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I would make fun of the part of this Thomas Friedman column that calls for cutting entitlements to put the budget on a sustainable footing (the problem is not “entitlements,” the problem is a broken health care system that raises the cost of public sector health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid), but I don’t believe this piece is genuine. Yesterday, Atrios proclaimed Thomas Friedman the “Wanker of the Decade,” referring to the first decade of his blog’s existence.

I suspect some sort of side arrangement. Friedman is clearly trying to publicize this designation by writing exactly the sort of inane centrist, above-the-political-fray column that earned him this award. He can’t fool me.