Heartbreaker

Simpson's Episode 9F13 "I Love Lisa":

After Lisa gives Ralph a valentine out of pity, he falls for her. He invites her to the Krusty 29th Anniversary Show (Chief Wiggum got the tickets after "busting" Krusty at an adult movie explaining, "Krusty knows how to play ball") and, even though she thinks of him as nothing more than a pathetic paste eater, Lisa agrees to go with him. At the show, it all falls apart:

It's the dreaded "Talk with the audience" part. As Krusty wanders the audience in search of a victim, Lisa quietly pleads, "Oh no, don't show me with Ralph." Too late. Ralph professes his love for Lisa and promises to marry her when he grows up. Unable to stand it any longer, Lisa lets out a prolonged yell and adds, "I don't like you. I never liked you. And the only reason I gave you that valentine is that nobody else would!"

Watching a videotape of the incident, Bart narrates the scene frame-by-frame. "Watch this, Lis. You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half." He does so. Lisa covers her face.

I thought of that scene as I listened to Hugh Hewitt's show last night. After Bush's speech, Hugh was doing his darnedest to put the best possible face on it. And since the proposals were not big on specifics, they left some wiggle room for positive interpretation.

Then Hugh had Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Julie Myers on to follow up. He asked about her for details about what sort of fencing the President had in mind. She replied by rehashing the well-worn excuse, "If we build a fence, they'll just build tunnels."

Hugh was stunned, "staggered" is the word he uses to describe it, and momentarily fell silent. He came to back Myers again, unable to believe that she had really uttered those words. But she stood by them. We can't build a fence, we won't build a fence, stop talking about fences.

If you listen to the show again, you can actually pinpoint the second when Hugh's political heart rips in half.