Observing The Anniversary

I'm back again from another lengthy visit to Health Care Land, a place that really should be make-believe. If I ever hear another beeping IV monitor, it will be too soon.

There has been much hoopla regarding the 100-Day observance of the new Obama administration. The media buildup to this day has been considerable and would have truly reached critical mass except for the emerging Swine Flu hysteria that has swept across the national consciousness.

So yesterday was a day for proper reflection and remembrance, but not for the 100 Days and the problems of the nation. No, I refer, instead, to the 26th anniversary of the remarkable tirade by then-manager of the Chicago Cubs, Lee Elia.

Tirade is really too soft a word to describe the verbal blowout and mental meltdown that has placed Elia in the pantheon of spectacular self-immolators.

Much hope had been placed on the tough-talking Elia, who had been brought in to instill a rugged discipline to a perennially under-achieving team.

I recall how the Cubs created a pre-season TV ad campaign around Elia, featuring the grizzled guy talking directly to the viewer, describing his plans for an intense boot-camp-like spring training regimen. After reciting an exhaustive array of drills and exercises, he paused and said, "and then we take a lunch break..." and winked at the camera. As his visage was supplanted by the Cubs Logo and season ticket information, the soundtrack was that of a martial drum corps, pounding away in precise, thunderous rhythm.

And so when Elia's Cubs had lost another game on April 29, 1983, their record stood at a woeful 5 - 15. Cub Fan-dom was not happy. Many boos were released that day, reflecting a fan consensus that Elia's makeover plan had not taken root. Pressure was building on the manager, and on that day, this nut cracked. Here is a clip of his press conference following the game. Sensitive ears should not listen:

YouTube - Lee Elia Tirade - Chicago Cubs - 4/29/83

Wow. The hefty swath of grandmothers and Iowa families that constituted such a significant portion of Cubbie Fan-Dom were mortified. (Bear in mind that Harry Carey had just begun his reign of inebriation there after having been shown the door by White Sox management. His Cubbie cult of personality had just begun. And there were no lights at Wrigley yet. The emergence of Cub Fan as drunken Frat Boy hadn't taken hold.)

The die was cast. Elia had instantly alienated whatever niche of fans remained that believed in his "we're going to make these overpaid pussies perform!" schtick. Elia was removed as manager later that year. But his legendary rant lives on.

And as a bit of counter-balance, here is the always composed, ever-thoughtful White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen, expanding on why his club was not performing to his expectations:

YouTube - Ozzie Guillen: Eessnadabeegdeal....to heeen

I love baseball.

Quote of the Day:

"I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." -- Former White Sox owner Bill Veeck

Happy Passover!!

Behold!!

Yes, I'm back from a prolonged immersion into our nation's fabled health care system. Feeling fine here, but I'm not the immerse-ee, though I would gladly switch places...

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Ten Commandments. It's so gaudy and vulgar and fun. Who can beat Edward G. Robinson's famous bleat, "Where's your Moses now?" Or Yul Brynner's shameless posturing. The under-appreciated Anne Baxter, playing against type, with her sultry "Moses, Moses, Moses" ... enough to tempt any man of God.

Of course, there is Chuck Heston as the reed, the man whom God would speak, Mr. Moses himself. He fills out the screen magnificently. As a physical specimen, Heston was a pretty good actor.

My favorite scene in the movie comes after the Israelites have been freed, and follows the Pillar of Fire and Parting of the Red Sea. As the tribes are sojourning their way across the dried Red Sea bottom, they approach the other side. They climb towards that shoreline. As they continue their upward hike, someone calls out to Moses: "Moses!! Climb up upon that rock so the people can see you and have hope!!"

Honestly. They've been improbably freed by Pharoah after numerous divine demonstrations of mighty and terrible plagues. God has placed a Pillar of Fire to block off Pharoah's army. God has parted the Red Sea for them to cross. And this fella in the crowd needs Moses up on a rock to give people hope???

No wonder they end up cavorting around a golden calf.

Great movie, and a terrific holiday. Too bad matzoh constipates like it does...

And here's George Carlin weighing in on The Ten Commandments:

YouTube - George Carlin: The Ten Commandments

Have a good Passover week!!

A Government Too Big To Fail

So much bother and bluster about bonuses to scoundrels, it's enough to be distracted from other more important aspects to our continuing economic debacle. Like the Fed (architects of the AIG bonus fiasco) announcing it will print up 1.2 trillion bucks so it can "purchase" more Treasury and mortgage bonds. What will happen when this action works its way through the economic system? Dollar death? Weimar-style inflation? Ugh.

At this point, I believe that the Fed is simply throwing stuff up onto the wall to see what sticks. It reminds me of when Mikhail Gorbachev was issuing rapid, wide-ranging, and system-changing policies during the heady Perestroika days. Turns out he was trying to shove his country out of the collapsing house of Communism before its rotten timbers buried them all. It is all so reminescent of today, where there are no more playbooks. And it may be that the system has to be destroyed in order to save the system.

Speaking of systems, here is a fun, even thoughtful, take on Obama's selections of the upcoming NCAA tournament:

A Bracket You Can Believe In - The Atlantic Politics Channel

It kinda cracks me up to read the comments. Some people have no sense of humor. And speaking of humor, here is a sorely-needed humor break, featuring Old Jews Telling Jokes!!

Old Jews Telling Jokes

Oh, what can be funnier? Well, how about this timely piece of economic satire?

YouTube - SponsorAnExecutive

Ho, ho. If it weren't so true, I'd really be laughing. Is it time for the pitchforks yet?

Quote of the Day:
"No amount of political freedom will satisfy the hungry masses." -- Vladimir Lenin

The Economy as Illusion

As I recall, there was a nifty moment within Kurt Vonnegut's neglected book, "Galapagos" where the narrator spoke about the long-past days of human civilization, and commerce. Money, he said, was not a concrete thing, not a set value, but existed because "we" as society gave it thought and ephemeral value. It wasn't real; it was an idea, a concept that required transparency and consent. But it was never more than an illusion.

In the book, the whole of human civilization came crashing down, creating a pandemic of panic and chaos, accompanied by a wicked plague that wiped out every person on Earth... except for a handful of survivors on the Galapagos Islands. Here is what the NY Times said about the book:

NYTimes

Ponzi schemes are constructed on illusion. Investors think they are getting something that is not. There is no transparency, only consent. All economic bubbles are based on the illusion that their growth will continue against all odds and timelines. "Bubble" investors think they are getting something, hoping onto the gravy train with everyone else. There often is transparency with Bubbles, but the eagerness of investors brush them past sober reality and into the realm of delusion and unsustainability.

Ponzi schemes. Bubbles. Scams (Enron and Worldcom take the cake for creating near-worlds of faux financial dynamics; but the future champions of the world may yet be revealed when the public gets its glimpse into Wall Street Banks). These are the viruses, the cancers that debilitate our economic structures. When they coincide, like they have over the last few years, the result is truly catastrophic.

So now we are poised at the precipice. The bulwarks of our economy indicate that there is no "there" there. Our major banks are zombies. Insurance companies are discovering they are wiped out. Pension funds/401Ks are dead. Firm after firm are examining their net worth and shuddering. What was once real is not real.

So where do we go from here? A further unveiling of fraud and stupendous, egregious awful judgments rendered by a smorgasbord of business execs who chose to pursue unsustainable profits via opaque financial techniques. As we all get pulled down into the maelstrom, it may come as a small comfort to know that... it's all an illusion.

And now, to lighten up a bit, here is a piece of anti-capitalism by those old agitators, The Clash:

YouTube - The clash - Police and Thieves

And the Quote of the Day:
"Nothing can have value without being an object of utility."
-- Karl Marx

An empty suit is an illusion

Throughout last year's epic presidential campaign, a number of my Republican-oriented friends kept repeating a curious mantra: "Obama is an empty suit."

Their upshot, I believe, was that Senor Obama lacked the resume of accomplishment and life experience of his competitors. Moreover, the implication was that he was all talk and no walk. Obama lacked the necessary qualifications to be president. He was a cardboard cutout. A front, perhaps.

These same folks never seemed to "get" Obama. Despite the obvious signs that something was afoot (consistently huge and rapturous campaign crowds, devoted droves of passionate volunteers, C-150 loads of donations) he was dismissed as a greenhorn or naive poseur. All talk. And no details (never mind the mind-boggling policy recommendations that filled his campaign website).

Despite their best efforts, my right-wing friends have their Empty Suit President. Only now, it's become apparent that the "ideology" they backed is The Empty Suit. The Republican brand is so wrung out that only a circus contortionist can fit its cut of cloth.

Meanwhile, our president continues to astound with a near daily dose of political audacity. Obama had so many people invoking Lincoln before his Inauguration. Wrong-O. At this point, he is synthesizing FDR and LBJ with his dramatic introductions of nation-changing proposals. Anyone paying attention to his prime-time press conference, his economic "summits" and the Non-State-of-the-Union address understand that this is a president like no other we have seen.

All this doesn't mean that the Great O is right. Given the sheer scale of his administration's proposals, he will be wrong, and probably often enough. (The question is whether he will be right on the big issues.) But the conceit that this man is an Empty Suit has been put back on the rack forever.

For a real empty suit, here is a fun clip from the great 1933 film, "The Invisible Man":

YouTube - The Invisible Man - by James Whale starring ~Claude Rains~

And here is an audio clip from Elvis Costello titled, appropriately, The Invisible Man:

YouTube - The Invisible Man by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Best part of the song:
"Meanwhile someone's hiding in the classroom
Pawing through the books of history
Never mind there's a good film showing tonight
Where they hang everybody who can read and write
But that could never happen here...
But then again it might"

Oh, that Elvis. I believe he wrote that song during the early days of Reagan's first term. I wonder what he thinks of it today.

The Great One

Through the years, the on-going debate continues: who is the greatest figure that Rock Music has produced. My vote for Greatest American Songwriter/Musician goes to the complex, cynical and deeply hilarious Randy Newman. I'll go even further: he's the Greatest Jewish Songwriter/Musician (sorry Bob, Paul, Lou, Neil and Leonard).

I recall first seeing Randy Newman on a Liza Minelli TV special in the summer of 1970. She introduced him as one of the new and upcoming talents. It was just him and his piano... and his half-glasses. His voice sounded strained and whiney. His song sounded stark and simple. He sang more to the ivory keys than to the audience. When he finished, he looked around like he had just awakened from a deep sleep. Liza seemed to like it just fine. I thought he was strange.

Later that same summer, I enjoyed the Three Dog Night hit, "Mama Told Me Not To Come." Little did I know it was written by that same strange looking and sounding man. On early FM, I heard the same whiney voice singing "Political Science". Boom goes London. Boom Paree. Was this guy serious?

The more I listened, the more I liked. He was an English major's dream: multi-faceted lyrics, direct, but cloaked with ambiguity. The role of song narrator as distinct from the songwriter was particularly appreciated. The absence of a band served to spotlight the lyrics and the strength of the song structure. And it didn't hurt that so many of his songs had a funky New Orleans piano roll, recalling Fats Domino, Professor Longhair and Huey Smith.

The more facts I discovered about Newman, the more amazing he became to me. He wrote music for the old "Dobie Gillis" TV show. He arranged the music for Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" It seemed like he was the go-to-songwriter-guy for singers everywhere.

In the fall of 1974, I was lucky enough to see Newman perform solo, along with a similarly solo Ry Cooder, at the Amazingrace coffee house. (Newman headlined.) What I strongly recall, apart from the brilliance of his song list, was the sophisticated stream of humor he employed between songs. His timing and delivery was as polished as a Milton Berle.

By the end of the 70's, Newman was bailing out of "rock". He devoted much more of his time crafting movie soundtracks, like his uncles Alfred, Lionel and Emil. He began a string of 15 Oscar nominations, and no wins, for Best Film Score or Best Song. Think of Pixar flicks, Ragtime, Pleasantville, Awakenings... think of the heroic french horns as Roy Hobbes lofts an improbable fly ball into the stadium lights in The Natural.

When he finally won the Oscar (for a song from Monsters, Inc. that he thought was fairly second-rate) the Academy crowd gave him a standing ovation as he climbed the stairs to the microphone. Looking out across the crowd, he said, "I don't want your pity." When the pit orchestra started to play their cue to cut his remarks short, he glared into the pit and groused, "Hold it!! I'm not done. And if any of you want work from me ever again, you'll wait until I'm through!"

To truly appreciate the scope of Newman's work, check out the Wikipedia entry for him:

Randy Newman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And here is Newman describing his creative process:

YouTube - The Randy Newman Writing Style

And now for some musical selections from our Guest Star. But before we get into his own performances, let's enjoy Joe Cocker perform a Newman standard:

YouTube - Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On

SOOO over the top. Here is a Randy Newman radio channel, courtesy of Last.fm:

Randy Newman – Listen free and discover music at Last.fm

And here is Newman performing some of his classics:

YouTube - Mr. Randy Newman - Rednecks Live

(I remember being astounded by this song at the Amazingrace.)

YouTube - God's Song (Randy Newman) - The Truth

(Everyone's favorite God as Atheist song.)

YouTube - My Life Is Good.

(What a slam on the Life of Privilege... and The Boss!)

YouTube - Randy Newman - Political Science

(As apt today as when it was written in 1972)

And for our Quote of the Day, yes, it's Randy Newman, but in the form of a song. The lyrics were printed as an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times:

YouTube - Randy Newman - A Few Words in Defense of Our Country

Why Bipartisanship Doesn't Come Easily

Noted political philosopher Ringo said it best: "I don't ask for much, I only want your trust, And you know it don't come easy... Peace, remember peace is how we make it, Here within your reach If you're big enough to take it..."

Yes, it don't come easy. For those who thought this era of collected national and international crises would instantly transform Washington into a bastion of bipartisanship, vote for Ringo next time. Hard-edged and toxic partisanship is too ingrained within our nation's capital to be quickly scrubbed away. Many Obama-sponsored cocktail parties and dinners will be necessary to graft a spirit of comity among our opposing political leaders.

Moreover, Obama-sponsored management retreats for our leaders may be in order. What a scene: 535 members of Congress at Wintergreen Resort, role-playing, offering critiques, going through trust-building exercises, sharing their inner thoughts and recipes... I say put them all into Primal Scream therapy and let 'er rip!

One of my favorite examples of why bipartisanship is so difficult today lies within the personage of Grover Norquist. For those unfamiliar with Grover, here are two links, one being from his own "think tank":

ATR: Staff: Biography of Grover Norquist

Grover Norquist - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For a one-trick pony ("less taxes") Grover has wielded huge influence on the Republican party over the last 20 years. He's one of the 800 pound gorillas behind the curtains of Republican thinking. Anyway, here are a couple of favorite quotes of his:

"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."

and this, speaking of Democrats in 2002:

"Once the minority of House and Senate are comfortable in their minority status, they will have no problem socializing with the Republicans. Any farmer will tell you that certain animals run around and are unpleasant, but when they've been fixed, then they are happy and sedate. They are contented and cheerful. They don't go around peeing on the furniture and such."

Understand that Grover Norquist is one of the Go-To Guys in the Republican Party. When flummoxed by reality, our Republican representatives go to Grover for advice. But "Cut Taxes" and "Screw the Democrats" can only go so far.

An example of the sea change that has shifted political reality came a couple of weeks ago or so on a radio talk show where Grover was one of the guests. It was a forum on the Economic Debacle before us and what to do about it. When his turn came, Grover got on his hobby horse again and claimed that the real reason the economy turned so sour last fall was that the Senate voted to not extend the Bush tax cuts.

There was a stunned silence from the forum audience (from American University). Then disbelieving gales of laughter. Finally another guest spoke up, saying "I'm delighted that Grover Norquist is a part of the panel here today. He offers us all a glimpse into a dying dogma."

But when it's the only dogma ya got, it won't die easily. Until Republicans determine they need to adjust, you'll continue to see Grover Norquist-style political posturing and thinking from Red State Reps. This doesn't mean that Democrats are filled with The Truth (far from it). It just means that Republicans won't be responding to reality until they get another broad spanking by the public. If Obama continues to make his bipartisanship efforts, and Democrats continue trying Big Things, and Republicans respond like they have, the voting public won't be happy - in a national emergency they will vote for the party that is trying to do things, not for those who get in the way.

And today's musical accompaniment is provided by conservative rockers, The Ramones, performing a terrific rant from the classic dumb-movie, "Rock and Roll High School":

YouTube - I'm Against It by the Ramones

Today's Quote of the Day:
"If you want to get along, go along." -- Sam Rayburn

The Failed Obama Presidency

Nearly three weeks into its tenure and the Obama Administration is being characterized as having a Life-or-Death moment. It is true that the Stimulus/Recovery bill that faces Congress will be important for our nation's economy. But really... three weeks and it's Political Existentialism time?

By all accounts this bill is flawed. It's too big. It's not big enough. Too many spending projects. Too much tax cuts. It's tilted toward a medium-term recovery. There are too many short-term throwaways. The bipartisan criticisms go on and on, and the more the opposites reflect against each other, the more I kinda like this bill.

So what happens next? We get to see the Obama Road Show again and recall the powers of this persuasion. We get to experience the intransigence of a newly-"principled" Republican party who sense political opportunity while the country circles the drain. And we understand anew the enormous difficulty of achieving true bipartisanship and the art of compromise in an era of toxic and scorched earth politics. A unanimous House Republican "no" vote says business as usual in that wing of Congress. Three Republican senators are willing to cross over ... it's a start.

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

As consumer confidence levels continue to set new lows, while the global economy slips beneath the waves and our own post-free market hodgepodge of government-assisted capitalism experiences arrhythmia, I found this article to be useful. As the economic calamity migrates from Wall Street to Main Street, it behooves us to view the damage in a different way than watching Mad Money or Fox Business News, or even poring over WSJ or Investors Business Daily. This from the Christian Daily Monitor (jeez, when was the last time you read anything from them?):

Campaign 2008: Patchwork Nation: A gloomy economic picture darkens – presenting a bright spot for Obama...


It's kinda like looking at a national weather map of ongoing storm systems and all the counties that have storm warnings posted. A fascinating composition; the entire nation is measured and divided into 11 community "types". Each community/county adapts differently from a set of economic indicators. The result is the map above, released on a monthly basis.

And here to provide musical accompaniment to your instantaneous visualized economic analysis is our old friend, suave-meister Bryan Ferry. Here he interprets Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall". It's a truncated video clip, missing the first minute or so of the song. I include it because it's a classic Ferry moment of leather-clad models cooing along while Bryan warbles his fey lines to a bemused Bob Dylan, sitting front row:

YouTube - Bryan Ferry.A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall.Polar Prize 2000


Nothing gets a musical debate going better than to pit Dylan purists against Ferry/Roxy Music fans. And here's our Quote of the Day:

"The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake." -- Meister Eckhart

It's A Brand Moo Day

So my daughter and I are ready to fly back to Virginia from Chicago last Sunday night. It's late and the plane is absolutely packed. We've all gone through two complete bodysearch security lines. The departure time has been pushed back a couple of times. It's about 5 below zero, up from the near 20 below earlier in the weekend.

But everyone on the plane is in warm spirits. Smiles all around. It's readily apparent that most seatholders are bound to DC for Obama's Inauguration. Lotsa buttons, t-shirts and other campaign paraphernalia.

As we wait to get the plane de-iced, the pilot comes out of the cockpit. He looks down the aisle, studying the filled plane. Then he takes the microphone from a flight attendant and begins:

"On behalf of Southwest Airlines, I'd like to welcome you all to the Obama Inauguration Express" (Much cheering)

"Of the 5,248 pilots working, I am one of the few token Democrats, so I am very satisfied to be on this particular flight." (More cheers)

"You know, for the last eight years I've had to listen to whole lot of crap from my fellow pilots. To them I can say that it's payback time!" (Laughs all around)

"And to the rest of my Republican friends... HA HA!!" (Plane erupts in cheers, laughs, whistles, thumping of seats and trays, etc.)

That said, he smiles, turns back into the cockpit, and away we go!

The last few days have been remarkable for our country. Despite the ongoing death-spiral of our economy and its impending effects on our lifestyles, the mood generated by the Obama Administration has been fairly positive. How this will all play out in the coming months is anyone's guess. Here is The Atlantic's well-respected writer from the center-right, Marc Ambinder, on where Obama would like to be after the first 100 days:

Imagining 100 Days In The Future - Marc Ambinder#more#more#more#more

So many problems. So many opportunities. What an amazing time to be alive. If we can truly give up our "childish ways" our country has a good chance at working through the formidable challenges that confront us. For this, we all need to abandon our respective "herd mentality" and look at all things anew. Yup, it won't be easy - most of us have spent an entire lifetime developing certain perspectives.

To help us with "mashing-up" our points-of-view, here is a fine mashup, featuring Laurel and Hardy, dancing to The Gap Band (this must be seen to be believed):

YouTube - Laurel and Hardy Dance To The Gap Band

And now for our Quote of the Day:

"Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." -- theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

Eleven Days Towards Political Poetecstasy

Today I listened to Calvin Trillin, the "Deadline Poet", recite his latest poem on NPR. (No, Mr. Trillin is not pictured above.) Here it is:

Anticipating The Inauguration Of Barack Obama
Inauguration is the day
The nation's hopes go on display —
When through one man we all convey
Our dream that things will go our way.
His résumé we can't gainsay.
In politics, we know, his play
Is worthy of the NBA.
He proved that in the recent fray,
Though he had help from Tina Fey.
And now this solemn matinee
Awards the winner's bright bouquet.
First, Pastor Warren's going to pray
For everyone who isn't gay.
Obama then will stand and say,
"I take this oath that I'll obey
The statutes of the U. S. A."
In his address, he might portray
The dragons he intends to slay:
How Wall Street's sky will turn from gray
To blue as blues are chased away,
How workers will collect good pay
For turning out a Chevrolet,
How in Iraq we'll end our stay
With shortest possible delay,
How pay-to-play will be passé
So K Street suits will not hold sway.
Yes, how we'll triumph, come what may:
We'll rise up like a good soufflé
'Til life's just like a caberet.
Obamacans will shout hooray
And toast their man with Chardonnay
As commentators all make hay
Comparing him to JFK.
The Beltway types, those still blasé,
Might think that soon, with some dismay,
We'll wonder if his feet are clay.
But that's all for another day.

Just Too Close To The Truth

Part of my New Year's resolutions involve being a more open-minded guy. Towards this end, I have posted an image of 60 Minutes war correspondent, home-wrecker and former swimsuit model, Lara Logan. What, would you prefer I post up Dick Cheney?

For a near-frighteningly prescient look at the Bush Administration's eight year reign of terror, here is The Onion, goofing on a GWB "speech" before his 2001 inauguration. Yes, this was originally published on January 17, 2001. Sometimes satire mirrors truth too closely:

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over' The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Wow. And with that, I resolve to no longer deride our current president.

On a different note, but using the same broad brush of satire, here is an example of the wonderfully loopy fan-supplied humor vehicle called MLB Dugout. My favorite Dugout is called WordUpThome, which mocks the Velveeta image of White Sox slugger Jim Thome. Here is a variation from the Atlanta Braves as they adjust to the recent acquisition of former White Sox pitcher, and head case, Javier Vazquez:

The Dugout: Fun With Allegory - MLB FanHouse

Oh, you can't beat fun at the old ballpark. For more fun, let's visit with the supposedly deceased Andy Kaufman for one of his iconic bits of guerrilla humor:

YouTube - Andy Kaufman Elvis impersonation (1979 Johnny Cash show)

Kaufman succeeded because he recognized the truth in things and tried to play it straight, no matter how twisted the scenario was that he envisioned. And that's quite a combo platter: Johnny Cash, Andy Kaufman and Elvis Presley.

And for our Quote of the Day:

"What's real? What's not? That's what I do in my act, test how other people deal with reality." -- Andy Kaufman

King Midas In Reverse

Of course the news of the day is all about Israel pushing its troops into the Gaza Strip, seeking out Hamas missles and members. To say it's a mess is the understatement of the new year. But did it have to be this way?

At this point, it seems merely vindictive to place much of the blame here at Condoleezza Rice's desk. But gosh darn it, if the shoe fits, wear it. Let's cast our minds back to late January 2006. Condi and her fellow neocons had been pushing Abbas and the Palestinian Authority to hold general elections for their Parliament.

Abbas didn't want to do it because he knew Hamas would win. Israel told Rice the same. So did the CIA and voices in her own State Department. In fact, there were few outside of the Bush Administration cabal of retards who did not believe Hamas would win in a walk.

But Rice pressed on, insisting the elections go ahead; after all, she was promoting her boyfriend's Freedom On The March agenda - the winds of Democracy would blow freedom throughout the land.

So the elections were held. The next morning, as Condi got onto her elliptical machine, she watched in stunned horror as CNN reported that Hamas had swept the elections. The monster had been made a state player.

Thanks Condi, and thanks George, for the vision thing.

And it is Bush, really, whose Midas in Reverse touch will continue to cause havoc and disaster for years to come. It is difficult to imagine someone coming into office and deliberately devising ways to destroy this country as successfully and unintentionally as Bush has done.

But enough vitriol. Here is a fun list of Bush statements culled through the years. It's pretty light, and omits some of my personal favorites ("You really pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory" to Iraq U.S. commander General Odierno) But it will do:

Bushisms over the years - Yahoo! News

Here is a broader and funnier collection of inane statements from the only president we have got:

Bush Quotes - The 50 Dumbest Things Bush Ever Said


Really, we could have elected a turtle and it would look good in comparison.

Goodbye to all that - Happy New Year!!

It's good to be back again, after being out of town and otherwise occupied!!

May the new year of 2009 bring to us all good fortune. May it bring us what we all need. And may it bring us all closer to enlightenment.

Here is a nice video clip of the magnificent countdown and fireworks display in Sydney Harbour, Australia. There isn't any better setting for a barrage such as this... (ignore the screen comments which pop up at first)

YouTube - [HD] New Years Eve 2009, Sydney, Australia MIDNIGHT FIREWORKS!!

And to keep us in a positive, perky mood, here are The Turtles in a dopey, but fun, crudely made video from 1967:

YouTube - THE TURTLES - Happy Together (1967)

That's it for now. Remember: too much football makes the baby go blind.