E Pluribus Unum

Postmodern political analysis must be viewed through multiple lenses. Those lenses include entertainment, media and information technology as well as conventional politics.

Perhaps it is best to give an example. The first personality that we can point to that showed all of these facets in one package -- politics, entertainment, media, and information technology -- was Muhammad Ali. I'm reminded of this again, with the release of the mainstream blockbuster biopic, Ali.

Consider this:

1. Entertaiment: He was the first (and perhaps) only boxer to add the surface gloss of mainstream entertainment to boxing. Up to that point, boxers were the strong silent type. Ali was charismatic, savvy with a soundbite, and pretty (his own description, of course). He was a star -- you literally could not take your eyes off of him.

2. Politics: During the Viet Nam War, there was no more visible and controversial symbol of anti-war sentiment than Muhammad Ali. His refusal to be inducted into the military was a galvanizing event in the 1960's precisely because he had so much to lose. He was on the cutting edge of the anti-war movement at a time when it was gaining mainstream acceptance.

3. Media: The TV cameras loved him and the feeling was mutual. His legendary love-hate relationship with Howard Cosell gave him an entry into millions of living rooms.

4. Information Technology: The then-emerging technology of live satellite broadcasts made Ali, for a time, the most recognized man on the planet.

In all fairness, there are some who question the legend of Ali. Mark Kram, writing in the Wall Street Journal, argues against the "totemization" of Ali, saying: "Mr. Ali wasn't for civil rights; the Muslims were for black separation. He wasn't for women's rights; their place was in the kitchen or bed. He wasn't against the draft, or for the counter-culture. Muhammad Ali was for Muhammad Ali -- and the Muslims who used him so badly. He was the greatest fighter who ever lived. Why should he even be mentioned in the same sentence as Martin Luther King Jr.? His magnificent figthts are critically uncontestable. Why isn't that enough?"

Kram's point is that Ali's social importance is overblown. But Kram is at once right and wrong. While it is true that he doesn't belong on Mt. Rushmore, he did carve a niche for himself that others have since tried to emulate. In other words, he became the complex role model for others who came after him.

For example, here's a quiz: What other nimble heavyweight can you name that had the master's touch with political soundbites, was sexy as hell, dominated the media and had more cross-talk devoted to him on the Internet and talk-radio than any other sentient being of his time?