I finished P.J. O'Rourke's latest offering in just over two days. It's a fun read and you know you'll get funny looks when people read the cover: "Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism."

The book is not really a cohesive whole, but each chapter is a series of both serious and humorous observations not only about America, but about the world as a whole. O'Rourke's wisdom when it comes to the French is right-on.

French ideas, French beliefs and French actions form a sort of lodestone for humanity. A moral compass needle needs a butt end. Whatever direction France is pointing -- toward collaboration with Nazis, accommodation with communists, existentialism, Jerry Lewis, or a UN resolution veto -- we can go the other way with a quiet conscience.

O'Rourke will have you laughing out loud one minute, and soberly nodding in agreement the next. With all of the serious, in-depth political books on the shelves nowadays, O'Rourke's "Peace Kills" is a welcome respite.