In the Last Couple Days

I feel like I have been blogging non-stop, but somehow the moment I stop, all kinds of craziness happen...

Celebrities in the News

• Hugh Grant dumped baked beans on paparazzi? Now anyone who has watched 'Bend It Like Beckham' has got to know that baked beans can do real damage and leave real scars!


• Alec Baldwin called his daughter a "pig", seems a bit odd. But then my own father called me a "turkey" a few times. Whatever that means. I don't think I am too emotionally scarred though.


• Richard Gere, I mean honestly if you are gonna pull an Adrian Brody on an Indian actress, at least go for a hotter one. Shilpa Shetty is like leftovers. The American version of, I don't know, maybe Meg Ryan... so like ten years ago.

Politics

I caught up on the Democratic debates on-line. Here were my takeaways.

• No one will straight up answer a question. I mean Hillary and Edwards dodged the hedge fund question like there was no tomorrow. Wonder if it has something to do with donor dollars, Chelsea's job, and Johnny boy's advisory board position. The only people who had the balls to answer questions were Gravel and Kucinich, the two crazies, who don't have a chance in hell of winning. Even Richardson, who I actually had some hope for, turned the gun control question into a question about treating mental illness. No wonder he is the NRA's favorite candidate.


• Apparently, John Edwards' daddy was a poor textile mill worker... blah... blah... blah. Isn't this the same story we have hear for the past four years? At least, he doesn't flip-flop on his family history. The sad thing is he appears to be the only Dem with a real chance of winning.


• Mike Gravel is crazy! In fact, I was not sure if I should laugh or well laugh during his pontifications (e.g., rants). Personally, I wish the guy had received a little more air time because quite simply he added some levity to a very scripted debate.


• Obama seems like less of a rock star than he did four years ago... I think he has finally become a real politician. He plays dodge ball like a pro!

Television and Books

• The Grey's spin-off sounds utterly wretched. How many prime time hospital soaps can TV stand? And how many outlandish diseases can they think of to keep these shows going?


• I am getting somewhat curious about the next Harry Potter book, which I find odd, since I am not even a super huge fan of the book. I wonder if Harry will kill Voldemort, or if it will be Neville, or maybe it will be Harry and Neville together. I really hope Hermione doesn't end up with Ron. I am just not that into guys with red hair. And image their children, yikes... freckled red heads with bushy hair and buck teeth. God forbid! Do you think Snape is bad? If he isn't bad, does that mean Draco could be good? Oh the confusion, and it all has to be resolved in several hundred pages, is it even possible?


• My old babysitter had a front page article in the Globe today. I feel like I should link to it!

The Five Point Campaign

So apparently, Obama announced his five point campaign a few days ago...

1. The first way America will lead is by bringing a responsible end to this war in Iraq and refocusing on the critical challenges in the broader region.


2. The second way America will lead again is by building the first truly 21st century military and showing wisdom in how we deploy it.


3. The third way America must lead again is by marshalling a global effort to meet a threat that rises above all others in urgency – securing, destroying, and stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction.


4. That’s why the fourth way America must lead is to rebuild and construct the alliances and partnerships necessary to meet common challenges and confront common threats.


5. The fifth way America will lead again is to invest in our common humanity – to ensure that those who live in fear and want today can live with dignity and opportunity tomorrow.

I think this is a five point plan everyone can agree with, well maybe with the exception of the hawkiest of the hawks, and that is precisely the problem. There are no details here. And I am really very curious to know what Obama means with position point #1. What in his mind is a "responsible end to this war in Iraq"? Leaving? Hmm... I was taught responsibility is to acknowledge the results of the decisions I made and clean up the mess.

I could quibble with other points, but that would be petty and not really worth it. But I do think his choice of words in point #1 is intriguing.

Seeing Double...

I thought Al Gore had a lock on being the Democrat whose soapbox issue was the environment. But apparently John Kerry has jumped on the bandwagon as well with his new book. I guess it's something ex-Democratic nominees for president do? I really hope one of the Dem's wins the 2008 election because I am not sure how many new books on the environment, the environment can take!

Reconsidering, Perhaps...

Watching '24' today, I had an epiphany of sorts. If a TV show on FOX can have two black presidents across it's six seasons on air, perhaps America is ready for a real life black president. Although, I gotta say, these guys seem to have had rather tumultuous terms. The first president was killed by homegrown terrorists, and the second suffered an attempted assassination by individuals within his own administration. I guess that's tough love? Barack - you sure you want in?

Who the heck is Ron Paul? I had never heard of him before. But he was on Bill Maher a few weeks ago and that is how I found out he was running for president. The guy is apparently a Republican from Texas and a hardcore libertarian, talk about an endangered species. I can't think of a Republican lately who advocated a smaller government. Bush, himself, expanded the federal government with the Department of Homeland Security and the Czars of Wiretapping and Torture.

But anyway back to Ron Paul. I am not sure I am with him on global warming denial, but I am with him on ending subsidies to Big Oil and ending wars over oil! I also like his skepticism of the CIA. He is probably right that the CIA's involvement in the "selection" or "deselection" of developing world leaders have fomented terrorist activities against us.

His most interesting comments were on the Civil War. He does not think the Civil War was necessary. Britain and other nations were able to end slavery without an all out war. I am not sure if the Civil War could have been averted, and I do wonder if he truly believes it could have been. But anyone who has taken AP US History knows that the Civil War was not about slavery, it was about states rights and the business interests of the North. Abraham Lincoln was no real friend of the slaves either. If he was, the Emancipation Proclamation would have been signed much earlier, not two years into the war, and not without a constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery.

Again, I have no real intention of voting for the guy. But he is a former doctor, and while some of his ideas are really kind of out there, he does strike me as a "thinking" individual. And while it does not take much to beat our current president, it is still something to find a Republican who does not always toe the party line. A new maverick?

The Iraq Conversation Extended and Continued

I have a hard time respecting the policy decisions of Democrats who call for a complete exit of US forces from Iraq. Sure you can pull an Obama... I never would have voted for the war or this war was launched with false evidence and the likes. But that does not change the fact that we are in war of our own making. We waged war on Iraq with essentially no provocation, and now we want to up and leave? It just seems wrong.

In the aftermath of World War II, when Europe was laid waste, we did not leave. We stayed. We gave them a Marshall plan. We rebuilt Japan. Why are the Democrats, historically the less isolationist of the two parties, so against fixing the mess we made? Or at lease trying to make amends? I am a firm believe that what goes around, comes around. And if that is true, something is going to bite us in the ass real soon.

Still my feelings on the positions of Obama and Edwards aside, John McCain's comments today were neither constructive nor well advised. It seems that the nonpartisan McCain of 2000 is forever gone, in his stead we have mini-Bush who can only pander to his "base" (and I use the term base loosely because it is unclear if he can truly convert the hardcore conservatives). After describing the Democrats as happy after passing legislation setting a timetable for with drawl from Iraq, he proceeded to say,

"What were they celebrating?Defeat? Surrender? In Iraq, only our enemies were cheering.”

You would think McCain would be suitably chastened after his "I'm a fuckwit" statement on security in Iraq earlier this week. Apparently not! If he's lucky, and I mean lucky, he may be able to secure his party's nomination. But as they say, it'll be a cold day in hell before he wins a general election... which reminds me, where does he stand on global warming?

Finally, A Little Honesty

A lot of people aren't huge fans of Hillary, and neither am I. She never seems real. She's always a little too stiff and a little to rehearsed. After hearing her talk, I always wonder what she's really thinking. Well today, she finally told us. She actually outlined a fairly detailed position on Iraq, and while it is likely to be immensely unpopular, and I am not in complete agreement with it, I do respect her for it.

Prior to today, Hillary was shades of Kerry with her double negatives in explaining her Iraq vote. Like she would not have not voted for the Iraq war if she knew what she knew now. But Obama and Edwards have been equally tired with their call for a unilateral pull out of Iraq. Sure we were wrong to go in, but we are there now. It's a cesspool of violence, and in going in, we have allowed Al Qaeda, who didn't have much traction with Saddam, to get in. So while Iraq did not originally pose much of a threat to the us or the rest of the world, it is safe to say that they do now.

I like Hillary's idea of maintaining some small presence in Iraq for the foreseeable future. It allows the US to have some eyes and ears on the ground to actively monitor the situation. The scaled down presence will also force the Iraqi government to get it together and start doing their job. Finally, it will prevent Iran from having a free reign in the country.

While I think Hillary may have shot herself in the foot with her statements, I do have to give her some credit! If the rest of the candidates would get a little real instead of pandering to their base, all this pre-election campaigning might actually mean something!

On Sport: The Game of Lying, Cheating, and Name Calling

So apparently Ann Coulter thinks that John Edwards is a 'faggot', and she plans to endorse Mitt for President. I suppose Edwards should feel offended by this, but looking at the spectrum of those Coulter hates - liberals, Democrats, agnostics, Muslims, widows of 9/11, African-Americans, journalists, and those she likes -- Joe McCarthy (her personal hero), Newt Gingrich, Sean Hannity... maybe he should be thankful. Coulter's disdain means that you are always on the right side of virtually every issue!

Imagine my surprise when in the middle of the Mich. - OSU game, I am subjected to a painful HOOTERS commercial featuring none other than Dick Vitale. Talk about your low budget commercials. Vitale looked like he was pasted into literally every scene. You would think HOOTERS has made enough money off of truck-driving middle America to pull off a better editing job than this. And you would think Vitale has enough self-respect to avoid such tasteless promotions...

So Mich St. loses a buzzer beater to Wisconsin in the Cheese State. I am certain Michigan State would have won the game had the refs been only slightly less biased. Never have I seen so many offensive fouls called in one game, and the vast majority of them went against State. The Big Ten is all about a physical, inside game. What were these refs hopped up on? Oh well, Wisconsin has history on it's side. The Badgers have only lost 5 games at home in the past six years. But next year baby! those Badgers are going to be nothing but road kill!

Who says Michigan players are not cheaters? I watched the Michigan - Ohio St. game and I can certainly attest to the fact that Sims poked his finger into Cook's eye. That seems like a not very sporting thing to do...

Apparently, Obama's maternal relatives owned slaves. Perhaps he can win the South after all? (just kidding... I think...)

Let The Games Begin

Fight in the lunchroom. The Democrats are at it. Again! So much for Hill - Obama ticket. Don't see that one happening in this lifetime. And does anyone honestly think, Hillary would consent to be anyone's Veep. I think not! Seriously though, David Geffen and the rest of the Dreamworks clan should just keep their mouths' shut. And poor move by Obama in not attending the Nevada forum. Who does he think he is, the Queen of Sheba?

Michigan State is back in business. Woohoo! Knocking off the boys from the Cheese State. Love it! I can't wait for some March Madness...

Brit-Brit has apparently finally realized that bald is not her best look. I am not sure that the blonde wig works for her either, but hell, hair on any sort is a step in the right direction for her.

The charade that is/was Anna Nicole Smith's life continues on. Imagine my surprise when I turned to watch Hardball on MSNBC this afternoon and found myself watching the Anna Nicole trial -- LIVE! God. She is more famous in death than in life, now this is true for many people, but in her case it is simply sad...

Nooooooo! Make Grey's stop please. No more talk of this Addison spin-off. But perhaps this does spell the demise of Addisex. One can only hope!

I wish there was a survey to figure out which Sex & the City girl are you. Lately, I find myself relating to Carrie, and it is freakin' me out.

On My Last Nerve

Lately there are a lot of things that have been getting on my nerves. Quite frankly, I am at my wits end...

• Why are idiots sometimes right? It pains me to say this especially after all his nonsense about global warming, but Michael Crichton might actually be right about something. In his op-ed piece, Patenting Life, for the NYTimes, he very clearly lays out the problem with patenting human genes. Drug companies profit off of illness which seems somewhat distasteful, but those who have patents on genes have the ability to block the development of technology to detect and treat disease. That to me is beyond wrong. Kudos to Crichton for getting on the right side of this issue.
• Mitt Romney. How dare the flip-flopper come to my state, my state, not his state, to declare his candidacy. There are no words for my displeasure. If Romney cared so much about Michigan, instead of making speeches at the Ford Museum, he would have tried to fix Ford. Why not be the Governor of Michigan? Not man enough for the job??
• Princeton Basketball. In the cellar yet again. God. How I remember the days when we played Duke, UCLA, MSU, and now... now we suck. Big Time! It's enough to make a girl cry.
• Katie Couric. I too rejoiced when a woman finally got a seat at the anchor table, but honestly did it have to be her. I grew up on CBS News, and I never switched until her. Sure Dan's Ratherisms could be a bit much, but Katie is like a cheerleader, except way older. Somehow reporting on Iraq, which incidentally does not happen much on CBS anymore, and if it does it is with stupid Laura Logan who can't seem to decide if she is a reporter or a wannabe model, does not jive well with the perky, girl next door routine. Katie belongs to talk news, like Today. Why didn't they get Diane Sawyer or Christine Amanpour or Meredith Viera?
• Alex Karev is hot? Seriously, who are you kidding? McSteamy is the only hot one on Gray's. And honestly, if you really do think McDreamy is hot?? Certainly don't admit it. He looks like a complete fop. But I am simply astonished by the number of women who think Alex is hot. For those of you who do, please take some time out of your busy schedule to watch The Wedding Planner. Sadly, it is a JLo movie, but there are some drool worthy parts with Matthew McC. (Now he is hot!) Justin Chambers is in the movie. Yeah that guy who looks mentally deranged, is always on a moped, eats nothing but macaroni in cheese, and bears a startling resemblence to Alex Karev... How the boy modelled for Calvin Klein is beyond me.
• Bad bottled blondes. Why are we still talking about Anna Nicole? She's dead. It's sad, for so many reasons. But honestly, does she really warrant having her picture on the front page of the NYTimes or CNN (although it is rather like a rag these days).

Obamania

Surprise, surprise... guess who's running for president! Barack Obama. I swear, I never saw that one coming.

I know the Democratic base loves him. Heck according to most polls, America loves him. But I gotta say, I still am not loving him. I have yet to hear him clearly articulate a single policy stance. What does he stand for? Universal health care? Gay marriage? The end of farm subsidies? All I know is Barack wants our troops home starting in May, and he never would have voted for the Iraq War. Well... that is easy to say when you weren't there...

The thing that bothers me the most of Obama's Iraq position, and this holds other Democrats with similar positions on Iraq (e.g., Murtha, Edwards, et al.), is what happens when we do pull out of Iraq? Will Iraq magically fix itself? or will it turn into the next Iraq? Or better yet will it turn into some sort of Valley of Death, ala Afghanistan, where Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia all come in to secure their interests? I am not really sure, and I would rather not find out. The US needs to find a way to work with other governments in the region. All the countries in the region have some vested interest in seeing a stable Iraq. Let's get them to the table and talk about how to secure the country. Let's get some monetary and military commitments. Leaving cold turkey is no solution.

Personally, at the moment if push comes to shove, I'd vote Edwards. I don't feel solid about his Iraq position, but I am inclined to think he is pandering to the liberal base and knows it. Besides which, Hillary gives Republicans and Independents the heebejeebes. Voting for her in the primaries would be a waste come a general election. But Edwards has real positions, is a great public speaker, and I think his populist platform sits well with the general electorate. Most importantly, he is a Southern Democrat and there is a real possibility he could turn a few of those states Blue.

Also slamming Democrats really just does not sit well with me. I feel like there is plenty to chastise Republicans for. Especially those Republicans who ran on "moderate" platforms for most of their careers as public servants. McCain in my opinion was always a wolf in sheep's clothing. He is not really a moderate Republican. He is conservative to the core, he just managed to pull the wool over everyones' eyes. But Rudy and Mitt are a different story all together. Rudy has always been a pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay rights politician. Highly commendable stances in my opinion, and vital to survive in the City. Romney was also a moderate when he ran for governor. But it is a testament to the power of the crazy conservative Republican base that post politicians have been revisiting their social policy stances. Talk about flip-floppers. Karl Rove, cat got your tongue?

Obama "Yo Mama"

Ok. No idea why I wrote that. But Obama does in fact rhyme with Yo Mama.

As of late, I have not spent much time blogging about politics. But it is time to get back to it. Quite frankly besides the entire Republican party, George Bush, Dick Cheney, and the I. Lewis Libby (do we know what the I stands for yet?) trial drama, nothing annoys me quite as much as the media's love affair with Barack Obama.

Why is the media so in love with the man? Honestly, they are pimping him out as some sort of liberal pin-up. It is disturbing that on the basis of one good speech (years ago at the DNC convention) and one state-wide win (a predictable win over Alan Keyes. Anyone, and I mean anyone could beat Keyes), liberals have united around him. Well, liberals minus me that is.

It is my personal belief that Obama lacks the experience needed to be president. His lack of foreign policy experience is most glaring, but he also, in my opinion, lacks national domestic policy experience. Not to mention the fact that Obama has never run a political body. He has no gubernatorial experience, nor does he chair any of the caucuses or committees on the Hill. Obama has little in the way of responsibility. The buck does not stop with him, not even for his Illinois constituents who may turn more frequently to their Governor or their Senior Senator.

George W, as much as I dislike him, was the Governor of Texas before becoming president. He beat a formidable opponent in Ann Richardson. He also ran a state (although arguably not really by himself). While I dislike most of what I hear him say, I do believe that George W theoretically has the training to be president. He has the experience of managing a budget, of dealing with foreign policy issues (well maybe just Mexico... and unsuccessfully with Canda when he applied the death penalty to one of their citizens), and of having the responsibility for final decisions. Obama has none of that.

The general consensus is that Senators cannot win presidential elections because their voting records are long and often contradictory and rife with skeletons. Obama, given his short tenure, does not yet have to face this issue, which may be the impetus behind his candidacy. But it is a trifle disingenuous for him to take advantage of his Democratic competitors' voting records, specifically with regards to the war in Iraq. In fact, on this point, I find Barack to be beyond irritating. Everyone and their mother who was not in the US Congress at the time would now (upon reflection) say, they never would have voted for the war in Iraq. It is an easy statement to make, and there is absolutely no way to test the validity of the statement. The question is now what would you do? And to my knowledge Obama has offered little in the way of ideas and more lip service to a disenchanted, seemingly disenfranchised Democratic base. Bush's surge is likely not the right way to go, but neither is Obama's proposed pull out. Once the US pulls out, Iran will pull in to the Shiite South, the Kurds will break away leading Turkey to join in the tussle, and the Saudis might feel compelled to step in and save their Sunni brethren. If Obama want to talk about how this is a war we should not be in, that's great. But the fact is we are there, so tell me please how do we get out?

I can be unbiased enough to realize that many of you may believe me to be over harsh on Obama. The fact is that most politician are guilty of playing the "Iraq game". However in the case of Obama, it is a particular irritant since he never had any skin in the game. My disillusionment with his candidacy would diminish significantly if the man would just give me some real ideas with some real detail.

And the ruckus the media are making now out of Biden's comments on Obama being a, and I paraphrase, "great African-American candidate" is ridiculous. The media, in paying obeisance to Obama, is indulging in the exact same behavior that in many ways led this country into Iraq. Talk about your blind spots.

A Three Ring Circus?

What are the Democrats up to? No one appears to have a coherent agenda, but everyone seems to be ready, willing, and able to throw their hat in the ring? Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson have all announced their intent to run (or at least start an exploratory committee which really amounts to the same thing), and the party (what a pun!) is only just getting started.

And it isn't even the Democrats who have been caught up in this maelstrom. Even Republicans, who have seen their President get repeatedly bruised in polls, seem to be chomping at the bit. What ever is going around must be contagious because the Republican party is fielding at least three candidates John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Sam Brownback. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone like Chuck Hagel join in as well, especially given the fact that he has been on every possible news show denouncing the President's "new" surge strategy for Iraq.

I suppose Americans should be thankful for all the selection they are being given in the coming election. Although quite frankly, the election is still another two years from now and I would much prefer our elected officials to focus on solving social security, the war in Iraq, and health care than feel out potential, ill-fated runs for the presidency. But then again that's just me...

Even with all this "selection" I do not feel like I have much "choice". Both parties are increasingly controlled by their base. John McCain is a perfect example of this. What happened to the maverick from elections past? He is turning into a patsy for the Christian Coalition and other right wing groups. And besides wanting a withdrawl of some variety, I do not even know what the Democrats stand for anymore. So forgive me for not being too excited about the fact that we could have our female president. Or our first African-American president. Or our first Hispanic president. Or if Joe Liebermann runs, our first Jewish president. Or our oldest president (septuagenarians for McCain). Let's face it, regardless of who wins, it will be a first!

Who will ultimately win the election is a mystery to me. But I am pretty sure on who will not win the election.

1. Hillary Clinton - I think Republicans and even moderate Democrats break out in hives at the mere mention of her name. Although she was the first lady of Arkansas, I doubt she would win the state now. Sure Hillary can win the Democratic primary and get the nod, but there is no way she will ever win a national election.

2. Mitt Romney - First off his name is very unpresidential. Second, he is a Mormon, and while I am for religious tolerance and the Bill of Rights, etc. etc., I am not sure how no caffeine and polygamy will play with the rest of America. Not to mention the fact that he can't seem to make his mind up about gays, and I think the Republican base may think he is bipolar.

3. Barack Obama - Obama to me appears to be a media creation and sensation. He gave one, albeit awesome, speech and the Democratic convention and is now some how ready to be president? He hasn't even completed his first term in the Senate and before that he was just a State Senator. If Tennessee was any sort of referendum on whether America is ready for a black president, then we as a country failed miserably. Harold Ford's loss does not portend well for Obama. To top it of his middle name is Hussein, there are only two worse middle names Saddam and Osama. And Obama rhymes with Osama. Imagine the field day Karl Rove and his lackeys could have with that.

4. All those other senators out there like Sam Brownback - Senators historically crash and burn in elections. Think Bob Dole of Viagra fame and John Kerry of the infamous flip-flops. The last senator who won a presidential election was John F. Kennedy. That was almost 50 years ago and rumor has it that daddy and Al Capone bought the Oval Office for him!

Why Does Everyone Love John McCain?

Why does everyone love John McCain? I just don't understand it. Anytime the 2008 election comes up, people make the same comments (that I too am guilty of):

• Hillary Clinton is going to win the Democratic primary.
• Hillary Clinton cannot win the South.
• Barack Obama will win the Democratic primary.
• Barack Obama will be the Vice Presidential candidate (the first African American Vice Presidential candidate).
• John McCain will win the Republican primary and the election.

People seem to have this bizarre belief that McCain is a maverick, that he is not really that conservative, that he'll pick a Democratic running mate, etc. Personally, I think, Stephen Colbert got it right when he said, and I paraphrase, John McCain is such a maverick, he eats his salad with a desert fork.

Here are some, in my opinion, little known facts about John McCain.

• Does not believe in a woman's right to choose and believes Roe vs. Wade should be overturned.
• Voted NO on investigating contracts awarded in Iraq and Afghanistan (because clearly Haliburton deserved all the money for no results).
• Graduated 5th from the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy which is apparently a McCain tradition of sorts (makes you wonder if he is smarter than G.W. Bush or just has better speech writers)
• Voted NO on raising the minimum wage from $6.25 to $7.25 (easy decision when your wife's heir to an Anheuser-Busch distribution dynasty and you haven't worked a day in your life)
• Voted NO on background checks at gun shows (because a criminal would never try to buy a gun at a gun show. who are you kidding??)
• Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to the list of hate crimes and does not believe in gay marriages
• Has limited interest in alternative energy options like ethanol, which are "not worth it" (tell that to the Brazilians who run the majority of their cars on that stuff and are hence less dependent on foreign oil).
• Caved on his anti-torture beliefs to reach a compromise with the president that allowed for reinterpretation of the Geneva Conventions (as a former POW himself, I am sure this must have pained McCain because now our enemies can cite our behavior to rationalize their own, but of all those in Congress McCain had the most leverage to push the administration to obey international rules/norms that have been in place for a half century).

Don't get me wrong for all the McCain "cons" I have listed, I think he is generally a decent person. He has spoken out in favor of campaign finance reform and against pork barrel spending. He together with a few others (e.g. Arlen Specter) have helped check the growing extremism of the Republican party. These are things I can respect. However, unlike most, they do not make me see him as a political savior. McCain has bent over backwards a few too many times to gain entry to the Republican fold. It is hard for me to see him as a straight-shooter now. That being said, I am not convinced that I won't vote for McCain in 2008, nor am I convinced that I will vote for him. He'll have to re-earn my vote!