start again

It's funny isn't it that when normal people muck something up it makes them look foolish, but when you have god like status it just makes you seem more endearing - like it bridges the chasm between our futile little existences and their higher plane. Elvis and Bob Dylan both became somehow more human by giggling during songs; Diana's wedding vow name order mix-up set her on a course which would end in her becoming Queen of Hearts; nobody believed that somebody could really walk on the moon until Neil proved it wasn't all scripted (or not); in politics it works in direct proportion to the importance of the position, hence US presidents are excellent candidates in every sense. With a Reagan or a W it just served to confirm their folksy bumbliness and allay some of the terror of the most efficient killing system ever devised by man. For Obama it was an enormous relief, as he seemed a bit like a snooker player on a 147, with everybody holding their breath for him to make his first mistake. Now he's fluffed the break, you feel he could go on to win the match.

Good on the BBC for not supporting the Gaza appeal - let the bloody Israelis pay for it.