Rufus=W

I reading the inside of the backpage of the Personal Journal on Friday, you know, where De Gustibus is, you know that column written by that horribly prejudiced English chap? Tony and Tacky? You know! Well how about that? I looked on the Journal website and it's actually the Taste Page. The Taste Page. Well. on Friday they ran a piece on how Harry Potter Vol V, I don't remember the technical name, was a big allegory to Churchill and Hitler in WWII. They hypothesized that The Half-Blood Prince would further recall those glory days by, well, read this excerpt:

So what's next for Harry Potter? Will Dumbledore replace Fudge as Churchill did Chamberlain? My own theory is that young Harry will come to represent FDR's America: a powerful, immature force that eventually tips the balance of power.

But whatever the case, Ms. Rowling deserves special marks for bringing a bit of history to an already delightful enterprise and teaching us a lesson, ever more relevant to the moment, without seeming to do so. It's almost magical.

It seems pretty clear to me, being a slow reading muggle only to about page 400, that chapter 16, at least Rufus Scrimgeour is a stand in for W, beseeching Harry to help the effort through appearances, but not actions. Throwing otherwise innocent folks in jail to appear to be doing SOMETHING! is part and parcel of the Bushies. Once again, you read it here first. Growling does not a lion make.