The Onion, a satirical publication which likes to call itself "America's finest news source," has published a clever parody of the current political environment in the United States: "We live in a land governed by plurality of opinion in an open electorate, but we are now under siege by adherents of a fundamentalist, totalitarian belief system that tolerates no dissent," a government official is quoted as saying. "Our most basic American values are threatened by an enemy opposed to everything for which our flag stands.

U.S. politicians such as Congressman Tom Lantos are trying to understand why "the white venom of hate is oozing" from countries like Indonesia to Pakistan, "two nations that we have helped enormously since they gained independence.'' The solution, they think, might be better public relations, such as a new international advertising campaign now being planned by Charlotte Beers, the new U.S. Undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs. If he wants to know why the PR isn't working, however, Lantos should review a little history.

Warren Zevon sings in one of his hit songs "dad, send lawyers, guns and money, the shit has hit the fan." More and more if you are a rich kid in trouble or a corporation in distress you'll find the expensive services you need under one roof providing convenient one-stop shopping for lawyers, lobbyists, flacks and investigators. For instance, Bernstein Communications specializes in corporate "crisis management," but it's not independent, it's a subsidiary of the giant powerhouse law and lobby firm Quarles & Brady LLP.