IMITATION/FLATTERY DEPARTMENT: Just like all the best film directors, seems like all the best bloggers are in the habit of stealing from one another. Here's James Lileks, from Thursday:
You know how Howard Dean could get my respect? By calling for a one-time surcharge on the income tax of the top quintile, earrmarked specificially for Afghan and Iraqi charities, and administered by non-UN groups. "Hey! We're a rich nation," he could say. "God knows I'm a rich man. I spend more on shoes than most third-worlders spend on shelter. We spend more on dog food than Afghans spend on education. Would it kill us to part with a double sawbuck and kick-start the good stuff? We can't make a difference everywhere but we have an obligation now to make a difference here. C'mon. Dig deep."
And here's Andrew Sullivan:
If I were running as a Democrat this year (ha ha ha), here's what I'd say: "President Bush, thank you for taking the first bold steps in the war on terror. But you have become too polarizing a figure at home, and especially abroad, to win the battle we now wage for the hearts and minds of the world, especially the young Arab world... to pay for the Iraq project, we are going to rescind the tax cuts for the very richest Americans. Blah blah blah... "
And the likeliest nominee, Howard Dean, would be able to make this case with the least persuasiveness."