Wingers will eagerly kill whales and dolphins despite near-human intelligence. I wonder if John McCain owns a monkey-skull beer stein? What matters is that they're not human, "not like us", and besides, God granted Man dominion over all life on Earth.

Which suggests yet another criteria for a commander-in-chief: How he'll handle himself in a First Contact situation. Silly? Nobody expected 9/11, either. Do we want a President who'll get down his hunting rifle when the saucer lands on the White House lawn? Will we make a good impression on the second delegation when they spot the heads of the first expedition stuffed and mounted on the walls of the White House dining room?

Unlike Cheney's buddy Whittington, I don't think the aliens will apologize for getting in the way of the buckshot.