The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.

Out on a Limb

  • “At this point, it’s just wisest to watch over the next six or eight months to see which of these narratives seem to gain traction, or alternatively, if some other dynamic seems to be taking hold. To be sure, there are partisans and ideologues on both sides who, in their own minds, are already quite sure which it will be. For the rest of us who try to watch things objectively rather than wishing for a particular outcome, we will just have to wait.”–Charlie Cook, NationalJournal.com, April 8
  • “Alcohol May Offer Some Health Benefits, but Excess Drinking Can Be Dangerous”–headline, Consumers Union press release, April 8

Imagine What Would’ve Happened in a Nonbeneficial Meeting 
“Georgian President Saakashvili (L) says the meeting with Turkish President Gül is beneficial. He broke his shoulder, suffering multiple shoulder fractures.” (from photo caption)–Hurriyet Daily News (Istanbul), April 9

bow5Oh, Look! A Squi–Hey! Who Turned Out the Lights?
“Squirrel Cuts Power to 9,500 in Newport News, Hampton”–headline, Virginian-Pilot (Virginia Beach), April 9

The Biggest Loser 
“After causing the collapse of the U.K.’s oldest investment bank, spending several years in a Singapore jail and over a decade reinventing his tattered image, Nick Leeson is finally back on the financial market,” NBC News reports:

Thirteen years after his release from prison, the former Barings trader, who lost 827 million pounds at the investment bank, has become an alternative insolvency practitioner at GDP Partnership in Ireland. He is set to help over-indebted borrowers negotiate deals with their banks, something Leeson should be firmly knowledgeable on.

If he lost that much weight, you’d think he’d cash in by writing a diet book.

For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.