Posted my own response, with a link to you. It's rare you see someone speaking up for the virtues of sliming and loathing, but refreshing, isn't it?
I swear, if people only knew what David Brooks was saying...
By the way, there's this handy-dandy tool for sending trackbacks even if you're not a MT user.
I was struck by Brooks epithet for Dean: the Huey Long of the iPod set.
You might find this pertinent: home.clara.net/andywrobertson/wolfemountains.html
(Gene Wolfe's essay on what The Lord Of The Rings means to him, from Andy W Roberton's page & Interzone.)
The Best Introduction to the Mountains
by Gene Wolfe
...
With that preparation I entered the Mills of Mordor, where courtesy is weakness, honesty is foolishness, and cruelty is entertainment
...
It is said with some truth that there is no progress without loss; and it is always said, by those who wish to destroy good things, that progress requires it. No great insight or experience of the world is necessary to see that such people really care nothing for progress. They wish to destroy for their profit, and they, being clever, try to persuade us that 'progress' and 'change' are synonymous ...
I do not agree with all his attitudes (browse through my blog to get a feel for mine if you are interested), but do sympathise with quite a few, rather like my attitude to Tolkien, parts of which, even in my early teens thirty years back, quite set my teeth on edge.
Perhaps it's because of the slightly fraught relationship between Great Britain/Europe and Australia (there are hints of a similar affect between the USA & the 'Old World', but it is distinctly different too).
Perhaps it's because I was (still am) female.