Oh, Copenhagen . . .

Yes, China has not acquitted itself well . . . but at times like these, the historian in me speculates what might have been had Bush not been handed the White House by Scalia. One cannot help but lament the undeniable impact of eight precious years and so much credibility going down the drain. Such reveries provide for interesting thought experiments, but it's a depressing way to start the day and profits us little - other than to hope that the species will finally grow to appreciate that it really matters who is put in positions of power.

Sometimes, I think the realisation of such a hope entails another evolutionary step - and we don't have time for that. We as a species are capable of reacting quickly to immediate threats, such as an outbreak of disease or an attack of an animal or enemy. This explains the necessity of Bush and Blair creating a casus belli for the Iraq war which was premised - however mendaciously - on just such an "imminent" threat: portraying Saddam Hussein as a long-term threat was just not going to do it. This is proof that neither Blair nor Bush were stupid people: they understood well what it takes in order to succeed at exhorting human beings to action (in this case, mass violence) when the truth is less compelling.

It is the rest of us who are stupid: an existential threat to the species looms, and we seem powerless to stop it. Happy Christmas, kids!