ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II:

● Shot:

In a column for the Politico yesterday, Reason editor Michael Moynihan wrote the left had turned into a “a virtual Bletchley Park of racial cryptographers teasing out the sinister motives and subtexts of McCain’s campaign advertising.”

It was a funny line, but it to dismiss it as just hyperbole would be a big mistake. Responding to McCain’s “The One” ad, a Democratic consulting group put out a frightfully lengthy memo deconstructing it. This excerpt will give you the general thrust of it:

* * * * * * * *

That’s right, after the racist charges didn’t stick and then their ridiculous Nazi accusations were ignored, there was only one other place they could go. Obama’s defenders are now accusing McCain of using his campaign ads to call Obama the anti-Christ. Marvel for a second at the absurdity of that. I have no idea what charge the liberal Bletchley Park could make to further discredit themselves, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

—Mark Hemingway, the NRO Corner, August 07, 2008.

● Chaser:

Hero spy who founded Bletchley Park codebreaking unit with his own money and warned government against dangers of Hitler is ‘too white’ for a blue plaque.

—The London Daily Mail, November 18, 2017.

(Classical reference in headline.)