Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield (Post 463829)

If you try to slay the reader with every sentence, you will undoubtedly succeed. - Buckley (date unknown, probably horribly paraphrased, but you get the point)

That may be true, but I've wandered into stale farts more compelling than anything Frum has authored. And it isn't just his writing. He's a David Brooksian castrated centrist of the first order, but unlike Brooks, who tries to bridge the gap between left and right, all Frum can do is play the part of apologist and scold. Nobody likes a whimpering turncoat. If you're going to be traitor, do it with no regret.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 463828)

Yeah, I haven't read much of his religion stuff; I read him fairly regularly back in the 80s, when he agreed with me on enough so I was often upset with him for the half-assed way he screwed things up. Over the last decade, what I know of him are the wonderful quotes that grace any good discussion of Islamaphobia or mysogyny and the stuff linked to them. Of course, he does not get quoted on a substantive discussion of Islam or women, only on the discussions of strange views toward them. But we aren't engaged in a substantive discussion of him, are we? I just threw out his clusterbomb quote when you gave me an opening and have been bullshitting with you about the ass since.

Yes, no doubt amusing; let us each find amusement where we may. One of my pet amusements is when someone suggests "firsthand" experience comes from knowing someone somewhere - such a "one of my best friends is black" basis for expertise! Did you really just go there with Hitchens and Rushdie? Such suffering! Yeah, clusterbomb them. And "a bit more" islamophobia? Yeah, right, sure.

As to reading his book, god, no thank you.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 463830)

I'm a softie for a Buckley paraphrase, all is forgiven.

Frum's biggest problem is that he so often gets it right. No one likes that.

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield (Post 463832)

Frum does get a lot right. And I want to like him because his criticisms of the GOP are astute. But the apologetic stance is overdone. It's enough that he's criticizing the noxious elements of his party. The mea culpas are redundant.

That and he's so fucking dull in print. He's not bad on Bill Maher. I wonder why that can't translate to the written word, or other venues. I sense he's the kind who can't attack until first attacked. Makes for wishy washy writing.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 463833)

Spend more time in Canada; he has a very dry wit that he uses sparingly. If you get it it works.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 463834)

Spend too much time in Canada and you'll start to think Canadians are funny. Don't the funny ones come down here?

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 463836)

Poor Fox. They have to figure out how to oppose a tax cut.

Boxer day comes early this year.

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield (Post 463831)

My God, you can twist a point. Now, you know I was not suggesting Hitchens had significant expertise on Islam. I said nothing of the sort. What I said he was biased on the subject, no doubt as a result of his friend's experiences. This is an admission that his Islamophobia, as all cases of it, is not defensible, but understandable enough that I gave him a pass on it.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 463836)

Poor Fox. They have to figure out how to oppose a tax cut.

Boxer day comes early this year.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 463836)

Poor Fox. They have to figure out how to oppose a tax cut.

Boxer day comes early this year.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 463838)

I knew Hitchens better than you did.

Originally Posted by LessinSF (Post 463839)

For Sebby:

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...62945667_n.jpg

Originally Posted by Fugee (Post 463840)

So, tax cuts for the rich are good and tax cuts for the 99% are bad? Balanced and whatever; thanks Fox News.

Originally Posted by Fugee (Post 463840)

So, tax cuts for the rich are good and tax cuts for the 99% are bad? Balanced and whatever; thanks Fox News.