ANOTHER DAY IN ANDYLAND: Iraqi forces are fighting hard in Najaf, and Andrew Sullivan observes: "When you're cornered, this is how you fight. But it is also reminiscent of al Qaeda and other Islamist fanatics. The virus has spread far and wide."

Huh? Their country's been invaded, they fight back hard. This is "reminscent" of any army in the same situation.

Pointing out such non-sequiturs these days invites traitor-treatment, which may be why people generally leave them alone. Here's why I can't do that: I notice that, having declared themselves keepers of the Orwell legacy (to throw us off the scent, one imagines), conservatives are using the fog of war as a cover for Orwellian doublethink of the sort I just mentioned. I think it's important to keep a record of this activity -- so that, in days to come, when these guys present even greater offenses to logic as solid fact, and we are inclined to ask ourselves, "Is the world going mad, or is it just me?" we can at least follow the pixel trail back and say, oh, right, this didn't happen overnight -- they've been softening up reality for some time now; if one weren't paying attention, one would not even notice.

Then we can sleep more comfortably in our cells.