Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader, rather than responding to the many congratulatory e-mails in his mailbox, was watching television last night and happened upon the film Armageddon on FX. He only watched the last 45 minutes or so (as he started channel surfing late).

Warning plot spoilers follow… Of course if you haven’t seen the film yet, it is unlikely that you will…

So your Maximum Leader is watching the film, and at the end, the brave Harry Stamper detonates the bomb that bifurcates the asteroid and saves the world. The movie shows scenes of people all over the world pointing heavenward and marvelling at the blast that saves them all.

Ten your Maximum Leader had a cynical moment.

Leaving aside the many problems of the film (concerning the real science of what was going on, etc., etc.), your Maximum Leader realized something…

If there was a giant asteroid on a collison course for our planet, and…
If the US was able to launch a mission to the asteroid to destroy it and save the world, and..
If the mission was successful and the US astronauts did save all humanity from certain destruction,…

then…

The French would still vote against a UN Security Council Resolution thanking the US for saving the world.
The rest of the world would still hate us.
A sizeable number of Americans would say it was just about oil.
And Michael Moore would make a film in which he would claim that Halliburton overcharged the government for materials.

Carry on.