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!

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!

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.

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?