LAUGHTER THE BEST MEDICINE:

I am still grieving for Terri Schiavo and remembering Jesus, but I got a laugh from this hilarious piece in the New Republic: How Liberal Are You? A TNR Online Test (T.A. Frank; via Atlantic Blog). A sample:

1. About Condoleezza Rice, I agree with:

A. George W. Bush: "America has benefited from the wise counsel of Dr. Condoleezza Rice and our family has been enriched by our friendship with this wonderful person."

B. David Gergen: "Listen, there's nothing to say that she won't be a terrific secretary of state. She may well be. She's obviously a woman of enormous stature."

C. North Korea: "Condoleezza Rice [is] a handmaid of the United States' aggressive external policy and a faithful spokeswoman for the U.S. munitions monopolies."

Correct answer: B. While North Korea deserves credit for use of the terms "munitions monopolies" and the under-used "handmaid," the correct liberal answer is Gergen's, since it's true that Rice's tenure may indeed prove "terrific"--in the original (example: "terrific conflagration") sense of the word.

The funniest part is that it's so reasonable to gauge liberalism using Bush for the right, Gergen for the center, and North Korea for the left.

Posted by Paul Jaminet at March 26, 2005 3:09 PM