Mickey Kaus Has Hair, Up To A Point

In his desperation to locate reports supporting Bush and the Endless War Against Iraq, Mickey Kaus stoops to quoting a nameless e-mailer who claims to be a Marine:

"I don't want to paint any overly rosy picture of things here as I never have indulged in that practice before, but we have control everywhere now (up to a point)."

The "up to a point" qualifier is particularly telling, as it echoes the famous line spoken by the toadies of Lord Copper in Evelyn Waugh's Scoop. When Copper, a London newspaper magnate, asked his yes men to agree with his ridiculously false statements, they responded with qualified agreement -- "up to a point, Lord Copper" -- rather than tell their boss he was fucking nuts. (One imagines that Kaus perfected that art himself at The New Republic.)

Of course, Kaus doesn't seem particularly interested in the outcome in Iraq, let alone the fate of the Iraqi people; he just uses the e-mail message to flog his fantasy that the news media is anti-GOP. And Kaus has forgotten Lord Donnie's Copper's most important marching orders:

"Remember that the Patriots are in the right and are going to win. The Beast stands by them foursquare. But they must win quickly. The British public has no interest in a war which drags on indecisively. A few sharp victories, some conspicuous acts of personal bravery on the Patriot side and a colourful entry into the capital. That is The Beast policy for the war."