Briefly Noted - Osama and Goats:
Ya know, unless this is a prelude to a Monday surprise of capturing him, the effect of the Osama tape oughta be to solidify the opposition to Bush. Since we've been wolf-cried to apathy about terror warnings, no one is going to see it as any more or less of a threat than the white noise of distress we've been forced to endure since 2001. Instead, the vision of the amazingly well-looking Osama simply affirms what Kerry's been saying over and over (and, thank Christ, still yesterday) about who the real enemy should have been all along. Conversely, all the Bush zombies will see the long beard and think that only Bush can save them from the evil he hasn't saved them from all along. Remember, though, that the Bush campaign is filled with conscienceless, soulless savages who will exploit anything and rip apart anyone in their way. So look for fun on the Sunday talk shows.

Still and all, politics aside, when Bin Laden said of Bush, "When they most needed him . . . he thought listening to a child discussing her goat and its ramming" was more important than being presidential, who among us couldn't vaguely think, "Good point, but, dude, look at yourself. You look like a guy who's spent a lot of time ramming goats and contemplating their ramming."