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POLITICAL REFLECTIONS OF THE DAY:
The stories are just coming out one after another now. The wheels are coming off the bus. Sailor claims American soldiers assassinated Iraqis. Guard tells of repeated beatings of Guantanamo Bay prisioners and boastings thereof. The Woodward book. The Foley Scandal. Pressure on Hastert to resign. Pressure on Rumsfeld to resign. Rove aide resigns due to Abramoff scandal. NATO chief declares Afghanistan now at the tipping point (about to tip back into Taliban Control). Keith Olbermann past the tipping point and making no holds barred no punches pulled attacks on Bush as dishonest, treasonous and un-American on MSNBC every night Etc. While it might seem like the basis for believing in a liberal media conspiracy--it is in fact, merely evidence of how successful the right wing media conspiracy has been to this point. These are not politically motivated stories, saved up for an October surprise. This is just part of the steady stream of damning truths that have there all along but have not been reported by a media cowed----for fear of being perceived as un-American-- into Vichy like complicity by the rhetoric of a bully government.
Clearly there has been some kind of a sea change, a shift in the zeitgeist--that has made such revelations more admissable and has emboldened hitherto reluctant critical voices. There has been some much needed doubt cast on the legitimacy of the administration's claims and rhetorical tactics. And certainly this is a good thing.
My only fear is that the Democrats will allow this avalanche of bad news (truthful revelation) to justify continued passivity. I hope they don't--in their infinite inclination towards risk-aversion-- just stand back and hope the Republican house of cards will collapse under the weight of its own corruption. They must take the offensive. Not in a tit-for-tat rearview mirror citing of the record. But more boldly. More categorically. Reshape the discourse in this country so they are not always wrestling on the rhetorical mats with one arm tied behind their back. How? Attack the entire Republican agenda. Frame the issue in terms much much larger than the war in Iraq alone. Talk about how the country has been hijacked for the last 5 years. How the invention of "the war on terror" has been exploited in ways that make us less rather than more safe. That we were attacked by a small marginalized group of extremists on 9/11 who enjoyed no widespread support in the Islamic world. And rather than targetting them relentlessly and intelligently, we have played into their hands in ways that exceed their wildest dreams. Much as the republicans have skewed the discourse to make the reasonable centrist seem like a radical left winger, so too their actions around the world have pushed the moderate Muslim into being a terrorist sympathizer. Arguably there are only two groups this radical cabal of corporate cronies has benefitted: The extremely wealthy in America. And Islamic extremist terrorists around the world.
IDEA FOR A POLITCAL AD OF THE DAY:
It should show Osama Bin Laden speaking in Arabic and smiling beatifically with subtitles that say "Please vote for The Party of George Bush. He has been our greatest ally and supporter over these last few years." Or we see him wearing a I heart Dubya pin. Ok, ok. Bad idea. With political advisors like me, maybe it's better to do nothing and let the Republican house of cards fall under the weight of its own corruption.
ONION-ESQUE (SHALLOT-LIKE) HEADLINE OF THE DAY:
Struck by how the stock market didn't even seem to care that North Korea just detonated a Nuclear Bomb. I imagine a headline:
"World Ends. Dow up 25 points in heavy trading."
MUSIC NOTE OF THE DAY:
Went to a Loser's Lounge tribute to the Talking Heads at Joe's Pub this weekend. Just reminded of what a gloriously quirky, smart, moving, expansive, joyful legacy that band has left us.
CURRENCY ECONOMIC INDICATOR OF THE DAY:
Attn: Warren Buffet.
If anything says "Buy euros, sell dollars" it is this little bit of anecdotal evidence reported to me from a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend (all of whom shall remain nameless):
Prostitutes in Morocco don't want dollars. They want euros.
SHAMELESSLY BRILLIANT STUNT OF THE DAY:
The conservatives have done all kinds of tactically brilliant and shameless things in thier efforts at Mark Foley pre-election damage control. First, they got him to admit to being an alcoholic. (Strike one against having to be fully accountable for his actions). Then they got him to claim that he was molested as a youth (Strike two against full accountability). Then they got him to pull a McGreevey and come out of the closet as a long-suffering gay American (Strike three against accountability...or at least a strike against the shame associated with whatever limited accountability remains.) These were all sort of fine, predictable, Rovean strategies: Trot out three sacred cows of political correctness and cultural sensitivity and make it appear that anyone who was criticizing Foley was insensitive to alcholics, sexual abuse victims and gays (and we all know how much the Republicans support the homosexual community.) But this is nothing. More impressive damage control and damage deflection efforts included 1) Blaming his actions on the Democrats and their embrace of permissive, sinful culture. 2) Claiming that his actions paled in comparison to those of certain Democrats in the past. And when all else failed 3) Repeatedly identified him as a Democrat from Florida on Fox TV! But not even any of these cynical ploys, ruses and strategems --brought to you it will be noted by the party that came to power under the banner of bringing accountability back into government!--merit the status of Shamelessly Brilliant Stunt of the Day. No, no, no... that lofty distinction goes to the following dazzlingly shameless move...
At the press conference at which Republican party officials were first supposed to answer questions about this emerging scandal, lots of people showed up carrying small children. When asked if they could please take the children out of the room because the content of what was about to be discussed would no doubt be inappopriate for children's ears, the people claimed that no they would not, they were supporters of Mark Foley's and they were there with their children as a show of support. The willingness to cynically use their own children as human shields--as inhibitors of free discourse--in an attempt to inhibit discourse--not only underscores their deep commitment to the truth, to honesty, to the free press and to the well being of children everywhere, but earns them recognition as Shamelessly Brilliant Stunt-men of the Day. Congratulations to them and to their kin.
MEDIA OBSERVATION OF THE DAY:
NPR is so politically correct that they don't even discriminate against those with speech defects in hiring people to read the news. They are proud champions of the elocutionarily challenged.
SPORTS NOTE OF THE DAY: A-ROD LOOKS IN THE MIRROR.
Almost feel bad for the guy. Maybe it's just that I'm filled to the brim with generosity of spirit after the Mets' gutty sweep, but today I am going to refrain from kicking dirt on A-Rod's grave or kicking him when he's down or whatever cliche you want to trot out of the dugout. Maybe I'm getting soft, maybe I'm suffering from some strange schadenfreude deficiency (which I'll have to talk to my nutritionist about), but I actually feel bad for him. There is no amount of money that can compensate for that kind of public humiliation. Ok, sure there is...as Reality TV shows like "Survivor" and "America Idol" make abundantly clear every day. But still...it's gotta suck. No one wants to see someone humiliated. No one likes to see someone fail awfully and extravagantly (unless, as my IT guy famously added, it's a good friend.) Anyhow, truth is, for whatever reason, I don't feel like stomping on the fragments of his once delicate (and now shattered) psyche in this, his hour of greatest shame. If there's any positive for A-Rod in this whole debacle it's that it finally got him to break through the denial and say what needed to be said. "I sucked." (See Quote of the Day, below) That was huge. Huge. Unalloyed, unbowdlerized, un-airbrushed acceptance of reality. "I sucked." Those just might be the two most important words he's ever spoken.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
You kind of get tired of giving the other team credit," Rodriguez said in a somber Yankees clubhouse. "At some point, you just have to look in the mirror and say, 'I sucked."'
Note he didn't look in the mirror and say "we sucked." He looked in the mirror and said "I sucked." Usually when A-Rod looks in the mirror he says other things. Like "Your skin so smooth", "You're good enough, you're strong enough and by god you're smalley enough", "You make me a little bit horny," ""See the pretty girl in that mirror there/Who can that attractive girl be?/Such a pretty face,/Such a pretty dress, /Such a pretty smile,/Such a pretty me!/I'm so pretty. I'm so pretty/I feel pretty and witty and bright!/And I pity/ Any girl who isn't me tonight!."
But today, he finally said the two words that needed to be said. "I sucked" And good for him. Acceptance is the first step in recovery.
IRAQ GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: (Lots of good news to catch up on!)
No Iraqi soldiers are accused of dragging Iraqi citizens into a hole and shooting them. No, those were American soldiers.
The Vice President of Iraq doesn’t say "Fuck you" to and hang up on people who don’t agree with him.
No player on an Iraqi football team stepped repeatedly on an opposing player's face today.
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Posted on 10/9/2006
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