Maybe the Yeti could loop Mike Stain's epitome du jour, the photos of the female graduating class of Cairo University in 1959, 1978, 1995 and 2004, as the refrain, overlaying a Timberland beat. That story is like cowbell. Just can't get enough.

Seriously, these podcasts are too good to be true.

@Lilium, Someone needs to cut a 90 minute track composed exclusively of Steyn rants - those ones when he perceptibly shifts gears, slips the surly bonds of conventional interlocution and absolutely goes for it. The left has Bill Hicks. Finally, the right has Steyn.

Okay, but that is the whole point of "low-key charisma of competence". The values of the country have reformed since the nauseating, teletubby atmosphere of the 2008 election. Good hair, elevated chins and filigreed rhetoric are so 2008. America wants Coolidge 2.0 (If you'll forgive the phrase) and Mitch appears to be the man to deliver it. 

I'm almost through with Decision Points as well. I'm finding it a bit light on substance, although I like Bush.

The benchmark, for me, of memoirs is Churchill's account of WW2. Obviously comparing W. or any other leader to Churchill is unlikely to reflect well on anyone but Churchill. Still, that's the benchmark, and in comparison, Decision Points is flimsy stuff.

In Churchill's memoirs, he included hundreds of letters from other world leaders, politicians & advisors in such a way that it became crystal clear why Churchill made the decisions that he did. He really provided proofs to justify his action. It was totally convincing. W. does indeed make his own case, but his "proofs" are mostly anecdotal, and mostly includes family letters from Jenna or his Dad (which are great parts of the book). 

The chapters on Afghanistan, Iraq and Katrina are fascinating. Domestic policy and African Aids initiative are very dull.

His deprecating sense of humor is great though. Commenting on clothes imprinted with a picture of his face and worn by dozens of women at some function in Africa, he wonders drily why those never caught on back home.

Blown away by Rob's break-down of the Korean conflict. Where was Ricochet when I was majoring in political science?

Totally disagree with skook. I find the freewheeling style authentic.

And oh my, that Pat Caddell is a fizzy old dog.

Really enjoyed Pete Wilson - a nice counter balance to Rob and James' free spirited style.

But, for me, Dave Carter's comments sort of menacingly linking increases in guns sales to people "drawing a line in the sand" and "consequences" does not chime at all with the Ricochet vibe, or even with how America in general irons out its internal disagreements.

I was suprised Rob or James didn't challenge him on that.

Bill O'Reilly is head and shoulders above his peers in the news or quasi news TV business.

People want TV hosts to be frank, call a spade a spade and have a sense of fun.

And I like the way he always thanks his guests at the end for coming in, being stand-up people and taking the heat. It's old school, but it's decent.

Mark Steyn, National Post, March 18 2003: "The New York Times' elderly schoolgirl columnist Maureen Dowd".

Jim Geraghty was great. Rob and James excellent as always.

I love Rove but the people who gave the nomination to O'Donnell are right. No point electing RINOs.

Jan Brewer is an effective leader.

Sarah Palin is an effective cheerleader.

Continue deploying both according to their foremost strengths.

Really liked Shelby Steele's slow, thoughtful style of conveying his ideas.

Beck's nimble wit cracks me up in the "At your Beck and call" segment on the O'Reilly show, but his own show is just a bit to partisan for my taste. And this religious stuff is just so 18th century. Surely America's good heart is independant of religion?

Or maybe H.Rider Haggard was right and I just don't get it: "Atheists - those spiritual destroyers who, in the name of progress and humanity, would divorce hope from life, and leave us wandering in a lonesome, self-consecrated hell".

Cracking podcast, as always. Hasn't been a flat one yet.

I bet wherever Mark is geographically, he's found a place in the shadows. He's not a shady guy, but we know he loves them shadows.

PS: If Rob, Jonah, Mark and Greg Gutfeld do a foursome political riff session on the cruise, please can someone video record that for posterity. YouTube gold.

Tom Perrotta is at the top of the contemporary literary novelists for me, although he's an exasperated lefty in the mold of Michael Stipe. Payne and Taylor made a smart move making a movie out of Election and Joe College was quality as well. In his more recent books he seems to be angling for a well-thought of literary award. That is to say they were quite boring.

I hope it's true that where there's smoke, there's fire: