Ronald Aronson weighs in on the Camus quoting Bush I mentioned on Monday. Being an actual intellectual he recognizes the Camus quote is from The Fall, but then proceeds to lose the point in a display of over-knowing-ness:

Camus' character, while sounding resolute and tireless about pursuing freedom, making it seem daunting and thankless but the mark of a true human being, is really prattling on about freedom. He is intimidating people with it, using it for purposes of self-interest and does not at all believe in it. The grand-sounding phrase about freedom being a "long-distance race" is just another piece of flimflam.

But Bush is not a Euro-tellectual trying to shine in the shadow of Sartre's amour for Stalinism. He instead is the cowboy leading the free world in the fight against the barbarians on the frontier. He's a cowboy poet, who has the artist's license to pick and chose from the past as suits his message for today. Much like Dylan can pick a phrase from Baudelaire, a mood from Chekov, and a strophe from Anon. to make a something new for us.  ¶ 7:50 PM