North Coast Online

When You Put It That Way . . .

Politicians and sex scandals -- Harry Hutton puts them in their proper context.

"Scotland Yard has confirmed it is looking into a complaint that Mr Prescott broke the law by allegedly having sex in his Whitehall office."

If I were his lawyer, I would point out that using a government office for having sex with his secretary was far less ruinous for Britain than how he might otherwise have been using it. While Prescott was harmlessly fucking his secretary, the rest of the cabinet were probably hatching schemes to make us all line up and be fingerprinted. Put it this way: would you rather he was shafting his secretary, or the nation? We got off lightly.

I would go further: I would say that screwing his secretary is his main achievement since taking office, and one of the things that sets him apart from monomaniacs and cyborgs like Blair, Brown and Straw. Blair would no more fuck his secretary than he would read a novel. Why? Because he’s a lunatic and a freak, with no more sense of proportion than a Saudi cleric. Brute that he is, Prescott is one of the few members of the establishment who is still recognisably earthling.

"I’m the one who acted stupidly," he said. What was stupid about it? It was normal and human, and one of the few things he has done recently of which sane people might approve. You vote to abolish Habeas Corpus and the Magna Carta, then you apologise for screwing your secretary? Seriously, what’s wrong with everyone on that island? Besides which, to describe it as "stupid" is insulting to the woman, you great oaf.

Well said.  The Democrats should have used that line to defend what's-his-name.  Actually, I think they tried, but their English just wasn't up to it.

Strange Blogfellows

Jaquandor at Byzantium's Shores doesnt like the Dubai port deal.

I may as well admit it: my instinct to oppose the Dubai port thing is because I simply don't trust George W. Bush. The man and his administration have yet, in my view, to author a single policy that isn't a colossal cock-up in one way or another, and based on past results, I see no reason to give the guy the benefit of the doubt on this one. Kevin Drum isn't sure the whole thing is that big a deal, and maybe he's right. But I just don't know.

I'll give him credit for admitting that his instinct to question it is in part due to his distrust of Bush.  I think that accounts for a lot of our political differences in this country -- plain old trust (or lack thereof.)  I've certainly given Bush the benefit of the doubt on some issues because I do trust him -- Harriet Miers anyone?  And I criticized Bill Clinton sometimes (well, a lot actually) simply because I didn't.  I could never bring myself to support Hillary because I don't.

Jaq also wonders if there's a racist angle in the opposition to the deal -- he sees it coming from the Right.  I would tend to accuse the Left.   But anyone who suspects racism (and I do) would have to admit that it's bipartisan in this case.  Look, this is one issue where, while I'm on Bush's side,  I'm probably in the minority on the Right.  And in the minority altogether.  That's fine with me.

One last word.  Jaq does not care for Ann Coulter or Michelle Malkin.

I, for one, am not going to listen to lectures on racism from the party that makes Ann Coulter a featured speaker at its functions and regularly lauds the work of Michelle Malkin.

Fair enough but it is kind of delicious that he agrees with both of them on the UAE ports deal.