I am still on my way back to California. The people in Wisconsin I discovered to my amusement (do not tell them I said that) speak in the same way as the people in Fargo. I was even tempted to ask them to play scenes for me from that delightful movie. Remember that bridge over Tigress River in Baghdad that was opened to great fanfare (fanfare is originally an Arabic word, one of many Arabic words that have made their way into English, like cable, rope, sugar, sherbet, alcohol, magazine, banana, etc)? The bridge opening caused unending coverage on CNN and Fox and the rest of the government media. That bridge has been closed, without fanfare. I only saw a reference to it in Arabic press, and today in Chicago Tribute. It was not fit to print in NYTimes, of course. NYTimes has noticed that the "Iron Hammer" bombings have no strategic or military purpose. Chicago Tribute concedes that it was only for morale of the troops, still sagging due to the attacks. In one building, which did not have any weapons and was a textile factory, the troops asked guards to leave before bombing it. CNN, however, still covers the bombings as if they are WWII "strategic bombings." The government is of course in a panic state: worried about the coming election: they say that they will speed up elections, and yet they disagree with the moderate Ayatollah Sistani (who refused to meet with Paul Bremer more than 26 times so far, and the latter keep trying to see him) who insists that no constitution will have legitimacy if drafted by an appointed council. The Ayatollah is more democratic than the democratic occupiers, and their democratic stooges (like that fake democratic Kanan Makiya). But the the stooges rightly fear elections because they have as much chances of success, as I do in running for governor of Alabama (or Texas, or CA, OK or anywhere else in the US, or Lebanon, or anywhere, OK I GET THE POINT, I am not electable).

I was really pleased to meet with the staff of the Progressive magazine yesterday. They have really rejuvenated things up in recent years. But I kept thinking: we in the left in the US need a dose of a sense of humor. Leftwing publications I notice (in Lebanon, US, and other places, but not in Egypt or France for example). That does not in any way mean that we have to compromise our message; but we should not sound like the awful Soviet publications either. That is why Michael Moore and Al Franken are doing so well. We in the left have a reputation, well earned, for being quite boring. We should change that, I think.

My host Jamal, praise be to him, and glory be to me,--always--baked me Manaqish: one of my favorite foods: a piece of Arabic bread dough: you cover it with olive oil mixed with Za`tar (a mix of sesame seeds and Thyme herbs--best one are from Jordan). It was delicious. Angry Arab was not angry for the duration of the consumption of the two manaqish. Upon finishing the delicious meal, Angry Arab resumed his angry state.