On December 22, a few days before “the holiday,” I posted an item in this here space about a conductor who, during a “holiday” concert, had used his podium to make a political pronouncement — in other words, had turned his podium into a political platform. This elicited an unusually large response from NRO readers — about the intrusion of partisan politics where it does not belong, about the spoiling of evenings.

Just FYI, I explore much of this response in today’s Impromptus. And the best — or worst, depending on how you look at it — is saved for last.

Since I’m not a tease artist, it is this: Man dies in a plane crash. His rabbi conducts a memorial service. She (the rabbi) says, “Well, at least he doesn’t have to live anymore under the Bush administration” (or something like that).

Appalling enough, right? Except that the deceased was actually an admirer of Bush.

Anyway . . .