I'M ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING. I just finished reading Jonah Goldberg's 13 reasons why the Bush administration should allow Iraqis to decide, via a referendum, whether they want American troops to stay or leave. He thinks they would vote to have us stay, but he gravely acknowledges the risk that they might vote the other way. But the Important Thing, he tells us, the Really and Truly Most Important Thing, is that this would be Proof Positive of America's benevolent, democratic intentions.

And then. And then. And then ...

He gives the whole game away. At the very end, the last sentence:

I think the referendum would have to be worded carefully and cleverly, and I can think of other problems and benefits, but I think as thought experiment there's enough here to noodle.

GUFFAWWWW!