Word comes from the journal New Scientist that the discoverers of three species of slime-mould beetle want to name them after U.S. President George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Though the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is worried that the names might be seized upon by comedians -- safe guess -- the entomologists who identified the bugs insist they are conservatives and intend the designations Agathidium bushi, Agathidium cheneyi and Agathidium rumsfeldi as a compliment. There is a long tradition of honouring people by naming insects after them, including Nelson Mandela (parasitic wasp), Brian Mulroney (dung fly) and The Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson (owl louse).

How fitting.