Help control the pet population

God bless this kid. Enthusiastic people deserve to win the Price is Right.

A small collection of links...

Bob Barker's retiring... so YouTube's having a tribute to him. None that worth seeing yet, but I really like the concept. Mad props, Bob. Mostly for punching Adam Sandler.

What if the Washington Post remade its website both as a wiki and to unify with the print edition (unlike its unfortunate new makeover)? Have to admit that it looks quite a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the current one. The side-by-side comparison really brings the point home. (via journerdism)

It's OK if you go to Syria and negotiate with evildoers, and kowtow to evil Islam in fashion statements, as long as you support the Iraq War. So spake Mitt Romney. The only thing worse than this cockamamie garbage that the Bush Administration spews is that the major news outlets buy it. War supporters in headscarves? Republicans in Syria? Eh, that's cool.

A few thoughts on Iran/Britain sailors... I feel a little bit like the Independent. Still, I think one thing we can learn from this is that diplomacy can still trump war-cheerleaders, and that having an embassy in Teheran is preferable to, you know, not. Clearly, the most important outcome was to get the sailors home. Period. Ahmadinejad can have all the showboating he wants, but I strongly disagree with the Andrew Sullivan assertion of "humiliation." A blowhardy standoff with Iran raises Ahmadinejad's hard-line nutcasery to a new level. Yes, Britain doesn't come out of this smelling like a rose, but the guys are home.

Also, the EU didn't exactly leave Britain "in the lurch." What were they supposed to do? Impose sanctions? That would've made matters far worse. If the waters weren't disputed (they are) and if we had any moral high ground left (we don't), we could correctly fight back with conviction. As Sullivan correctly points out, though, it is Bush's Iraq policy that has led us here. The greatest thing we have lost in our Iraqi adventure, greater even than the thousands of soldiers who have died and billions of dollars lost, is our principles. We have always been a pragmatic nation, but even the most utilitarian among us must realize that reputation is a useful tool to have, and the most potent one we have lost.

OK, last note, an amazing retrospective on Obtusity about the many videos of Michael Jackson. Worth a watch if you've got a couple hours to burn. Or just watch your faves. Hearing Jackson say "your butt is mine" is more than a little disturbing, though.