But IMHO Bush is a mean, arrogant, close-minded fuck... which causes me to lose sympathy for him....

All very true. But sometimes I manage to impress myself with my fellowfeeling for twits.

I've actually begun to feel a little sorry for Prez George. He has no clue about how history is going to consider him,

I can't. He's responsible for too many of his problems.

I have no sympathy. None. He created this tragic clusterfuck, and killed and otherwise destroyed an enormous number of people doing it. I'm a little more concerned with their hurt than his just desserts. Not that he'll ever get those.

Then I worry that he will get a clue on how he's going to be regarded, and he's going to go off on a catastrophic tear of "I'll show them!" Pouters shouldn't be president.

You don't see this happening already? Especially recently, I think that's exactly what's driving him.

Restaurant cooking being what it is, it certainly could be very high in fat, but it doesn't have to be.

This pad thai is very fresh and tender, not overly oily, with big chunks of tofu and veg. So I'm going to pretend it's good for me. Especially as I only ate a third of it and packed the rest in with my original lunch.

He's responsible for too many of his problems.

Strictly speaking, yes, but I see many of his crimes as being primarily caused by utter cluelessness than maliciousness. Not all of them, mind you. There's maliciousness there. But just enough cluelessness that he has no idea just how big that cluestick really is.

Speaking of people I can't feel an ounce of sympathy for:

[link]

The hell?

I'd have more sympathy for someone who's clueless but is aware of it and goes to others for help. Bush is notorious for making decisions early on for vague or ill-conceived reasons and then stubbornly sticking to them regardless of the results.

[link]

Others not getting any sympathy.

ita got me all fascinated with black bean tofu so I wikipediaed:

Tofu made from other legumes

Black bean tofu (黑豆花): A type of tofu made from black beans and soybeans, which is usually made into tofu flower (豆花, dòuhuā) rather than firm or dry tofu. The texture of black bean tofu is slighty more gelatinous than regular tofu flower and the colour is greyish in tone. This type of tofu is eaten for the earthy "black bean taste."

Burmese tofu (to hpu in Burmese): A type of tofu made from chick pea (chana dal) flour instead of soybeans; the Shan variety uses yellow split peas instead. Both types are yellow in color and generally found only in Myanmar, though the Burman variety is also available in some overseas restaurants serving Burmese cuisine.Burmese Tofu Recipe

The noodles aren't deep fried, though - when you make phad thai you use about a tablespoon or less of oil to saute the garlic and egg*, and about the same amount in the sauce, and then the whole thing is stir fried.

Oh, right on! Was I thinking of ramen noodles?