The media is having a field day with this Hulegu and the New Mongols thing. From the Arab outlet Gulf News see Letter from Baghdad: The New Mongols and Suicide on the Walls of Baghdad. The relevant quote here is: "President Saddam did not refer to Bush by name but alluded to him as Hulegu, the Mongol chief who destroyed Baghdad in 1258. His speech was remarkably laden with historical allusions." And everyone thought I was crazy when I compared George Bush to Hulegu . . .

Now slate.com, the Microsoft mouthpiece, has weighted in on the Hulegu issue with a news wrap-up entitled Khan You Believe It?