THE COMEDIAN DENNIS Miller joked about the turn in his politics after the atrocities of September 11, 2001. He was alarmed by how the rest of the world views “us.” By “us” he means the United States. “I don’t think of myself as a classic conservative,” Miller said. “I think of myself as a pragmatist. And these days, pragmatism falls into the conservative camp. We have to depend on ourselves in this country right now because we can’t depend on anyone else. We are simultaneously the most loved, hated, feared, and respected nation on this planet. In short, we’re Frank Sinatra. And Sinatra didn’t become Sinatra playing down for punks outside the Fontainebleau.”