Tim Blair

Via NRO's Kerry Spot, we learn that, apparently, journalists are "one of the most influential 'swing votes' in the upcoming election". Given that incident at the Unity conference, I guess they're swinging somewhere between Nader, Kerry, and whatever candidate the Socialist Workers Party might field.

"I love Ellis for both his piercing insights and his mad flights of fancy and, so far, he is not disappointing."

- Mike Carlton

Bob Ellis is one of those left-wingers who really do feel that the US (particularly a Republican US) or an Australian Liberal (ie Howard) government really is worse to its own people, and a greater danger to others, than all of the Islamic terrorists put together.

There is absolutely no reasoning with these people. Don't even try.

They start from a viewpoint that is so far removed from what the sane would regard as reality, it is nothing but a task akin to nailing jelly to a wall.

Marian Wilkinson is quite selective in what she reproduces of the goat-hearders letter isn't she?

I can't speak for the rest of the state, but I for one am among the ranks of greedy Texas Christo-conservo-libertarians.

What about

"Murali is a chucker" - John Howard.

Worthless scum? Well, I agree, but it's an unusually candid admission from you, Tim. What do you normally write next to "Occupation" on your tax return? Strolling minstrel, perhaps?

It's not "Occupation" tim g, it's "Liberation" -- get your talking points in order.

Now Mr. Blair, don't be so self critical. There are many journalists who are quite worthy scum.

"Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a -- you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities,"

How should a journalist respond to this pearl of wisdom, assuming that the journalist in question was hypothetically not worthless scum?

WARNING

DANGER

I read the words 'journalist' and 'worthless scum', so naturally I thought "Hmm. What HAS Margo been up to now?" So I clicked on the link to Inner Margolia.

AEIII! MY EYES!!!

Margo has a new picture of herself there. She is ... smiling... It is a deeply, DEEPLY disturbing photo.

And my eyes are still bleeding.

Bravo to secrt squirrel for her knowledge of Henry James/Benji Britten.

Slimy, snake-in-the-grass, forked-tongue Bob Ellis, Australia's answer to Gollum.

I thought he disappeared down some crack of doom years ago.

Obviously not.

How should a journalist respond to this pearl of wisdom...?

It was a worthless scum journalist who prompted this statement, with a question like, "What does tribal sovereignty mean in the 21st century?"

Bush's response does suck. What he should have said was, "More casinos."

Michael,

Re 'tribal sovereignty meaning just that', to paraphrase Bush's salient point to a roomful of hostile journos:

Bush was asked what tribal sovereignty is and not which issues specifically would be impacted by it. Bush may look dumb to some for giving a simple answer, but maybe he was pointing out how inanely the question was worded by a "professional" wordsmith. You see, that's the diabolical master of the universe side of Bush we may have had a glimpse of.

Could be. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

OK, Angie's version is better. She actually looked up the question! And she should be a script writer for our wonderful but beleaguered Bush. Great answer!

Nailing jelly to the wall doesn't work, but sometimes if you use a big enough hammer it's fun to watch the splashes... or what is Margo for?

I've done the same thing myself (given a "duh!" Mr. Obvious type of answer to one of those questions.) We had a meeting last week about this website we're supposed to use run orders and track jobs instead of the old-fashioned phone/dead-tree method. To an explanation of how this system was "based on the internet," we were asked, "So what does that mean?" I couldn't help it, and piped up: "it means everything is on the internet."

"...and I'd just like to how much we admire you people for you god-given ability to survive in whatever worthless hell-hole we put you in!"

I just want to say that I highly admire the phrase

'the "blokey" culture of mateship'

in The Age item. It's just fun to say!