Spoilers — HP and politics
A brief thought and some minor HP spoilers beneath the fold.
Surely I can’t be the only one who has noticed a frightening similarity between how Alberto Gonzales is running the Department of Justice and how Pius Thicknesse — who operated under an Imperius curse from Voldemort — ran the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It’s almost as though Bush has cast an Imperius Curse on Gonzales. Or, more likely, it was either Karl Rove or Dick Cheney who cast the curse. When you’re an evil villain in charge of a nation and the pincers start closing in, you basically give up any pretense to competency and just focus all your energies on maintaining your feeble grip on power.
There are, of course, differences between the Bush Administration and Voldemort’s control of the Ministry of Magic. There are indications, for example, that Voldemort knew what he was doing, and was focused on using his power to an actual end; while, on the other hand, there is no evidence that Bush and Co. have any clue how to run a country.
Now we need a Kingsley Shacklebolt to straighten it all out after the current group of wankers leaves. And while we’re talking HP, why don’t the fine folks at Hogwarts ever make the entrance to Slytherin’s common room really just exit into a giant wood chipper? Just kill them all right after sorting. This would end a lot of needless suffering and aggravation I think.