Quick Tips on Rhetoric

Dear Mr. Bush,

It may be easier to get people to believe you mean it when you say "the Cold War is over" if you can stop referring to the forces in opposition to Russia as "the free world." That's pretty much a Cold War term, see?

Similarly, you might ask Condi to stop talking about Czechoslovakia and 1968.

Talk like that will just convince people that what you really mean is that you really would like to renew the Cold War, if only to distract people from that Global War on Terror thing.

Speaking of which, you and John McCain might want to drop that line about how this is the 21st century, and countries don't invade other countries, occupying capitals and overthrowing governments. Jon Stewart and his staff are talented and competent; they don't need you writing laugh lines for them.

Enjoy the stay on the ranch.

P.S. Whatever you do, don't go here:

My friends, we have reached a crisis, the first probably serious crisis internationally since the end of the Cold War.

Golly, remember the good old days when 9/11 had "changed everything'??

I knew McCain occassionally got confused about important details, but has he really forgotten the collapsing towers, and the last seven years? Seriously?

Are we supposed to just dump that whole fear-of-global-jihad thing now? And rush to the stalwart defense of Stalin's birthplace?

Someone want to remind me why John McCain is supposed to have credibility on foreign policy and national security issues? Anyone?

Bueller?

By the way, is it too soon to start asking "Who Lost Georgia?"