Joe Biden must be busy since Tom Friedman is on Meet the Press this Sunday. His sixteen-year-old seminal work, From Beirut to Jerusalem, established Mr. Friedman's credibility as a regular guest on Sunday morning talk shows, regardless of the subject. The book was much like 'American Graffiti' was to George Lucas. Critics can make fun of the guy for costumed Wookies and alien house bands and whatever those furry things riding the floating motorcycles were called, but you can always point to the first notable work where there isn't much room to argue.

In any case, Russert starts out with reading an excerpt from Friedman's NYT column -- which he does without the wholesale substitution of random words, a happening in its own right. Here's a line: "Despite Hezbollah's bravado, Israel has hurt it and its supporters badly, in a way they will never forget. Point made... Whoever goes for a knockout blow will knock themselves out instead."

Tidbits:
Iran promoted this conflict to draw attention away from the SC resolution.
"I think it was Bob Shrum, talking about the Iraq war: 'It's all over but the killing.'"
"That's the best time for diplomancy."
"All the Arab satellite channels... they're the Musak of the Arab world."

I love Russert. Spoke to soon, I guess:
Actual text on the screen: "[Bush] is incapable of imagining or forging alternative strategies."
Russert, reading text: "[Bush] is incapable of imagining or foregoing alternative strategies."

Why SNL doesn't add this to their cariacture of him, I have no idea. (Probably because the writers are sleeping in.)

Friedman makes a good point about the Bush administration 'exporting ... fear not hope' and having 'stolen' the American optimism from the world. He also alludes to the 'dark nature' of the Cheneys, the Rices and the Bushes. "I would argue that that that's the animating factor behind the [eyebrow arch and emphasis] *animus* [smile] against the U.S."

At some point I lost track of where we were going since we switched to a car with Ahmenijhad (Not going to look it up.) and Nasrallah in the front seat and Syria in the back and... "They've got no brakes." Oh, Christ.

"Tim, do you ever ask yourself what the second-largest Muslim country in the world is?" "It's not Pakistan or Iran -- it's India." Hmm. I suppose that's like saying 'Who's the U.S. President? It's not Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan -- it's [in a self-assured tone] George W. Bush. [pause for emphasis]". Because many less-up-to-date population counts indicat that it's Pakistan. Or Bangladesh.