Dead Tree Blog

I wonder if this is the first time that Tolkien has been invoked in an American political campaign. I first picked up on the story from Jason, who tells me that Christian conservatives like Tolkien almost as much as C.S. Lewis. This Salon article explains that it was, in fact, Tolkien who salvaged Lewis' sagging faith. Tolkien, as I understand it, resisted efforts to label his work allegorical of either World War I--of which he was a veteran--or World War II--which ended 10 years before the publication of "Lord of the Rings." He did, however, endorse the idea of applicability--so it's possible that he's not spinning in his grave right now.

In any case, whether he's pandering to his base or not, I think it's safe to conclude that the junior senator from Pennsylvania is losing his already tenuous grip on reality.