July 2004 Archives

I'm reading Moyers on America and (having some acquaintence with the alleged misdeeds of Majority Leader Tom Delay of Texas) I savored a particularly pungent description of practical politics in America:

I should make it clear that I don't harbor any idealized notion of politics and democracy; after all, I worked for Lyndon Johnson. Nor do I romanticize "the people." You should read my mail or listen to the vitriol virtually spat at my answering machine. I understand what the politician meant who said of the Texas House of Representatives, "If you think these guys are bad, you should see their constituents."

P.S. To all of you wished Miss Julie and me well on our wedding day this past weekend, thank you.

The words, "Distorted Intelligence" will forever be linked to the name of George W. Bush.

Lots of talk about dumping "Dick" Cheney from the GOP ticket. But, so far, there are no serious takers on that bet.

Lenore Skenazy writes this in the Daily News:

For now, the President insists no. Cheney's his man. Gotta stay the course ... blah, blah, blah. But this could change if the volatile veep tries any or all of the following:

• Offers to take Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor kitten shooting.
  
• Whittles front teeth to fine points.
  
• Releases a video of himself and energy task force surrounding a kneeling, blindfolded Michael Moore.
  
• Snarls to press next day, "It was a joke! Lighten up."
  
• Shaves Exxon logo into chest hair.
  
• Citing national fuel shortage, green-lights trans-Central Park pipeline.
  
• Taps Whitney Houston as White House cardiologist.
  
• Taps Bobby Brown as her nurse.
  
• Starts calling "W" "Double Me."
  
• Covers all mirrors in vice presidential mansion.
  
• Pops out of cake at gay weddings and destroys all CDs of "YMCA."
  
• Insists Apache helicopters be renamed "Apacheney helicopters."
  
• Arm-twists Iyad Allawi into renaming Baghdad "Dickville."
  
• Tells D'Amato exactly where he can put his political recommendations.
  
• Later apologizes, saying, "I meant that's where you can put your HEAD."
  
• Requests network airtime to warn John Edwards' son, "Suck that thumb one more time and let's see if it's still attached in the morning."
  
• Has to pinch himself not to snicker when Katie Couric anxiously asks him, "Any word on Michael Moore?"

The uber-rage-meister of Blog-land has finally pierced the thin tissue of lies wrapped around my contention that I don't hate anyone in American politics.

I admit it. I do hate someone.

I hate Aaron Burr:

There's a reason why Burr remains such a hated figure. Just look at the reprobate's resume:

• 1776: George Washington hates him so much that he banishes him from his staff.
• 1800: He runs as Thomas Jefferson's vice president, but then tries to get the House of Representatives to make him president when the two of them tie the electoral vote (not even Joe Lieberman would have done that).
• 1804: He shoots Hamilton.
• 1807: He conspires to break off a chunk of the Louisiana Purchase and declare himself the ruler.
• 1865: He kills Abraham Lincoln.
• 1939: He invades Poland.
• 1972: He breaks into Democratic Party headquarters and then covers it up.
• 2004: He pulls aside a senator from Vermont and tells him, "Go f—- yourself."

See? This is a bad man.

So, Casey, are you satisfied?

Hee.

You are a WEDL--Wacky Emotional Destructive Leader. This makes you an anarchist. You don't give a damn. When push comes to shove, you just forget about it--it's just not worth the heartache. What this means for others is that dealing with you can be aggravating, because they find they can't get you motivated about things they care about. What this means for you is that you are happier, calmer, and saner then they are on their best days.

You are near-immune to criticism, and those who know you well acknowledge and respect that. You may come across as lazy, but the truth is that you find little to get worked up about. Regardless, you have slews of friends, because they are fascinated by your world view, jealous of your lifestyle, and drawn to the fact that you are hilarious to be around.

You are a pillar in a sea of hot-bloodedness. You have a sweet tooth.

Wackiness: 60/100
Rationality: 38/100
Constructiveness: 46/100
Leadership: 62/100

Take the test for yourself.

(hat tip to Rosemary)

Two events occurred on July 3, 1964 that would change my life forever.

I heard about one of the events right away: it was the release of the Beatles' movie, A Hard Days Night. I was barely eleven, but I've been a Beatles fan ever since.

But it took me nearly forty years to find out about the other event: Miss Julie Hoffman had been born in Houston, Texas.

And I'm going to love her for the rest of my life.

Happy Birthday, darlin!

Bright are the stars that shine
Dark is the sky
I know this love of mine
Will never die
And I love her

From Reuters:

Vice President Dick Cheney said on Thursday the Bush administration's war on terrorism had brought "decisive and relentless action" against extremists and said the world and America were safer because of it.

One of the hallmarks of a leader is that he has people following him. If that is true, then "Dick" Cheney is a miserable failure. According to the latest CBS News/New York Times poll:

...the public, by more than 3:1, thinks that US involvement in Iraq is creating more terrorists who are planning to attack the US (55 percent), rather than less (17 percent)....

Similarly, by about 4:1, the public thinks that US military action against Iraq has increased (47 percent) rather than decreased (13 percent) the threat of terrorism against the US. Looked at another way, 85 percent think the Iraq war has either made no difference or increased the threat of terrorism.

And that's for a war that Bush apologists say we're winning.

Yeah? Well, you just keep telling yourself that, pal.