Tom Friedman seems to alternate between days with provocative ideas that challenge conventional wisdom, for better or worse, and days with fantasies built on absurd notions, massive ignorance or delusion, which if implemented would be catastrophic. He’s equally certain and proud of both, so you have to be careful.

Oh thank goodness, Tom Friedman is here to tell us what the Tea Partiers really believe…and it is exactly what Tom Friedman believes.

Times columnist Tom Friedman watched the movie Invictus and writes that he wishes Iraq’s leaders would emulate Nelson Mandela’s “we have to surprise them,” by displaying religious/ethnic tolerance and magnanimous statesmanship in Iraq, because, I guess, Suck. On. This diplomacy is, uh, not helpful.

Very Serious Journalists, like James Risen, may look down their noses at bloggers, imagining us at our keyboards in our pajamas. They can laugh, but the kind of journalism practiced by FDL is running rings around them. “He said/she said” may work for the Village media, but FDL aims to sort out who’s right and why, and then tries to make things better. If FDL’s version of journalism appeals to you, we could use a little financial support to make things even better down the road.