[Posted by WLS]

Or maybe as a speechwriter. After all, with Obama’s oratorical skills, and Perata’s political saavy, how could arguments like this made by Perata yesterday not stir the heartstrings of a nation:

California Speaker Pro Tem Don Perata argues for a $10 billion tax hike by invoking the heroes of World War II.

“We’ve heard so much about the Greatest Generation. Tom Brokaw’s book has just unleashed all kinds of paeans to people who were just talking about how wonderful America is thanks to the sacrifices of men and women who died defending the flag, who died for the symbol of the American way of life. I can’t help but thinking that is it too much to ask in the memory of someone who died at Normandy to pay a nickel more for a latte. Is it too much to ask for someone who was killed at Pearl Harbor to take the wealth that they’ve been able to accumulate because of those who died in the Second World War and pay back now for what they were given so much then?”

See — the key trick is to convince people they should pay higher taxes to “honor” the sacrifices of those who fought for our freedom 67 years ago.

And don’t you worry yourself about what they want to spend it on.

H/T The Blog at the Weekly Standard.

— WLS

PS — I’m having trouble figuring out how to get my new IMac to cut and paste live links. Anyone know the solution?

The L.A. Times Dustup, an online debate with Marc Cooper about the future of the paper, has been keeping me up late every night this week, leaving little time for blogging. But it’s been fun.

In our latest round Marc Cooper and I find much on which to agree. It will appear in this space sometime today. [UPDATE: Here is a direct link.]

The concepts of “crab grass” bloggers and “four experienced Times editors” make an appearance.

Previous installments: Part One here. Part Two here. Part Three here.

This review of Gladstone’s restaurant in the L.A. Times is pretty amusing:

Beware the Gladstone’s clambake, which the servers push hard. Intended for two, it includes steamed clams, a 1 1/2 -pound lobster, a pound of Alaskan king crab legs, steamed shrimp, corn on the cob and boiled red potatoes. The corn is desiccated. The lobster is fine, but the crab leg, with the same shape and texture as a dog chew toy, seems to suffer from freezer burn. The shrimp are as toxic-tasting as those on the tower. It’s terrible to gaze out to the ocean and imagine the volume of precious seafood being pulled out and ruined every day by this restaurant.

Good fun. And the headline is clever: “Taking the bait at Gladstone’s.” Heh.

But to residents of L.A., is any of this a revelation? At L.A. BizObserved, Marc Lacter says: “The place has been a dump for as long as I can remember, and yet it sells 500 pounds of shrimp and seats 1,500 to 3,000 people per day.” Kevin Roderick chimes in: “No surprise to lovers of good food and fair prices, who long ago gave up on Gladstone’s, but it still packs in unbelievable crowds.”

Well, no kidding. Nobody I know in Los Angeles expects the food at Gladstone’s to be good. Everyone goes because it’s a restaurant with an awesome view.

Next thing you’re going to tell me that the drinks at the Top of the Mark in San Francisco are expensive and watered down.

Ripping this restaurant in a review is amusing, but it’s a little like going on a date with the hottest girl in school, and then announcing to the guys that she doesn’t have that great a personality. How strange, then, that all the guys still want a date with her.

People aren’t going to Gladstone’s 4 the fish. They’re going 4 the view. The L.A. Times does know that, right?