people of Iraq. No one cared more about them than old Alan Simpson.
So I guess it's nice Dick and Alan have each other as friends. That way they each have someone to talk to, while no one else has to come within 100 miles of them and smell the stench of their rotting souls.
Posted at October 23, 2005 02:41 PM | TrackBackJon, if these type of politicians emit a foul stench because of the state of their souls, how can the non-politicians in DC survive or breathe?
Posted by: Anna in Cairo at October 24, 2005 01:22 AMThat's a very good question, one even our best scientists can't answer. Some speculate there actually ARE no non-politician residents of Washington, only highly lifelike androids.
Posted by: Jonathan Schwarz at October 24, 2005 05:45 AMCheck out this photo: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bgoodsel/post911/shelbysaddamsm.jpg
I scanned that from Joseph Wilson's book. I'm afraid I cropped Simpson out of the photo. It shows Wilson on the left with Alabama Senator Richard Shelby holding hands with Saddam Hussein on the right.
The two Simpson quotes on the page you linked to are pretty amazing: "As long as you are isolated from the media, the press -- and it is a haughty and pampered press -- they all consider themselves political geniuses ... what I advise is that you invite them to come here and see for yourselves." -- April 1990, and "...now there is an entire convoy of media people crossing the desert to get to Baghdad ... we can't spend our time trying to protect people who are there at the invitation of an enemy government." -- February, 1991
Invitations don't mean much to these guys. April Glaspie practically invited Saddam to invade Kuwait, not telling him that he'd be "worse than Hitler" if he did. Bush 41 invited the Shiites to rise up against Saddam, then watched as they were slaughtered--apparently just so Junior would have talking points twelve years later. And when they say "come to the Superdome?" Don't.
Posted by: Bob at October 24, 2005 10:45 AMBob, do you still have the book? If so, can you scan in the whole thing? Because if not, I'll have to go get the book myself just for that.
How embarrassing for Shelby. I'm glad there aren't any pictures of the many times I held hands with Pol Pot.
Posted by: Jonathan Schwarz at October 24, 2005 11:06 AM
