If Bush were a Flying Wallenda, he'd be dead now.

[weldon_berger]

Zbigniew Brzezinski has an op-ed piece in today's International Herald Tribune headlined, "To lead, US must give up paranoid policies."

WASHINGTON Paradoxically, American power worldwide is at its historic zenith while its global political standing is at its nadir. Why?

Since the tragedy of Sept. 11, which understandably shook and outraged every American, the United States has increasingly embraced, at the highest official level, what can be fairly called a paranoiac view of the world. This is summarized in a phrase repeatedly used at the highest level: "He who is not with us is against us."

Let's not forget this was a phrase popularized by Lenin when he attacked the social democrats on the grounds that they were anti-Bolshevik and, therefore, "he who is not with us is against us" and can be disposed of accordingly.

Brzezinski also addresses the burgeoning crisis in the Palestinian-Israeli situation, and thoroughly slams the administration's Europhobic stance.

I'd put this in the "must read" category.

[Paschall]

1. I don't remember the outlet...

...but this piece was published elsewhere and posted here.

Regardless, they should have gotten you to write the headline! Definitely a 10! (Do folks remember who the Flying Wallendas were, I wonder?)

[E_Zapata]

2. weren't they a trapeze family act?

LOL

[weldon_berger]

4. Trapeze and high wire.

Their patriarch died in a fall, I think maybe 15 years ago or so. They were famous for working without a net.

[Paschall]

5. Patriarch may have died in a fall 15 years ago

But as I recall the whole family, some 10 or 12 of them--balanced on several "stories" of horizontal poles supported by a single high-wire walker--came crashing to earth in a horrible fall about 25-30 years ago. Don't remember if there were any injuries or deaths in that really spectacular fall, but it made major headlines.

[weldon_berger]

3. Maybe the NYT,

since most of their op-eds wind up in the IHT eventually, but I missed it.

I like to think people google for obscure references, but it's probably only wishful thinking.

Thanks for the kind words ...