Caspar the Friendly Ghost

Former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger has died at age 88. Providing a fractal microcosm of the recent conservative movement, Weinberger traded the moniker "Cap the Knife" (for his advocacy of cost-cutting during his tenure at Health, Education and Welfare), for the tongue-in-cheek "Cap the Ladle," which he earned as an advocate of massive defense spending.