Tractor: Death from a Tractor: Airborne!

Dwight Watson's siege on the Washington Monument's nearby pond has taken a surreal turn. In an exclusive interview granted when he called the Washington Post on his cellphone, Watson, quite frankly, made not a whit of sense and basically sounded like a real whack-job. Also, he revealed his middle name to be Mare, and referred to himself as "Jack" several times.

Gratuitous excerpts from the Post's interview:

He said he came to Washington on a "mission" to get a message to the American public that he and other tobacco farmers are being forced out of business by unfair government policies.

"I'm going to get my message out or die trying," he said in a telephone call to The Washington Post from Constitution Gardens, where he drove a tractor into a shallow pond at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

"I don't give a damn no more," Watson said. "If this is the way America will be run, the hell with it. I'm out of here. I will not surrender. They can blow my ass out of the water. I'm ready to go to heaven."

Asked when he might end the standoff, Watson said: "I've got the rest of my life to stay right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Later, Watson said he had plenty of food and, re-affirming that he had nowhere to go, added, "I'm broke. I'm busted." He also confirmed that he is against the war with Iraq. (Join the club, pal. Stick to the tobacco schtick. The war thing might get you locked up by General Ashcroft. -eds.)

The Post item closed with: "Watson said he is acting alone. Asked why he decided to protest this week, Watson said: "I just played it by ear. The Lord told me to do it. He said, 'Time is running out, Jack.'""