The Clusterfuck Nation Chronicle

Commentary on the Flux of Events

Will the moiling Muslim masses heed the extremists' call for Jihad against America? We may not have an answer for a week or so. This has been the great goal of the al Queda network, and this is their magic moment, so to speak, and if they fail to stir those masses with their appeals for worldwide violence, we all may perhaps breathe a little more easily. Or not.

One mystery of this dark season is why al Queda and its associates have not bombed any of the oil infrastructure of the Middle East, especially the pipelines and well-heads of Saudi Arabia. The ruling Saudi royal family depends utterly on its oil exports to retain power, and Mr. bin Laden's hatred for them is exceeded only by his hatred of America. So, he could greatly injure his two greatest enemies at one stroke. I present this as a tactical consideration that we must take into account, not a helpful hint to terrorists.

Meanwhile, a surreal mood prevails in America. We desperately want normal life to resume -- those narcotic raptures of pro sports, recreational shopping, theme park visits, melted cheese snacking, and endless motoring. We had better be prepared for the necessity of living differently. All the choruses of God Bless America ever sung will not prevent the imperatives of a new reality from asserting itself. I speak of the necessary downscaling of our activities. We must live closer together, travel fewer miles to our work, revive local economies, and pay attention to the demands of a new reality. For instance, instead of singing God Bless America another time, I'd like to hear some discussion about restoring passenger rail service in this country.

I didn't vote for guy, but I thought Mr. Bush handled himself pretty well in his press conference last night.