>In "Wag The Dog", the big campaign slogan was "Don't change horses in midstream". When they started the "war" to distract the people, the basis was that Albanian terrorists had smuggled a suitcase A-bomb into Canada, and that they were trying to get it into the US.

Ah, thanks. I'm afraid I'm culturally deprived when it comes to movies. Don't own a TV and though I love movies I've been to only one since my son was born (now 4.5). I know about "Wag the Dog" (Dustin Hoffman was the pres, right?) and thought about it more than once last fall when Clinton bombed Iraq during the impeachment trial. Life immitating art.

Last movie I went to was "The Little Mermaid." I took my son when he was three. I thought Disney movie... Family fare, right? Wrong! When Ursula the Octopus Woman blew up about 5 stories tall, Clayton buried his head in my chest. Then he said, very clearly, "Let's get out of here." I said, "Right.", and we made a dash for the exit.

I poked my head back in now and then, and, when all danger had passed, we returned for the wedding scene.

Smart guy, Clayton.

Speaking of suitcase bombs. They are a lot more likely than an ICBM with a nuclear warhead coming from some rogue nation. I'm pretty incensed about this rerun of the National Missile Defense, aka "Star Wars." I guess I'm not sufficiently sympathetic to those starving defense contractors.

Peter