Is This The Change You Want?

Barack Obama aide: Why Winnie the Pooh should shape US foreign policy

Richard Danzig, who served as Navy Secretary under President Clinton and is tipped to become National Security Adviser in an Obama White House, told a major foreign policy conference in Washington that the future of US strategy in the war on terrorism should follow a lesson from the pages of Winnie the Pooh, which can be shortened to: if it is causing you too much pain, try something else.

Mr Danzig told the Centre for New American Security: "Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security."

He spelt out how American troops, spies and anti-terrorist officials could learn key lessons by understanding the desire of terrorists to emulate superheroes like Luke Skywalker, and the lust for violence of violent football fans.

Did he really say that? Apparently, yes.

I'll say this much for him - Winnie the Pooh, that is - he's cuddly. Richard Danzig? Not so much cuddly. Or bright, either. Apparently.