OIC Hijinks (Idle Words)#

03.05.2003

Breaking news from the Organization of Islamic Conference [?] emergency summit:

The underlying tensions erupted in the elegant Ritz Carlton hotel ballroom when the vice chairman of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council, Izzat Ibrahim, told the Kuwaiti minister of state for foreign affairs, Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, to "shut up, you monkey."

The Iraqi followed up with an Arab epithet, "Curse be upon your mustache, you traitor."

The Kuwaiti responded by saying the Iraqi was a hypocrite, as his information minister, Sheik Ahmed Fahd al-Ahmed jumped up to defend his country's honor by waving a miniature Kuwaiti flag.

You would think that part of preparing for a meeting that might turn ugly would include bringing along a nice, full-sized flag to brandish, just in case. Maybe even something oversized, for effect.

On the topic of miniature flags, can anyone explain to me why Bush always wears a little American flag in his lapel these days? Is it some kind of aide-memoire?

Poland's own Lech Walesa used to wear a little Black Madonna pin in his lapel, presumably to prove he was Catholic, and I found it similarly baffling. It would have been infinitely more fun if he wore a name tag, Wal-Mart style. But there was only one president on earth cool enough to try something like that, and we're all going to miss him.