. . . a week from tomorrow in the Los Angeles area. Email me for details, if you're interested. This is a Bear Flag League-sponsored event, for center-right new-media types who operate (at least part of the time) in the Golden State.

Blogging today will be more than light, as I finish up a project for my premier client—and tie up a couple of loose ends at my nonprofit gig.

I'll be pulling Christmas together tomorrow morning, which means the house will end up either slightly decorated or slightly clean for the holiday, and everyone's cards and presents will arrive sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Of course, in my family we figure that birthday gifts should arrive within six months of one's natal anniversary. I could simply apply that logic to the birth of Christ, and promise my near and dear that they'll get their swag by mid-June, latest.

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Quite startling. Unexpected, you might say.

We can't just go by our gut. Let's compare the main attributes of Fred Thompson versus the other candidates:

Fred Thompson: Teh Awesome

Other Candidates: Teh Suck

I believe when you lay things out this way, the reasons to support Fred Thompson over the other candidates becomes obvious, especially since IMAO has long held the position that "Teh Awesome" is better than "Teh Suck." And, in this time when our country is threatened by terrorists, weenies, and goobers, it's that more important we elect someone awesome—a strong conservative who will kill and hurt those who need killing and hurting.

Upon sober reflection, I do believe that good old Frank J. has a point, there.

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. . . on Ron Paul's exchange with Ben Bernake:

What Dr. Paul is saying doesn't make any particular sense: American consumers are not particularly suffering because of the decline of the dollar, the dollar is not declining because of Fed policy, and the Federal Reserve has nothing to do with a relative scarcity of oil and food, which is what is driving the CPI increases he complains about. If we were on the gold standard, oil and food would still be getting more expensive, and people on fixed incomes would still be feeling the pinch.

h/t to Insty, and special thanks to The Atlantic for having McArdle blog for them. It's good to see her writing showcased in the way it deserves.

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When one has a cheese Danish for dinner, is it correct to have a slice of pumpkin pie for dessert? Please advise.

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. . . from Iowahawk, of course. Burge points out that Iowans are "uniquely qualified" to serve as our "electoral overlords":

Historically, Iowa is neither strongly Republican nor Democrat, conservative nor liberal. It is near the median in state population and in the middle of the country, with an average per-capita income. Iowans speak in flat, unaccented Midwestern English, and avoid conflict and spicy foods. Iowans have a long tradition of political centrism borne of a strong libertarian desire to steer clear of government interference, along with an equally strong desire for federal subsidy checks to help better enjoy the government non-interference.

This heritage of fierce independent passive-aggressive blandness makes Iowa a valuable front line defense against political extremism from the right or left. America can trust Iowa to "weed out" any presidential candidates with non-centrist ideas, or extreme accents like "California surfer dude." Iowa is a swing state, and candidates who want to succeed here must show they are hardcore, balls-to-the-wall moderate swingers.

"How fah is it to Hahvahd Yahd?" A long goddamn way from Cedar Rapids, pal. So start walking.

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"Look, Buddy: No one ever died from lack of sleep. Or from horniness, either."

"Not yet! But didn't you just tell me the past isn't a predictor of the future? How do you know it won't ever happen? And how do you know that when it does, it won't happen to me?"

Which is, I guess, a valid point.

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I have had it with these mother-fucking snakes

. . . in this mother-fucking campaign!

h/t: Ace, who remarks: "I have no real problem with the sentiment and actually think it's a savvy little ad. Jim Geraghty calls it brilliant, and I agree. But brilliant in a dishonest way: Huck continues insulting the intelligence of the GOP base by running a Christmas greetings ad supposedly putting aside politics for 'what really matters,' when obviously this is a blatantly political ad designed to boost his appeal. And, furthermore, boost his appeal by running, yet again, on his religiosity.

I don't remember getting video Christmas greetings from Mike Huckabee when he wasn't running for president. Do you? Am I to understand this is the first time in history that it was important to set aside politics for 'what really matters' in a political season?"

Well, it depends upon what really matters. Perhaps what matters to Huck is that the Iowa caucus reflect current polling trends in that state. In that case, we should definitely set aside anything that might change our minds about the field of GOP hopefuls.

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. . . oh, yeah.

It's going to get interesting from here on out.

Via Hawkins, via Reynolds.

Hawkins: "If Fred wants to win the election, all he has to do is put this in constant rotation in Iowa and his victory would be guaranteed . . . or he would actually drop into last place. One or the other."

Reynolds: "If he's got the guts to run this in Iowa and New Hampshire, he's got my vote . . . ."

And, of course, one has to throw up a link to sloganmaster Frank J., under the circumstances.

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. . . together at last:

>

Via Insty, who's running the Hazard lament about Hedge funds.

Laffer's star just rose in the Little Miss Attila galaxy; how many economists are appearing on YouTube these days? What a stud.

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Althose is running the same photo of Mrs. Clinton that Drudge has been highlighting.

Dry winter air doesn't do great things for anyone's skin—save maybe that of teenagers. And I still think Mrs. C. would have been better off with a face lift, vs. the botox—when she pops her eyes out to show emotion there's something creepy about it. But the state of the art is still imperfect.

Here's the deal: I understand that people are, as a general rule, idiots. But I'm still not sure that the average voter will be deciding a Presidential election on the basis of whose skin is smoothest.

I mean, what's next? Swimsuit competitions? My father would love it (particularly if he can fantasize that Condi will answer Dick Morris's call by jumping into the race to oppose Mrs. C.). But despite the flirtation of some evangelicals with the Huckabee campaign, I'd like to think that the average voter at least sees some seriousness in a Presidential election. On some level.

We need a leader with a backbone of steel . . . someone like Golda.

Now whether that person is a man or a woman has yet to be determined. But let's not shoot ourselves in the foot by using face-texture as a litmus test. That's the last thing we need right now. It wouldn't help Thompson or McCain very much.

Just a shout-out to my Democratic buddies: if you vote for Obama—or Edwards—over Mrs. C, make sure it's for the right reasons. Don't break my fucking heart.

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The Right-Wing News Conservative Blogger Awards.

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You were one of my first readers, over at the old blog. I think I was the one who brought you into the nation of Munuvia.

• • •

Triticale is gone. He had the most amazing mind when it came to wordplay; he was the one who suggested—back when I was still doing "household hints"—that I could replace the category "Attila in an Apron" with "Apronics."

He called me "Attila the Honey," natch.

Just damn.

Please pray for Tom E. Arnold. His family will be holding Shi'va on the 19th and 20th of this month in Illinois, and there will be a celebration of his life this coming spring.

• • •

Thank you, Tom. Vaya con Dios, my friend.

Via Sean.

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ABC News has the scoop:

[Wesleyan Center for Strategic Studies Co-Founder Phillip] Knight, who says he has prayed with Thompson and his wife, Jeri, believes Thompson has been "mischaracterized" by Christian conservative leader, Dr. James Dobson, who questioned Thompson's faith and candidacy in an email a couple months ago.

Unfortunately, ABC News can't afford a proofreader for its website, so it ran the story with an extra comma before "Dr. James Dobson," and omitted the "of" in "a couple of months ago." But it's okay: the folks at ABC are just being colloquial. Illiterate, but colloquial.

There is also the issue of whether Mr. Knight (or Dr. Knight; I'm not sure) spells his first name with one L, or two. It appears both ways on the World Wide Web. But ABC may have that detail right. I would still, however, like to see some attention to grammar and punctuation from my news providers.

I'd also like to meet the Easter Bunny this coming spring, and shake his little paw. Anyone want to give me odds on that?

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James Joyner on the Huckabee phenomenon, and why it's scaring the shit out of thoughtful conservatives such as Peggy Noonan, Charles Krauthammer, and Jim Geraghty.

Am I scared? I'm concerned: I'm seeing the moment of the party's greatness flicker, and I'm seeing the Eternal Footman hold our coats, and snicker. It's like that.

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. . . the Al-Qaeda-led "resistance" at the New York Times.

Via Insty.

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that The Anchoress and I will not be engaging in the hot-oil wrestling match (with statues of the Saints watching over us) that we had considered, to assist people in deciding who would make a better Grande Conservative Blogress Diva.

Unfortunately, our holiday schedules got in the way.

Though I've decided to switch my endorsement over to her. Vote Anchoress!

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Via Sean, Fred refuses to play stupid games such as delivering a "show of hands" regarding global warming.

I told you not to make Fred angry. But did you listen? No.

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Voting just began for Grande Conservative Blogress Diva! I'm lobbying for Virginia Postrel this year, so either vote for her, or . . . well. Me.

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. . . on the Led Zepp reunion. Or, maybe, "reunion." (Can we call it Led Zeppelin without John Bonham? What about calling The Who The Who without Keith? What about calling the Dead The Dead without Jerry? What about calling Jethro Tull Jethro Tull without Ian Anderson? Oops; just kidding.)

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You were one of my heroes. I'm glad you died with a chocolate bar and a bottle of high-quality whiskey by your bed. And I'm glad you and Helen lasted 45 years. Wow!

• • • • •

What a life-affirming, fabulous woman. The triumph and tragedy of her life is that she became the face of lesbianism among Canadians and the literati. Though this probably helped fortify a lot of young women who needed someone to look up to, I think it unfairly limited the market for her books, which were largely carried in feminist/GLBT bookstores, but not always available at mainstream venues. And that's a shame: they were wonderful. They deserved to be read by everyone.

There was a lot more to Jane Rule's characters than the fact that some of 'em were gay.

I know most people's favorite Rule novel is Desert of the Heart. It was indeed a magnificent read, and it was later loosely adapted for the film Desert Hearts, which I saw with a boyfriend in the early 1980s (he didn't mind, of course; he developed a crush on one of the actresses, so seeing her in a lesbian sex scene was AOK—men are so cute).

But there are others: I liked Inland Passage, and (especially) Memory Board. The most amazing Jane Rule book of all is undoubtedly Contract with the World. I could read it over and over again. I may just do that, this month, as a tribute to Our Jane. (Um. Not this Jane. I mean, "Our Other Jane.")

And I see that not all of her books are widely available. If someone wants to make some money in the English-speaking world, they might want to re-issue Rule's stunning body of fiction. (All of it, including This Is Not For You. The fact that a book is not easy reading—or tremendously accessible to straights—does not make it less worthy of reprinting.)

• • • • •

You did well, Ms. Rule. If I can die as half the woman you were, I'll be very, very happy.

I'll be praying for you; I'm sure you and G-d made your own arrangements years ago, and I'm confident I'll see you on the other side of the veil. You, Auden, Yeats and I can have some laughs. You bring the cigarettes; I'll bring the cigars. You bring the whiskey; I'll bring the gin.

(Photo courtesy of the Globe and Mail piece linked above.)

Hat tip to David Linden for penetrating my influenza fog/usual MSM blackout.

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