Skulking Along

What's sticking this week? Is anybody still questioning if Obama caught any of that 'Muslim" while he was growing up? Is Bill Richardson disloyal as a modern day Judas? Can John McCain learn the teleprompter in time to run for the highest office?

Sometimes, as with the run up to war, the administration has called out every top cabinet officer to appear non-stop on every broadcast, with strong backup from the Cliff May's of the world. You could not flip a channel without finding another one. Now, the nation is tantalized by drama and focused elsewhere, and that has at most other times suited them just fine. Bush shirks while Cheney's skulking along, getting us in even deeper into things we don't yet know about.

Issues voters got a taste of something other than sniping, courtesy of McCain who called lenders 'leaders' a couple of times during a speech on the economic future of the nation and investment instruments gone horribly wrong. Gail Collins observed: "And at bottom, his economic vision makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. He’s going to keep the Bush tax cuts, continue our $3-trillion-and-counting war in Iraq and decrease corporate taxes. And how is he going to pay for it? By getting rid of pork-barrel earmarks. And I am planning to remodel my house by purchasing a tube of Elmer’s glue."

While my governor's endorsement of Obama and James Carville's reaction dominated the fast-food media, the about-face from his position that super delegates should vote according to the popular vote in their states provoked a laugh out loud, deer in the headlights, electro-shock moment during an interview by CNN's John Roberts. (4:15 into this video.) He visibly twitches, as if in a nail gun accident, and proceeds to outdo our yard full of 'evidence' of trespass cows.

What's curious about the dust-up with Carville is how phony they both are.

The ragin' Cajun at least tells you in advance that reason and sense in politics is as specious as ethics in business. When asked to comment on Ms. Clinton's suggesting Obama's inexperience while teasing us with a VP nod at the same time, he remarked something to the effect that "it's all just politics, man."

Richardson is feathering his own nest, first, foremost and always. He is the quintessential go along to get along guy you meet in most states at the lower echelons of government. In a state such as ours with patronal roots, this is the kind of cream which rises.

While he was off gallivanting, our roads sank to thirty-ninth in the nation and a rancher may still turn his cows out beyond his own land and suffer no consequences unless they get in the roadways or cross over into federal lands by accident.

Watching him give his endorsement in Portland, I was reminded of the man who would stand behind one of eight podiums waiting patiently to offer a quip about getting along or to use up his time reiterating his smorgasbord of public service assignments.

I don't think handwriting on the wall 101 is a prerequisite to guess why, at this particular time, he's thrown in with Obama. He's no help in rural PA where gathering places for day laborers constitutes 'Hispanic issues.' California and Texas are over and done with, so the big question is does an offer for veep seem likely now that the support seems more about the governor than the senator?

Hillary caught flak for chiming in on Rev. Wright. A tad late.

If she were the sum of her advice, and not much more, then she was smart to let incessant rotation on the 24/7 do her dirty work for a while.

If she were not, then why, when a question came along which refreshingly wasn't about corkscrew landings and taking imaginary fire, did she refer to her notes several times when answering such a straightforward question? (She didn't bring it up - she was asked - see the difference?) It was as extemporaneous as one of those Dana Perino time wasters.

Bill Clinton fed our easy inference that a Clinton comes before party or country by linking Hillary to McCain in love of country and a desire to debate issues, compared to you know who over there.

The race's leader must have a handle somehow on the narcissistic personality disorder because he has consistently done the one thing which is proven to work with such folks: he remains true to himself and doesn't take the bait and get sucked into the narcissist's lair.

By letting Mr. Clinton's exact words play over and over at those video sites, instead of some product of Bubba's continuing genius, what you see is power lust, pure and simple. The conservative echo chamber is eating it up and filing away the ammunition for future reference, you can bet.

Paul Krugman finds Clinton's economic policies the most progressive of the three, with Obama just not quite as solid, but McCain offering more of the same with even more tax cuts and de-regulation. His overall point is that while the 24/7 finds personality and drama the more interesting thing to cover, there is still a wealth of information out there about policy intentions.

Bush's position papers revealed where he would take the country, says Krugman, but other matters preponderated during his campaigns. I fear we're at that point where an estimable observation by a Princeton economist has to be pitted against Norah O'Donnell's query of Pat Buchanan.

Remember the water cycle?

Okay, the frog cycle?

There's a cycle to politics and at times it makes you as cynical as [play this through an earpiece or at home, savvy reader] George Carlin, or so damn feel-good about America your sixth sense tells you it will never last.

Perhaps if we could visualize our reality together, we could (a) argue the premise (b) dispute the structure of the debate or (c) laugh at, without coming close to damning, America.

(Americans Elect a
Bat-Eared Fake Texan)

Next week: Two Places at Once

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