P. S. the post below . . .

Unlike many -- Diana West's interviewer for instance -- I do not think Geert Wilders a danger to democracy. Whether the policies he recommends are the most reasonable under the circumstances, I simply cannot say. But those who are troubled by what he is proposing should at least realize that the backdrop for his proposals -- and for his surging political popularity -- is a political class in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe that has been almost completely irresponsible in ignoring the political, cultural and demographic consequences of the rapid Islamicization of Europe. The great majority of these political elites live insulated from the cultural degeneration that less well-connected ordinary Europeans often experience. Moreover, the political class has too often hidden its moral equivocation behind accusations of racism and intolerance made against those who have expressed concerns. Nor is this process unfamiliar on this side of the Atlantic.