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01/24/2005 Archived Entry: "Author of the Patriot Act admits he is a Fraud"

Hmm...usually being correct gives me at least a slight sense of satisfaction but this item just unsettles me. (Thanks to Lee K. for sending it, nevertheless!) The most recent OC Weekly reports, "Viet Dinh, the Bush-appointed former assistant attorney general and main author of the USA Patriot Act, began his Jan. 11 speech at UC Irvine’s Beckman Center Auditorium by admitting, 'I am a complete intellectual fraud.' It was supposed to be a joke. But it wasn’t funny, because, as his speech would soon reveal, Dinh is, in fact, an intellectual fraud. So his confession of cerebral incompetence turned out to be both factual and devoid of irony—the latter being key to humor."

From where I'm sitting, Dinh also sounds like a serious idiot. The article quotes him, "'This is a great target of opportunity [for terrorists],' he said, gesturing at his audience. 'We have some of the greatest minds at one of the greatest schools.'" Then the article continues with the author's observation, "Having simultaneously revealed himself as a fear monger and an ass-kisser, Dinh then went on to demonstrate that he also possesses an appalling lack of tact. 'It is a simple strategy,' he said of the Patriot Act, grinning expectantly at the half-Asian crowd. 'If you are a terrorist suspect, we will stick to you like white on rice'."