Politics { Santorum; Iraq = Mordor

From an article on salon.com last week:

Rick Santorum and the "Eye of Mordor"

In an interview with the editorial board of the Bucks County Courier Times, embattled Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has equated the war in Iraq with J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings." According to the paper, Santorum said that the United States has avoided terrorist attacks at home over the past five years because the "Eye of Mordor" has been focused on Iraq instead.

"As the hobbits are going up Mount Doom, the Eye of Mordor is being drawn somewhere else," Santorum said. "It's being drawn to Iraq and it's not being drawn to the U.S. You know what? I want to keep it on Iraq. I don't want the Eye to come back here to the United States."

We're sure that we wouldn't either, if only we had the slightest idea of what Santorum was saying. The Courier Times translates for those of us who are not so conversant in spooky Tolkienese: The "Eye of Mordor," it seems, was "the tool the evil Lord Sauron used in search of the magical ring that would consolidate his power over Middle-earth."

To be fair, Santorum's interview with the editorial board wasn't all about fantasy. Well, at least not the Dungeons and Dragons kind. Santorum said that he disagreed with the notion that the United States is "bogged down" in Iraq. As for talk of a troop withdrawal? Santorum said: "I don't think you ask that question. I know that's the question everybody wants to ask. But I don't think anyone would ask that question in 1944, 'Gee, how long are we going to be in Europe?' We're going to be in Europe until we win."

Someone on boingboing.net contributed that what was meant is that by putting the troops at the 'Gates of Mordor', to be the bait, the terrorists fight them there, and not us here in the US. Seems like a stretch to me. I don't much like our troops being bait. Plus I think that person is giving Santorum a bit too much credit. Mr. 'Anal Froth' does not strike me as someone that hip (or nerdy).

If this is in fact the case Mr. Santorum, then who are the hobbits? What is the ring? I suspect you would say freedom and the American way. Here's my analysis, its a bit of role reversal. The Eye of Mordor, the all seeing powerful entity, is in fact the American public. The hobbits (Gonzales/DoJ) are carrying the one ring (the Constitution/Civil Liberties) to the fires of Mount Doom to be destroyed. Distracting us are evil-Aragorn (Bush) lead by evil-Gandalf (Rove/Cheney) at the Gates of Mordor (War on Terror/Iraq). The mouhtpiece of Sauron (the public Media owned by corporations) are treating with them (I would say they have a love affair, as Bush has not endured a fraction of the criticism previous Presidents have). While the Eye (us) are fixed on the exchange in Iraq (and the Spectacle that is Bush, glamoured by the illusions of Gandalfcheneyrove), the hobbits are carrying the ring to its doom, and with it will usher in a new dark age.