Hello sailor...

This from the BBC News website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7175325.stm

The speedboats, believed to belong to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, came within about 200m of the US vessels, Pentagon officials said.

"I am coming at you. You will explode in a couple of minutes," the Iranians said in a radio transmission, according to US officials.

That's a very provocative transmission, to be sure, but are we certain that it wasn't just a poorly translated pickup line? I mean we are talking about sailors, after all.

Iowa Post Mortems, etc...

Swopa has a post up at Needlenose.com commenting on a recent NYT op-ed by Gail Collins. In reference to the youth appeal of Obama described by Kevin Drum in this post, Swopa writes:

"...if you lived through the 1990s and saw how Bill Clinton campaigned on hope and ending partisan divisions, only to be dragged through the mud in epic fashion, it's hard to view Obama's rise without a tinge of dread."

That's true, but maybe it's worth taking another crack at it. Maybe the accidental wisdom that falls out of the mouths of babes will make a difference this time. Maybe the whole system is so broken that the wisdom that comes from long experience in that system is actually a detriment. Maybe not fully understanding the impending challenges can sometimes allow the newbie to make bold moves that the seasoned veteran would shy away from...

...ah, screw it. This optimism is just not me. I'm going back to cynicism.

Duck and cover, everybody. We're doomed either way.