I swear. My major problem with Thomas Friedman is not his politics (as abhorrent as they are, as are his shifting positions (from an early cheerleader for the Iraq war to an audacious critic) but his nimble mind and his lack of any sophistication. His mind is just not capable of any abstractions or conceptualization. Look at this pearl of wisdom: "if Einstein were alive today, he would be telling both America and China that they have homework to do."