A reader suggests an alternative Lord of the Rings analogy for Dubya. (By the way, I’m sorry I got Frodo’s relationship with Blibo wrong; he is his nephew, not his son.) Here’s the alternative:
“Bush is most clearly NOT Frodo. This will become obvious as the next installments of the Peter Jackson’s series are unveiled if he remains as faithful to the book as he has in his first installment. There has been a raging debate amongst fans for years about who the real hero of Tolkien’s masterpiece really is. It has two camps, one forming around Frodo, the ring-bearer, and the other around Samwise Gamgee, his faithful servant. I and many others are in Sam camp. Frodo has the legacy of the ring thrust on him, but he lacks a great deal of strength and moral dimension. In the end he fails in his quest (hope I’m not giving anything away here if you haven’t read the books) and if it were not for the fortuitous intervention of Gollum, the Ring would never have been destroyed. The credit for the successful completion of the quest goes to Sam, whose virtues are simple but essential: faithfulness, determination, endurance, love and hope. Sam doesn’t seek the quest but stands up to the greatest odds when he has no hope of success. The episode against Shelob is the favorite for most of the fans in Sam’s camp. Sam represents hope and that hope ensures his eventual success. His hope springs from his selfless love of his master, Frodo and his determination not to quit. The story doesn’t end with Frodo, he goes off to the Grey Havens when he can’t seem to enjoy the peace he has helped to secure. The book ends with Sam returning home to his wife who puts his daughter Elanor in his lap. Bush is not Frodo. Bush is Sam. Frodo labors under the Ring and seems constantly weary from it. Sam remains hopeful to the last and just plods on selflessly to ultimate victory and is comfortable enough in his skin to enjoy the prosperity he has helped secure. Bush’s mirth, hope, resolve are much more similar to Sam. Your blog should be retitled. George W. Gamgee.”
Fair enough. Any candidates for Gollum?
BRAVE AND HEART-BREAKING: Thomas Sowell on the fragile emotions of many black students.
The Dish 