TGIF it's VDH Day!

Dr. Hanson takes issues with people ignoring the facts (Dean, Kerry, Clark and the rest of the 10 Demo-dwarfs...) and eloquently outlines reasons for pride and optimism in On the Right Side of History The hard truth won't go away.

Here is his spot on assessment of Yasser Arafat (the world's oldest terrorist):

Mr. Bush has been criticized for isolating Yasser Arafat. But the latter is someone whose enmity you welcome. The Europeans may give him a pass on his stealthy financial and emotional subsidies for Hamas and related killers, but they won't forgive his near-billion dollars in a private bank account. Killing Jews is one thing; stealing European money to subsidize the good life for kin and cronies is quite another.

Finally, even facts do matter. Before Mr. Arafat returned to the West Bank, life was far better for his people than during his kleptocracy. He may be adept at screaming from balconies and writing checks to terrorists, but he cannot govern. He was a creation of the Soviet Union and a mobster of the old school, and thus can only do what mobsters do — provide protection for money, order hits, extort from rivals, buy supporters, embezzle from friends, and purchase political legitimacy.

Go read it this afternoon with your first cocktail!