Is on a mission of utmost importance right now — protecting the womenfolk as they make their way to the Post Office (having a baby around has made him much more assertive when it comes to defending the fairer sex).

So let me take this one. First, it’s not “Jacobian” or — heaven forbid — Jacobite but Jacobin. The orginal Jacobins — or members of the Jacobin Club — were the radicals of the French Revolution. Largely through British usage, the word has come to describe all leftist radicals. Cosmo, being thoroughly American in his mongrelness and powerfully Anglophillic in his sentiments, believes passionately in disliking French leftists. He believes squirrels are Jacobins because A) they are B) they jibber and jabber in high picthed squeaks C) they hide in the trees and presume to say they’ve taken the “high ground” D) they are not meat-eaters E) There is no proof they are not rats who don squirrel suits by day (When was the last time you saw squirrel at night?) and, oh, Cosmo’s got another dozen or so reasons to hate them.

But, in the name of journalistic honesty, I should let it be known that Cosmo has largely graduated from squirrels. Yes, yes, if they cross him or if he seeks some amusement he will give chase from time to time. But Cosmo is now obsessed with deer. Ever since our trip back from Alaska last summer, Cosmo has become obsessed with the big game. We’ve found a spot here in DC where there are many deer and every Frday the fair Jessica takes Cosmo deer hunting. Truth be told, Cosmo isn’t nearly fast enough to catch them. But, man, does he like trying. It is the only time Coz will run straight-out at full sprint for minutes at a time. On Friday nights you can see his legs kick as he sleeps as he mentally replays the day’s hunt. I haven’t asked him what he thinks the deer’s politics are, but I will when he gets back. My guess is he doesn’t care. For when they are nearby, politics are a trivial issue, a distraction of lesser mortals, for he has become The Deer Hunter.