JunkyardBlog’s Bryan Preston has a guest commentary column for NRO, “The Case for a Coup,” in which he analyzes potential Bush administration responses to the Iraqi threat.

Yeah, whatever. What’s really interesting about the column is that it turns out (according to the little author blurb at the foot of the column) that Brian lives in Towson, Maryland — the very place yours truly lived for 10 years of his adult life. I bartended right in the heart of Towson, in fact, for the 6 years just before moving out here to Colorado.

In his column, Brian writes:

Removing Saddam from power via covert means has several advantages over an all-out invasion. Saddam would be the target of any operation, and removing him removes the problem. Building a suitable replacement government should prove easier in Iraq than it has in Afghanistan, but forces loyal to him will cause trouble for months or years. Removing him without invasion lessens the need for allied support, and minimizes the nuclear threat. Removing him covertly also keeps the enemy guessing, as a massive airlift of troops and materiel into the region (which could tip our hand as to timing) would not be necessary. Removing Saddam via special ops will not be easy, but it’s an option that should be given serious consideration.

To which I say, sure, sounds great, do what we gotta do, Saddam bad, Iraq dangerous, yada yada yada… But tell me this, Bryan: do you ever go for a drink and a game of pool at Angel’s Grotto Pub, centrally located there on York Rd and…Pennsylvania Ave., is it? And if so, is Charlie still bartending there? Charlie is the grumpiest bartender alive (seriously, they had a vote), which of course is part of his charm — and part of the charm of Angel’s Grotto Pub (a dark little hole-in-the-wall that used to be a biker hangout before some of the local yuppies decided they needed local color with their Amstel Lites and loafers).

Ah, how I do miss those hot and humid Towson summers — the ubiquitous smell of broiled asphalt…

And only three hours from the Atlantic ocean, the world’s second largest body of water…

*sigh*

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