OFTEN when news breaks, I look around a few blogs I know well to take the temperature of how it's playing. The National Review has long been my temperature gauge for mainstream conservativism—it's about as orthodox as Republican outlets get. The writers at the Corner blog seem to get up early: there are already 16 posts up today. As of this typing (10:02 am), there is a post laughing at the Obama administration's efforts to "ban" the phrase "war on terrorism" (of course nothing is being banned: the administration has just decided, sensibly, to stop using the phrase.) Cliff May gets in a non-sequitur joke, that now we should start calling the two world wars "Overseas Contingency Operation I" and "Overseas Contingency Operation II".

Curiously unmentioned on the blog is that the CIA has killed the leader of the Pakistani Taliban. The actual war on terrorism (if you must) is, apparently, of no interest to modern conservatives. Playing lame word-games to show that the administration is not serious about terror is more important than noting, in any form whatsoever, the killing of the man believed to be behind Benazir Bhutto's assassination and countless terror attacks. It's the biggest one-man death since Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed. And at National Review, crickets, tumbleweed and, for Pete's sake, two posts already today on Trotsky.

Maybe that is indicative. During the struggle against communism, William F. Buckley's magazine cared deeply about the outcome. It was a necessary publication in a scary world. Perhaps better to think about those good old days. Baitullah who? Hey, look over there! A Mexican immigrant!

Update: The story was posted to the Corner, without comment, at 11:11, the 24th post of the day.

Update II: One commenter says that killing one leader of the bad guys is not significant. This is partly true, partly not. New leaders step forth, but they are inexperienced, and less trusted by the rank-and-file. Anyway, the point here is about American partisanship. How significant did the Corner find Zarqawi's death? 45 posts that day. Admittedly, Zarqawi was far more famous than Mehsud. 45 times as famous or important? Was Zarqawi killed 45 times deader?

That said, I've looked around more blogs and found far less commentary than I'd have expected. The Daily Kos homepage also features nothing about this killing. (At least they're consistent; they pooh-poohed the killing of Zarqawi. For what it's worth, The Economist thought that deserved a cover, though it happened on a Thursday, the day we go to press.) So let me update my rant: Americans are so uninterested in foreign policy that the left cannot shunt healthcare aside for one moment to talk about this, and the right only cares if it's good for Republicans. Sigh.