Indoctrinating the Kiddies

Ambitious and melancholy. Not the first two words that automatically spring to mind when describing a children's animated movie. But Salon's review of the movie by Stephanie Zacharek nails the movie with those two adjectives.

I took the spawn Friday afternoon to see this and I swear he had tears in his eyes at several points. Not only is the loneliness and isolation of the little trash-compacting robot WALL-E palable, making even an almost three-year old grasp the melancholy aspect, but the movie milks it with little dialogue and a subdued range of colors. The eyes of this sad little creature brim with emotion and the comfort he takes in his collection of knick knacks, from garden knomes to Rubik Cubes to lighters is a small solace for what he really desires—companionship and touch. 

He gets both when Eve, another robot, is sent to Earth, which by the way has been abandoned by humans and looks like a technological wasteland befitting Mad Max. And that is when the ambitious nature of the movie kicks in. The pro-taking-care-of-our-Earth stance of this movie is inescapable and the film's vision for what we are evolving into (blobs unable to walk, transported by hovering chairs that keep us unaware of our surroundings by a constant flow of information on a computer screen and liquid food on demand) is enough to scare even the laziest among us into the gym and out to plant a flower.

This is not your typical kiddie fare. I recommend young and old check it out.

School's In

Last Thursday the Senate approved the expanded GI Bill with a veto-proof majority. On this last day of June, Duyba signed it in to law. Yeah, right?

Mostly. I suppose it is sour grapes at this point, but when Bush made the announcement this morning, not only did he make it sound like he had been for the idea all along, but he praised John McCain for his part in the bill. His part? Actively trying to get rid of it. The true promoter of the bill, Virginia's Jim Webb was not acknowledged by Bush.

Keep it classy Dubya!

Off With Their Junk

What the freak is wrong with this dude? Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, is apparently outraged the the Supreme Court struck down his state's law about executing child rapists. Now I am not going to even begin to advocate on behalf of child rapists, but I think America is LONG overdue to re-evaluate our stance on execution (not that I don't think I would want revenge/vindication should one of my loved ones be murdered). That however is a post for another day.

Anyway, Jindal—whose name has been bandied about as a possible VP candidate for McCain—was perturbed and later the same day as the high court handed down their decision signed a bill into law for his state that allows sex offenders to be castrated for their crimes. This option is available to the Louisiana courts after someone is convicted of their first offense. On the second offense it is required and this includes chemical castration whatever the heck that is—one too many beers?? Pardon me if I think that punishment is a bit extreme and, shall we say, medieval.

Full disclosure, Obama also disagreed with the Supreme Court decision, but his dissent was a teeny bit more low key, saying:

I think that the rape of a small child, 6 or 8 years old, is a heinous crime . . . And if a state makes a decision that under narrow, limited, well-defined circumstances the death penalty is at least potentially applicable, that does not violate our Constitution.

Whew!

I have been a bit behind in my blogging of late and since the world keeps spinning, topics that incited my outrage where just piling up. I think I have managed to cover everything in my multiple posts today, so kick back, enjoy your favorite frosty beverage and peruse on gentle readers. My work here is done.

Addendum: These are not my feet. Not only are they too big/long, they do not closely enough resemble the squat blocks of wood that my feet generally remind people of—just in case you were wondering. Oh yeah, and these look like men's feet, too.

Got Your Rebate Yet?

Well doggies, would you lookie here. News came out today that MILLIONS of dollars in tax rebates might not be going out in the mail after all. Why you ask? Because the people they are supposed to be going to owe Uncle Sam back taxes, owe child support or have bailed on a student loan. 

Now we can argue all day about whether this is right or not, but it seems to me that if the government makes a big hoorah about handing out cash to citizens they might want to add the caveat that if you owe them money, aren't paying your child support or skipped out on repaying your student loan you won't be getting your check. 

I mean I am all for slack child support payers getting hit, but something of this, no matter how justified the government may be in not sending this money out, seems like a bit of a bait and switch to me. 

There is also a whole host of things that people and their tax advisors may have inadvertently done that can cause their checks to be delayed. USAToday has a story on that here and here. There is also the fact that some retirees and veterans still might be missing out on as well. So all in all, I am still not a fan of this rebate thing. That being said . . . where the FREAK is my check???

TeleCON

I am not a fan of the latest FISA bill that Congress is pushing forward. And I am most disappointed in Obama's decision to back the bill. 

Chris Dodd (aided by Russ Feingold) has been tireless in his efforts to stave this monstrosity off but I am afraid he is just a modern Sisyphus about to be crushed. I mean when you have the likes of Steny Hoyer, one of my personal faves in the political arena (see why here, here, and here) has argued that the Democrats made the wise move by voting for the FISA changes, because it takes it off the table as an election issue for November.

My understanding of the bill is probably somewhat limited, admittedly, but what I object strongly to is the immunity it is giving the telecoms for whatever snooping they have done (and bear in mind this is retrograde so this is definitely a CYA moment for Ma Bell, etc.), as well as the way the bill eviscerates the 4th Amendment.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

In his speech on the Senate floor last night, Dodd put the bill in its proper place, linking it to the ongoing, and not expected behavior of the Bush Administration, ignoring the Constitution at will and making laws up to cover their ass as they go along.

Obama has said that he is against the retroactive immunity and will fight to have it removed, but overall he is cool with the bill. He says it is a marked improvement over the Protect America Act proposed last year, and hopefully it is. And despite Obama saying this:

"It is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives — and the liberty — of the American people."

I like Obama, obviously, but power does strange things to people and I am not much comforted by these assurances.

But getting back to Hoyer's point, the husband on a somewhat different line of thinking feels that it is a good thing that Obama is going along with this, which should another attack on U.S. soil or citizens happen, the GOP won't be able to come back and shove the Democrats noses in it during the election. While I see his point, I don't doubt the Republicans ability to distort anything to suit their agenda. I mean when you have a Charlie Black, senior advisor to McCain, say that another terrorist attack (before the election) would help get the Arizona senator in the Oval Office it isn't a big leap to think that the GOP wouldn't LOVE to use something like that against Obama and the Democrats.

And the Winner of the Science Fair is . . .

Really Mac? If you haven't heard, the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain has proposed a contest with a $300,000 purse to whomever can come up with a car battery that out does current ones in price, power and size.

Oh lordy. I'll admit I have never been someone to wax poetic over Bill Nye the Science Guy or anything of that sort, but these seems just silly to me. What's next? A contest to see who can buy the most votes from the wealthy to be the leader of the free world. Oops, wait, we already have a winner to that contest . . .

I get that McCain is trying to siphon off the moderates who may be inclined to lean toward Obama. I guess he figures that his posturing to the religious right isn't working, so why not go after the moderate greenies. Good luck and God speed Mac, I think you are going to need more than a better battery to wins the hearts and minds of the nation's environmentalist.

NewsHour on PBS has a nice little story about McCain's plan here.

The Proverbial Shitstorm

Sometimes things are so good that you couldn't have made them up if you tried. A group of "zany" San Francisco residents (The Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco) have started a petition to rename a local sewage treatment plant for our illustrious 43rd president. Yes, folks Dubya's name would officially be attached to shit. It seems fitting.

Anyway, they have gathered about 8,500 signatures to get the initiative on the ballet in November. You need just under 7,200 signatures, but officials have to verify that all of the signatures they have received have come from San Francisco voters.

What is even funnier is that the treatment plant, who seems to get the joke, doesn't want to be associated with the president. The San Francisco Utilities Commission owns the site and their spokesperson, Tony Winnicker had this to say about the "award-winning" facility:

"If you are looking for a place to make a negative statement about the Bush administration's impact on the environment, this would be the last place to do it."

Quote of the Day

I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe—I believe what I believe is right.

Rome, Italy, June 22, 2001

Speak of the devil—our decider in chief folks.

211 days left.

Gone Too Far?

While on the highway yesterday, I spotted this bumper sticker. For those of you not interested in making the jump, the sticker said "George W. Bush is a lying sack of shit." No need to mince words obviously.

I laughed at first and then I started thinking about it. While empirically all the evidence does, in fact, point to Dubya having a problem with honesty, I am not altogether certain that I don't think this particular sentiment for a bumper sticker might be taking the whole thing a bit too far. [This coming, of course, from the woman with a Wanker sticker on her own mode of transportation, so as with many things a grain of salt is advised.]

Why, do you ask, does this self-proclaimed liberal thing this might be too much? Well first let's start with the fact that I have my doubts that this type of sticker would have even existed 10 years ago. Prior to the right developing a strong hold on talk radio in the 90s after the Fairness Doctrine wasn't passed into law in the late 80s. As the conservatives came to dominate radio and Fox News came into being we seemed to evolve into a culture of anything goes. Gone was the gentility associated with news and information in the time of Murrow and Cronkite and we welcomed in an era of yelling from the likes of Limbaugh and O'Reilly. 

My point is that the right was so excited to be able to trumpet their opinions, without restrictions, that they started lowering their standards and in an effort to keep up the left has on more than one occasion gone along with them in their spiral down towards Jerry Springer land. And thus we get the aforementioned sticker.

Secondly, I don't think we the left do ourselves any favors by sinking to this level. I guess I buy into the theory that sometimes the best way to get back at the school yard bully is by ignoring them (although this hasn't always been the best route for the left—John Kerry and his swift boating torpedoers—would be the most obvious case in point).

Finally, believe it or not I am a big believer in manners and etiquette. While this bumper sticker isn't a lie and it does amuse me, it ain't exactly polite.

I have been ruminating on all this FISA nonsense, as well as the public funds debate that McCain currently has his knickers in a twist over. More on that later.

Girls Like Them

My book club is reading Sheila Weller's joint biography of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon—Girls Like Us. While the book centers on these three groundbreaking singer/songwriters who mapped out amazing careers back when women weren't supposed to be anything other than wives and mothers, it also has a strong underlying focus on women and feminism of that era in general.

I am not quite half way through the book but I have already been struck by two things. One, and this may seem a bit silly, but . . . these three girls/women had amazing interactions with other famous folk and a lot of influence. For instance, Hillary Clinton named her daughter Chelsea for Mitchell's song Chelsea Morning. Simon dated novelist Nick Delbanco (who oddly enough taught a writing workshop I attended in college—of course I had no idea who he was at the time, but "back in the day" he was quite the wunderkund), as well as just missing out on a dalliance with Sean Connery, one her sister may have actually partaken of. And King was cranking out hits, such as Natural Woman for Aretha Franklin and Will You Love Me Tomorrow for the Shirelles, all by the age of 25 meanwhile serving as the inspiration for fellow student Neil Sedaka's song, Oh Carole.

And the second thing is just how much these three may have inspired other women to be strong and believe in themselves and their abilities, but how easily they all subverted their own abilities and strength for the men in their lives. Some of these men were as talented, some weren't, but regardless King, Mitchell and Simon never seemed to hesitate to put themselves in a place of lesser importance to boost the egos of the men they were currently involved with. Maybe they didn't realize it, but still how sad. And sadder still, how often does that practice continue to happen today? Women subverting themselves to salve the ego of their husbands, boyfriends, coworkers, whatever? Why do smart, successful females sabotage themselves in this way?

I am hoping that by the time I finish the book, each of these three women will have seemingly made piece with their own brilliance and have found men that respect and admire them without trying to keep them down.

Not Alex

In case you have missed it, MoveOn.org has a new ad it is running, Not Alex. (Seriously can someone please explain to me how to inbed videos??? Ugh.) I've got to say the left may have hit a home run with this one. Of course, because I have a young son this ad particularly resonates with me, but I find it hard to believe that any parent wouldn't be moved by the sentiment of the ad. My heard does bleed however, so perhaps I am too quick to fall apart at blatant sentimentality.

So . . . anyone out there not moved by this ad?

Subconscious Musings

Sad, but true gentle readers, even my subconscious veers into the political. Yesterday, I read this great article from The New Yorker about Keith Olbermann. It is a long piece, but I enjoyed it and it must have planted the man in my head because last night I dreamt I was hitting on him in some apartment as we were putting away groceries. Later in the same dream, Tim Russert appeared, we had a conversation and when he left I said, 'Bye Uncle Pete.' In my dream as soon as I said that I knew that his name wasn't Pete, it was Tim. And of course I don't really have an Uncle Pete. Random.

I am not a dream expert, but I do think this is a rather curious one.

In Memoriam

Tim Russert

May 7, 1950—June 13, 2008

Nothing glib today, gentle readers. Broad minded is still in mourning for the late Tim Russert. Cover the mirrors and stop the clocks, journalism has lost a great voice.

I learned of Russert's truly untimely death during a longer than intended layover in Atlanta. I was stunned and bereft. Obviously I didn't know the man, but I had come to know the integrity and decency he brought to the political arena. Russert was not a mere pundit. He was a seeker of the truth; he was a paragon of honor; he was dedicated to reliability. It took every ounce of my hatred of public displays of emotion to not shed a tear. And it wasn't just me, the husband was equally devastated–unable to say anything more than "it was really sad" when I asked what they did on Meet the Press yesterday morning.

While Keith Olbermann's passion and righteous indignation arouses me and Chris Matthews' waggling jowls and blatant obsequiousness mixed with rampant sexism angers me, the stalwart Russert was always even keeled and judicious in his pursuit of fact. He informed me.

Meet the Press under Russert was an institution, one that has now lost its rudder. Who could possibly guide that ship in any manner remotely equal to Russerts'? I am at a loss for a news person today that has the same combination of steely resolve, goodness and intelligence. Tim Russert was unlike any other.

Condolences to his family and friends, as well as the media at large. We have all lost one of the last, great purveyors of journalism, of truth, of integrity.

Rest in Peace.

A Supreme Ruling

Justice Kennedy penned today's 5-4 court decision ruling that the Gitmo detainees have the right to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.

Yes folks that is one for the Constitution.

And this makes the third time the high court has ruled in the favor of these suspected terrorists rights to a trial. Both previous times, Congress and the Bush administration had to come up with new trial procedures. This decision from the court says those still aren't good enough.

The Court declared that Section 7 of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 was unconstitutional because it wanted to get rid of habeas corpus, despite the fact that our Constitution says this can only be done in cases of rebellion or invasion.

Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito, Scalia and Thomas were the dissenters. I will pause while you get over your shock.

Here is Salon's news item on the decision. Glenn Greewald also has more about the decision at Salon.com.

Oh No They Didn't!

First they accuse Obama's dap with NC Governor Easley as being a terrorist signal, now FoxNews is referring to Michelle Obama as Barack Obama's baby mama.

Lest we forget, the vast majority of Fox's news folk are WHITE, WHITE, WHITE. They might want to dial back their use of "urban" slang.

Read/see for yourself here.

Ticket to Ride

Well I am off to take a jaunt in our friendly skies tomorrow. It will be the spawn's first air excursion. So if you happen to be on a flight to Florida with a somewhat less than well-behaved toddler, my apologies.

Wal-Mart Goes PC

Yes folks, it is a sign of the apocalypse, Wal-Mart that bastian of all things Red State is now being accused of being too liberal by some in the conservative world.

Supposedly these critics are saying that the efforts Wal-Mart has made to offer some health insurance to employees, as well as their recent environmental efforts, are losing the company money.

Newsweek has an article in the June 9 issue that discusses the efforts of Peter Flaherty, leader of the National Legal and Policy Center, to voice these conservative concerns. The group has attended shareholder meetings, but actually didn't have a spot on the agenda during the 2008 meeting because their 2007 proposal didn't get enough votes.

But of course they will surely try again.

Comparing Bush & McCain

Check it out! John Cusack does an ad against McCain.

What WOULD Jesus Do?

I saw this on my way back from lunch today:

 This is why we need separation of church and state people.

We Pause for This Brief Moment of Levity

Courtesy of Creative Kerfuffle (this may or may not be really from John Cleese, but whatever):

Britain is Repossessing the U.S.A.

—A message from John Cleese 

to the citizens of the United States of America

In light of your failure to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA (I take issue with this statement, but moving on) and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new prime minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.

1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter "U" will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix -ize will be replaced with the suffix -ise. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (Look up 'vocabulary.')

3. Using the same 27 words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize. You will relearn your original national anthem, God Save the Queen.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All American cars are hereby banned. The are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.

8. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

9. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have have been calling gasoline)—roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

11. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. New Zealand beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth—see what it did for them.

12. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie McDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

13. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough, will in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every 20 seconds or wearing full Kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try Rugby—the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.

14. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

15. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

16. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

17. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; strawberries in season.

God Save the Queen.

Only He can.

John Cleese

Dap-a-Dappa-Doo

I know that the anchors on FoxNews are "special," but this is even too much for them. One of their blonde fem-bots, E.D. Hill previewed a news bit on Obama greeting NC Governor Easley with a fist bump or "dap" describing the gesture as being a possible terrorist signal. It all happened during Obama's recent visit to Raleigh. After Governor Easley introduced him the two did the shaking hands/hugging thing and then Obama put his fist out for the well-known terrorist gesture—the dap.

Yes folks, you heard it on Fox first, NC Governor Mike Easley is a terrorist.

See more about it here from MSNBC's Morning Joe, including the clip of what Hill actually said on Fox.

Btw, Wikipedia defines the "dap" as a "form of handshake that became popularized in the white mainstream society in the 1960s originating among African Americans. The term dap may have been originated as an acronym for Dignity and Pride and was popularly used by African American soldiers during the Vietnam War even though as a tradition it has existed in the African-American community for centuries."

Recount

I had caught bits and pieces of HBO's Recount but finally managed to watch the whole thing on Sunday. Regardless of who you think or hoped won the 2000 election, I think it is a sad state of affairs that our voters weren't allowed a true and accurate account of Florida's votes in that election. It seems pretty clear cut to me, that when an election is that close, everything should be double checked regardless of partisan politics. That simply wasn't the case. 

I suppose politics will always be a dirty and dangerous business, but I hope we never see the level of abuse that was on display in Florida in November 2000. Those were truly sad days for our democratic process, the history of our belief in democracy and our nation's integrity on the world stage as a great democracy.

Editorial Comments Update

People are just nuts. I got a letter from some little old lady thanking me for my letter to the editor, which is nice I guess, but really? I guess I should just be grateful for the support, because later Friday evening I had a call from an obviously older gentleman who at one point identified himself as a minister, but never gave his name or anything, who took issue with my criticism of Elizabeth Dole. I politely told him that I appreciated his difference of opinion, but that he was welcome to write a letter to the paper as well.

Whatever. People need some hobbies I think.

18 Million Cracks

I listened to Clinton's concession speech Saturday in the car driving in this heat that feels like it was delivered personally from hell, and dang if i wasn't impressed. And moved. She already had me when she referenced "the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, 'See, you can be anything you want to be.'"

And then she made me think when she said this:

"Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president. Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court."

For the party faithful like myself, that was truly preaching to the choir, but dang if it wasn't nice to HEAR it.

But she sealed the deal when she wrapped the speech up by acknowledging the sexism that she encountered during this campaign:

"Although we weren't able to shatter the highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it ... and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time. That has always been the history of progress in America."

Read for yourself here.

Yes, I know I am a big sap. I still hate that we had two amazing, historic candidates and we had to choose only one. There are certainly worse problems to have and hopefully it will be a problem we encounter again and again in the future, but this speech just reminded me of what a hard decision democrats faced this spring.

Working for the Weekend

I will pause now while you hum the tune and try and remember the words to the Loverboy song. Go on, you know you want to.

Now, I suppose it is time to weigh in on Clinton's will she or won't she concession topic du jour for this week. Obviously all signs point to yes that she is going to "suspend" not stop her campaign effective tomorrow. What this means is she gets to keep her delegates although they of course can certainly defect. It is more of a bid for respect, which is frankly what I think this whole tap dance this week has been about.

Clinton wants to be acknowledged for her efforts; for getting closer to the nomination than any woman ever has; being as qualified, if not more than Obama; her supporters who have pinned years of repression and sexism as well as all their future hopes and dreams on her.

Clinton isn't going gentle into that good night, she is most definitely raging against the dying of the light (thank you Dylan Thomas). And I honestly can't say I blame her. Part of me hates that she has dragged this on and kind of turned things into a circus but another part of me is grateful that she not only gave ALL Americans a voice in our primary elections this year by staying in the race, but that she had the guts to not be cowed. Because in reality folks, this was a very, very, very close race. For the longest time it could have gone either way and Clinton has earned the right to fight until the finish.

Whether or not Obama picks her for VP—something I highly doubt he will—Clinton has assured her place in history. And as a senator she can only take on more importance and seniority after this moment in the spotlight. That is a good thing for the people of New York and the nation as a whole. Don't be fooled by my trumpeting of Obama in recent weeks. Clinton is truly an impressive individual and she has much to offer our country in public service. I for one, wish her a long and storied career.

Btw, I love that the two candidates managed to give the press the slip to meet privately last night. I hope they made some progress toward reconciliation. Because the only that is important now is insuring that McCain doesn't get into the White House come November. Eyes on the prize, Violet. Eyes on the prize.

Editorial Comments

Me, being me, I have discovered the power and joy of venting my complaints by writing letters to the editor.

A couple of weeks ago my local paper ran a letter from a woman praising Senator Dole for her efforts on women's issues over her years in Washington. Liddy Dole may be many things, but she ain't a proponent of women's rights. I conferred with my local NOW chapter and we decided to pen a letter about Dole's true record.

That letter ran today and man you would not believe the emailed comments it has received on the paper's Web site! I have been called a baby killer and a man hater. Part of me is amused and another part is horrified (now might be the time to get an unlisted phone number methinks). I mean some of these letters are obviously written by delusional  nut jobs, some have a bit of coherence to them and others are just plain nasty. But there have been defenders of my letter as well and for that I am grateful. (Just for the record, I don't kill babies and I like most men just fine, thank you!)

I really wasn't trying to cause any trouble, I just wanted to clearly state the facts that during Dole's political career she opposed the Family Medical Leave Act (FLMA); voted against SCHIP six times, before finally saying yes to a health care coverage boost for underprivileged kids; reversed her initial support of the ERA; voted against the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, allowing women more than 180 days to file a suit for pay discrimination; and has been less than inclined to support reproductive rights. See? Bad record on women's issues.

And you thought today's post would be about Hillary Clinton!

A New Day

I briefly considered posting late (for me!) last night after my viewing of Sex and the City because my mind was a whirl. Bad news from friends, good news from another, a fun night out at a chick flick and then a few minutes of Obama's victory speech where all churning in my head making me feel lucky to have the life I have and hopeful that things are on the verge of getting better.

I admit it, I can be a bit of a cock-eyed optimist, which is especially freakish considering my level of sarcasm. I must be some Darwinistic mutant rarity because generally these two traits don't coexist in one person (Said in hushed tones, "And here we have the ever reclusive sarcastic optimist. The origins of this unique creature are unknown, but much like other odd animals such as the platypus, this hybrid mammal is an ironic grouser with a pollyanna-ish grasp of reality—a rare mix in the animal kingdom with little or no rhyme or reason.")

My point being, Obama's speech gave me pause in that it was one of those moments where you could feel the history books being updated. Like when I was in the third grade and they brought a TV into the classroom so we could watch the shuttle take off because it was still a big deal then. Or on the tragic side, the disbelief that kept me glued to my TV, yet again, on September 11.

Many people will disagree with me about Obama's place in this pantheon of events, and many others will grumble that he is all words and no action at this point. Maybe that is the case, maybe not, but for me, at this point in my life, I want the words, I need the hope and I crave the possibility that things will get better.

No Thank You, One Term is Plenty

According to Mark Salter, McCain's chief speechwriter, in an interview with the Atlantic.com the "presumptive" GOP nominee considered running on the promise of not going for a second term should he be elected.

Of course Mac did not follow through with this idea, but you have to wonder what his initial motivation was. My first thought, obviously, is his age. While McCain loves to trot out his truly geriatric, yet still very active mother, Johnny boy ain't no spring chicken. He might be deluded about the difference between Shiites and Sunnis, but surely he realizes the truth about his own advanced age. Right?

Who knows, maybe there is something else that was behind the one term pledge. I am not sure how much of a difference I think that would make in presidential politics, but I do know that my husband is a BIG proponent of term limits for the House and Senate. I, myself, have mixed feelings in that regard. I think what I would rather see first is a way for "normal" people to be able to afford to runfor office and really stand a chance of winning. Right now, politics is strictly a rich-man's game. Not cool.

Currently, though I would say Mac has some bigger fish to fry than the idea of term limits. His big money guy, Phil Gramm is in a HEAP of doo-doo over his contributions towards the current mortgage meltdown. McCain has been catching some heat of late about his campaign workers ties to lobbyists, including Phil-O, and this whole fiasco with Gramm is looking like it could only get worse. Definitely something to watch. You can read more about it here from Mother Jones.

D-Day

Well tomorrow is it. Or so we hope, although with the latest round of acrimony from the Clinton followers and campaign about the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee (is it just me or is that one too many committees in the mix?) decision about the Florida and Michigan delegates, ain't nuthin' certain at this point. [Of course the best part is all day long coverage of this nonsense that MSNBC did—even I am not THAT big of a political geek.]

Yes, Clinton won Puerto Rico, which was expected but the turn out was not good, so it really doesn't boost her argument that she is winning the popular vote (and everything I read says that argument requires quite a bit of fuzzy math). Regardless, her outlook tomorrow in Montana and South Dakota isn't likely to swing things much (if at all) for her.

So then the question becomes—when does Clinton back out (lots of conjecture here that she is already laying off staff, which her campaign denies) and after she backs out, how will she convincingly campaign for Obama.

There are many Clinton supporters who are, shall we say, somewhat less inclined to throw their support behind Obama. The idea is that Clinton will work to fix that. The problem lies in a) whether she really will and b) will it be believable. Right now, I hate to say that I have my doubts as to b. But I desperately hope that I am wrong.

Meanwhile, Obama has resigned from his church. I really don't see what this accomplishes. It strikes me as caving in to the lunatic righties, and it isn't likely to impress his followers or those thinking of voting for him. Maybe he just hoped that by quitting the church, Reverand Wright's remarks would become even more of a non-issue. Again, I have my doubts. The right is like a dog with a bone on this.

Is it really Monday again?