2005

Welcome to 2005. From my futuristic Australian vantage point, I can exclusively reveal that 2005 is very similar to 2004; except, of course, for all the hover bikes.

And the Sha'ria law. Where the hell did that come from?

Anyways, as James Taranto predicted, the Angry Left is all but invisible in this bold new year:

Michael Moore is now making a documentary about insurance (it'll be a blockbuster for sure). Former Enron adviser Paul Krugman has gone off to read an economics textbook. George Soros is nowhere to be found; for all we know he actually did join a monastery. And of course Susan Sontag has gone to the Great Cocktail Party Up in the Sky.

It's hard to believe now how fearsome the Angry Left once seemed. This column never thought it was the stuff of a winning political campaign, but sometimes we felt as though our skepticism put us in the minority. We're sure we'll continue to hear from the Dowds and the Krugmans and maybe even the Moores and the Soroses; not even the fascist Bush regime can silence them. But the Angry Left will loom much smaller in 2005 than it has in many years.

Hey, it's even better than that. Remember No Thappy John, the revolutionary web project cult leader Margo Kingston hoped would become an Australian Moveon.org? It still hasn't posted a thing since November 11, 2004. The insane are in fierce retreat; watch things hasten mid-year once the conservatives gain control of the Senate.

Let's greet 2005 with two hopeful quotes from last year, the first from academic intelligentsiac Robert Manne:

For the left-leaning political intelligentsia, 2004 was a peculiarly dispiriting year.

Get used to it, Bobby. And the second, from Margo herself:

Here's hoping next year is better than 2004, which was worse than 2003.

Here's hoping! Best wishes to all for the New Year.

UPDATE. Thanks to everybody for all the kind notes. Much of the traffic here is driven by the wit and fun supplied in comments; thanks again for all contributions.

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