Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for August 12, 2012
Transcript:
TV: ...and new atrocities outside Damascus were being reported today. Earl: Aw, man. Time to pull the plug... Pop, of all our Arab Spring clients, no one's tougher to rep than Assad! How are we supposed to spin 18,000 murders? It's game over, Pop. His brand is dead. But he refuses to believe it. If we could just get Trff to speak to him. You know, tyrant to tyrant... Trff's a peer pariah who's made a new life for himself. If anyone can persuade Assad to step down, it's the Butcher of Berzerkistan! Duke: Hmm... worth a shot. Let me feel him out. Can you wait a minute? Earl: Sure. Duke: What do you say, big guy? Trff: Oh, so now you need me!
BE THIS GUY about 12 years ago
Can Trff make a decent martini?
The#1BoiseStateFan about 12 years ago
NOW he needs him
MiepR about 12 years ago
That looks like a margarita to me. Although I hear the best ones use Cointreau.
mrbribery about 12 years ago
Absinthe for the Duke?
DylanThomas3.14159 about 12 years ago
Suppose “the butcher” could persuade Asshead to step down. Then, is the CIA. going to pay Overkill to hire Duke & Son to “extract” him? Call on Jeff ‘n’ Zip? Haven’t we already seen this movie? Aw, gimme some uh that yummy orange liqueur.
Alabama Al about 12 years ago
I’m sure that some have noted the moral corruptness at work here. The big problem Duke and Earl have with Assad is the difficulty of “spinning” 18,000 murders, not the fact that Assad is responsible for 18,000 murders. Having the likes of Trff Bmzklfrpz, the before mentioned “Bucher of Berzerkistan,” talk to Assad probably won’t do any good. In real life, just before the start of Gulf War II other Arab governments reportedly tried to convince Saddam Hussein that it was all over and to get out of Iraq while he can, but Saddam just wouldn’t listen.
pjknb about 12 years ago
Waste of good bourbon. Bourbon, scotch or wiskey – always neat!!
Linguist about 12 years ago
Trff might not be able to move Assad to a graceful exit, but his good buddy, the butcher of Moscow, Vlad the Impaler Putin, might. In fact, Assad won’t make any moves without the direct imprimatur of his Russian masters. Of course it’s not in Russia interest to have a puppet-free state in Syria, so the bloodbath will continue, as we sit back with our proverbial finger up our nether region.
corzak about 12 years ago
“-stan” is actually a very ancient suffix. From “stanam” in the language of the Indo-Iranian tribe (or archeologically, the Andronovo culture). This was one of the first tribes to break off from the original Indo-European tribe (ca 1500 BCE), and migrated east into central Asia. They adopted shock-and-awe horse chariot technology on the steppes, and then swept south into Iran and Afghanistan and up and over the Himalayas into the Indian subcontinent. They left the suffix “-stan” behind in the wake of their ‘blitzkrieg’.The word itself – less dramatic. In the ancient Indo-Iranian “stanam” means . . . “place”, as in “that ground you’re standing on.”
DylanThomas3.14159 about 12 years ago
“Make mine a bourbon and ginger ale.”πU A Kentuckian, babygirl?
ironflange about 12 years ago
I see Trff is still killing people, just more slowly.
DylanThomas3.14159 about 12 years ago
“. . . trff . . . a butcher [of humans] . . . working in a packing plant . . .”πEww — working as a butcher in a cannibal packing plant!
Dragoncat about 12 years ago
I can see it now…Assad, once the Dictator of Damascus…now the Dishwasher of Denny’s.
corzak about 12 years ago
from another forum:"Four Possible Scenarios:The Hussein – Assad retains control of his powerful military assets and crushes what appears to be a successful rebellion by an oppressed religious majority town by town, massacre by massacre, as they do not have the firepower, organization, and/or international support to fight back.The Massoud – Assad and his loyalists retreat to a stronghold, while the rebels assume control of the rest of the country. Syria is essentially split into two nations as neither side is able to defeat the other.The Mubarak – In an attempt to preserve their power and appease the mob, the military removes Assad from power – either arresting him or expelling him from the country.The Gaddafi – No explanation needed. "
Uncle Joe about 12 years ago
Ah, if only this stuff happened in real life. Petty tyrants who are smart enough to abdicate generally live very, very nicely in retirement.
montessoriteacher about 12 years ago
It is great that we have someone in the WH who can handle the 3 AM phone call concerning the likes of Assad.
mistercatworks about 12 years ago
Nguyen Cao Ky (our pet tyrant in South Viet Nam) wound up running a liquor store in Westminster, CA.
corzak about 12 years ago
Well, it’s someone else’s list, but yes, I agree, “the Saud” would be a fifth scenario, but not relevant to Syria.Although Bahrain crushed their ‘Arab spring’, the Saudis simply smothered theirs by bribing the population with a thick layer of government largesse.
DylanThomas3.14159 about 12 years ago
Hey’ where’re our trolls? They were here in force yesterday. Did we thwack their donkeys? Or just ignore them and hope they’d go away?
montessoriteacher about 12 years ago
A mint julep— if you really like bourbon and mint, may be worth your time. They say you should use a frozen silver goblet but a glass will do. My mom lives in St. Louis and has been known to brew tea with peppermint. She has loads of peppermint in her back yard every year. It takes just 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, 32 oz. of bourbon, 8 sprigs for garnish. Combine all ingredients except bourbon in saucepan. Boil until sugar dissolves. Let syrup cool for 1 hour. Pour syrup through a strainer to remove mint. Fill 8 frozen goblets with crushed ice and 4 oz. of bourbon and 1/4 cup mint syrup. Top with sprig and straw. Now go sit on your front porch and have at it! You should try it, there is nothing to it. Unfortunately, I only know the recipe to make for lots of guests, but I guess you could save some, it just tastes better fresh.
montessoriteacher about 12 years ago
never thought I would share a recipe here but what the heck?
montessoriteacher about 12 years ago
It is tough to make a mint julep for just one person anymore than you can make spiked egg nog for just one…
DylanThomas3.14159 about 12 years ago
Our troll — he’s baaaack — though I haven’t read any of his posts and don’t plan to.
Astolat about 12 years ago
@DTPiWhiskEy? In Glasgow? Never! Except, perhaps, in an Irish pub…
Whisky, without the E, please…
rvonluchen about 12 years ago
It’s better to be President of Syria than a bartender in the United States.
King_Shark about 12 years ago
The president of Syria is Bashar Assad, who retains the support of the majority of the people. The opposition is Al Qaeda, which is the Evil American Empire’s tool. Therefore, any sane person, including PRESIDENT Putin of Russia, is backing the government of Syria. QED.