The Dish

This scene from "Team America" always cheers me up. You can get the masterpiece on Netflix.

Mumbai, India, 11 am.

Who are these people called in to meet the president for a pep talk? Here are the toadies awaiting instructions and talking points: Mike Gallagher, Neal Boortz, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and Michael Medved. It forces one to ask the question: what is the difference between journalists fawning on a president, taking spin directly from him, cozying up to him – and paid propagandists whose job it is to advance the interests of those who already wield power? Some of these "journalists" have been critical of Bush policies. Which is why they have been summoned. You want the party line? You now know who to listen to.

(Photo: Eric Draper/The White House.)

The author of "Tempting Faith" blogs about what he’s now going through:

James puts it well when he says that there is arrogance in saying what we will do in the future – that we are vapors. That was the birth of Tempting Faith. It is, more than anything, a spiritual book. It is a book about my journey with Jesus through dark times – being part of an abortion, part of a divorce, hating my political "opponents." But it is also about my journey with Jesus through his infusion of life – finding forgiveness, finding love, celebrating life.

Ultimately it is my conviction that Jesus must (must!) be first that led to the book and to my willingness to sit down with "60 Minutes" – and, worse, to have to watch myself on television tonight.

Maybe it is different for others on TV, but for me there was just the overwhelming sense that I was being forced to watch a home movie of myself – with the added bonus of knowing that it was also being seen by millions of other people.

But therein lies my little hope, too – that people who think of Jesus only in a Republican way left thinking that maybe there is more to him than that … and that those who love Jesus were reminded that putting him first is always a good thing.

Several of us seem to be arriving at the same conclusion at the same time.

I hear reports of a serious rift between the two leaders. The call Bush placed to Maliki yesterday is a sign of serious strain. Money quote:

Snow said Maliki, who he said brought up the timetable question with Bush, was referring to a "rumor" about "attempts to replace him" if certain conditions weren’t met by a certain time.

"The president said, ‘the rumors are not true; we support you,’" Snow told reporters.

Well, we know what to make of the president’s word. The rumors were, apparently, about the Bush administration debating if some kind of military coup might be better able to stabilize Iraq. I cannot substantiate them but Maliki’s call to Bush obviously suggests he’s worried that the U.S. might try to pull the plug on him. There are also rumors of new contacts between Bush and Allawi. Is something afoot?

The awful truth seems to be: Maliki cannot restrain the militias; the sectarian violence is getting worse, not better; and yet Maliki is resisting partition or a big new infusion of U.S. troops. I have to say that the rumors of a Bush-backed coup actually reassured me a little. Not because I’d support it – but merely because it suggests that finally the White House seems to understand how dire the situation is. I have a sinking feeling, however, that their fundamental concern is not Iraq itself, but the effect it will have on the November elections. God knows what lies beyond that horizon. But if the Democrats control one or both Houses, the Iraq debate will become electric.

(Photo: Brooks Kraft for Time.)

In the case that has rocked Britain, a Muslim member of parliament backs the government position. A public school teacher cannot wear a veil in teaching her classes. Money quote:

A [government official] has called for the dismissal of a Muslim teaching assistant who refused to remove her veil in school, as senior Labour and Conservative figures indicated that they were hardening their stance on community relations.

Phil Woolas, the communities minister, whose brief includes race relations, told a Sunday newspaper that Aishah Azmi, 23, had "put herself in a position where she cannot do her job". He added that should the head teacher at the school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire choose to sack Ms Azmi then "so be it".

He was backed by a Muslim MP who said that it would be a setback for common sense in education if his constituent were to win her employment tribunal claim for religious discrimination. Ms Azmi was suspended from her job teaching children English because she refused to remove the veil.

Shahid Malik, the Labour MP for Dewsbury, said: "The basic thrust of what Phil says is just common sense. If you are not able to fulfil your job requirements then obviously it will be difficult for you to continue in that particular role."

I get the sense that the Brits are starting to hold the line against excessive sectarianism in public life. And this is a good thing.

Here’s a classic on the turmoil in the Middle East. It’s from John Doolittle, the Deputy Majority Whip and Secretary of the House Republican Conference:

"As for Armageddon, I just note with interest that’s what the Bible says. That it’s on the Plains of Megiddo. Right there in Israel. And it makes you wonder where this conflict’s all going to ultimately lead. And I happen to believe it will ultimately lead to what the Bible says."

And so we have a Republican leader agreeing with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the looming End-Times. And both are looking forward to it. The YouTube clip has his comments at 4:58. The Sacramento Bee comments here.

If you’ve ever despaired at a blizzard of inane, contradictory sound-bites that passes for political debate on cable news, then this classic Monty Python sketch is for you. It’s two and a half minutes in the argument clinic. As fresh as the day it was first broadcast:

A reader writes:

Your recent discussions regarding the unholy marriage of religious fundamentalism with certainty have been great – but I’m surprised you haven’t broadened the discussion to include recent events in political fundamentalism as well that have no religious overtones.

One great example is the Duke lacrosse case.  These kids were railroaded by an opportunistic DA – not  so surprising, but what amazes and dismays is the way the entire left-wing community clung to the case as a an affirmation of their most cherished prejudices.  Any pretense of skepticism and doubt were cast aside for the security of righteous rage and certainty.

It seems that the fundamentalist psyche isn’t just limited to religion – but to secular ideologies as well, even in our epicenters of free thinking.  And it’s just as cruel, unapologetic, and dangerous.

The fundamentalist mindset – ideologically fixed, impervious to empiricism, a stranger to doubt – can infect any politics and any religion. I opposed it when it was on the left; and I see no contradiction in opposing it now it is on the right.

A reader writes:

I’m a reader of your blog, a sometimes reader of The New Republic, occasionally catch you on talk shows, and will likely buy your book. I just want to thank you for being honest, open, and not afraid to be publically against the current. When the war in Iraq first began I really struggled to deal with who I was (liberal, Democrat, "a peacenik" as my Republican father might have said) and how I felt about what was happening, which was at odds with the opinions of others in my demographic. I discovered that I did believe there were things worth fighting for, that I did believe it was appropriate to go in and help people who were oppressed by their leaders, and that I believed that we not only had the right to help those who were oppressed by tyrants but that we had the moral obligation to do so, even when we weren’t asked and when it didn’t involve a direct threat to our national security.

It was a lonely place to be. Reading you made me feel saner, smarter, and less alone. Of course, I now feel sad, betrayed, and hopeless about what’s happened. But I thank you for making public these current thoughts and feelings as well as the original ones. I’m not a Conservative, not an Independent, not male, not a Catholic, not gay, and am certainly not a Blogger, but perhaps I’m a kindred spirit. Thanks for doing what you do. It helps me and I believe it helps in a larger way as well.

We are all fallible. The issue is whether we admit it; and what we do about it.