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“Despairing of Duke”

By “Duke,” Leonard is referring to Michael Dukakis. The essay anchors on the famous question to Dukakis- “how would you feel about the death penalty if your daughter were raped?” In Leonard’s view, Dukakis’ un-statesman-like, impersonal, un-emotional answer permanently anchored Dukakis as a “Liberal Robocop.” Leonard’s alternate answer (again, straight out of an Aaron Sorkin script) is quite good, and in the case of a candidate who knew the question was coming, is something that should have been written in advance. I’ll do my best to quote a representative excerpt:

It’s a disgusting question…It plays on nightmare. Sure I’d like to kill, in rage and fear…but I am a man, not the law, not the government. I want my government to be better than I am, not Charles Bronson in Death Wish…We are pretending to know everything about the mystery of life and death, and I don’t know everything and neither do you. I refuse to believe that a mistake-proof state has perfect knowledge in final things. That’s what we have God for.”

New word: hippogriff = legendary creature (as in unicorn) - part griffin, part horse, no part hippo. The first mention in literature is in Virgil, long before Buckbeak showed up in Harry Potter.

New learning: Membership in the NRA entitles you to an accidental death and dismemberment insurance policy. No shit. You can’t make this stuff up.

From the NRA we site:

“Annual members receive $5,000 of Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage at NO COST to you. The plan covers accidents at, or to and from, an NRA event; and accidents that occur during the use of firearms or hunting equipment while hunting.”

Not clear if you have to die and be dismembered to get your $5,000.