The chattering class gave their gums an extra workout today with the discovery that the New York Observer ripped off a "Write a Thomas Friedman Column" piece that the literary website McSweeney's already did. A reader offers a clarification of the NYO piece:

"You may wish to point out that Maureen Dowd is the Carrie Bradshaw of current affairs. Thomas Friedman is the Maureen Dowd of the Middle East."

So that means Thomas Friedman pens deep thoughts of Iraq on his PowerBook in his underwear? I'm confused but then the Transitive Property of Equality always fucked me up.

Write your own Thomas Friedman column! [NYO]
Create Your Own Thomas Friedman Op-Ed Column [McSweeney's]