* Item: John Derbyshire has everything figured out about the Sixth Mysterious Tape Of Obama:

* Item:  The Los Angeles Times is owned by the Tribune Co.
* Item:  The Tribune Co. is based in Chicago.
* Item:  “In 2008, Tribune is struggling under a $13 billion debt load, much of it incurred in taking the company private in 2007, and from plummeting advertising income at its newspapers.” (Wikipedia. A business friend tells me the current figure is actually $14.7 billion.)
* Item:  Tribune Chairman and CEO Sam Zell is a major Republican donor. Why would he not want his paper to release the Khalidi tape?
* Item:  The federal government is sitting on a bailout fund of $700 billion.
* Item:  It’s not likely the Treasury can disburse more than one or two hundred billion of that before the next administration comes in.
* Item:  The next administration will therefore have at least half a trillion greenies to hand out to anyone it deems worthy of being bailed out. Anyone — there are no hard and fast rules.
* Item:  14.7 billion is a very small proportion — less than three percent — of half a trillion.

* Item: That is the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard in my goddamn life.
* Item: I have read dozens of Chick Tracts.
* Item: Joe the Plumber only needs $1.3 million to open his combination nightclub/lure store.
* Item: Just saying.