08.29.08: "Immediate Reaction(s)"

John McCain is 72. Sarah Palin is pro-life. Would it qualify as ironic if a woman was President on the day that Roe v. Wade is overturned?

Also: Obama's best strategy is praise the Palin choice. As in "Finally, John McCain has recognized that youth and vision are more important that the same-old, same-old Washington way of doing things."

 

08.28.08: "Post-Partisanship"

I like MSNBC as much as the next bleeding heart, but I'm starting to agree with the Politico-nsensus that the anchor team (and Olbermann in particular) are losing any frail cloak of objectivity.

What I wouldn't give for a news show with as much intelligence and wit as Olbermann, but with a fierce dedication to context and fairness for all. I mean, Olbermann is great on putting Obama's words and opinions in context, but every Republican gets the same Bizarro-Fox treatment.

"Me am blotchy and tipsy."

It's one of the reason's that I enjoy reading Andrew Sullivan's blog so much. He's a conservative, he's on the Obama bandwagon, and he encourages and highlights opposing points of view.

Okay, his Probama-status certainly helps his appeal for me. But how great would it be to get some smart, funny, insightful personalities of diverse points of view together on TV, committed to rigorous fact-checking, honest disagreement, and consensus-oriented debate.

Like an army of Fareed Zakharias, I guess, but less sleep-inducing.

Like Hannity & Colmes, but with smart, honest people.

Like Batman and Superman in news form.

(Or, um, something like that.)

FOR THE RECORD: Michelle Obama's speech was 8 for 10. Hillary's was 7 for 10. John Kerry upstaged both Bill Clinton and Joe Biden last night with an 8.5 for 10. Obama's speech was great, maybe a 9 for 10, but (surprise, surprise) isn't going to win over Republicans who vote on them issue-type things.

 

08.26.08: "Defending Biden (A Little)"

I want to emphasize (pursuant to Sunday's post) that I do genuinely like Joe Biden. His inartfulness is part of his charm.

As evidence of my non-look-downed-ness on him, I will now offer a stirring defense of his early-in-the-campaign comment that Barack Obama is:

I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.

*Whew* Okay, here goes:

KEEP READING "Defending Biden (A Little)"

 

08.24.08: "On Biden"

Okay, so it wasn't Hillary.

Honestly, I'm much happier with the choice of Biden, who is a politician I've respected (i.e. watched on Meet the Press) for many years now. And he's definitely "more qualified" than Hillary, at least in the sense that he has a greater number of qualifications to be Vice-President.

But the real question with Biden is, "Can he be (Vice-) Presidential?"

KEEP READING "On Biden"

 

08.22.08: "Before it's too late..."

Clinton at 5:15 pm ET.

 

08.10.08: "Sunday Night Stumper"

A Sunday night stumper:

Q: A farmer and two cannibals wish to cross a river. The three possess a single rowboat. The rowboat seats three. If the farmer is left alone with the two cannibals, they will eat him. How does the farmer get across the river?

KEEP READING "Sunday Night Stumper"

 

08.08.08: "John Edwards and the Facts"

Now, I don't think men should commit adultery, but...

Presidents from Clinton to Kennedy to JFK to Thomas "I Treat My Slaves VERY Well" Jefferson cheated on their wives.

 

 

And now we find out that let's-keep-this-in-perspective not-going-to-be-President John Edwards also had an affair? Okay, he's a jackass, but a jackass in the mold of the aforementioned actually-became-Presidents. And the spin I see the news media taking on the story -- that this is hypocricy that somehow invalidates the moral authority of John Edwards' stand against poverty -- is absolutely ludicrous.

KEEP READING "John Edwards and the Facts"

 

08.05.08: "American People Flip Flop on Offshore Drilling"

(With apologies to Washington Post reporter Jonathan Weisman.)

ORLANDO, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Barack Obama The majority of Americans suggested on Friday that [they] could accept an expansion of offshore oil drilling as long as it was part of a broader package of measures that would free the logjam of energy bills in Congress.

"[Our] interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," [69% of the American People] said in an interview with the Palm Beach Post. "If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well-thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage -- [69% of us] don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done."

When reached for comment, Senator John McCain offered, "This flip-flop clearly demonstrates that 69% of the American People don't have the judgement necessary to outnumber 31% of the American People."

 

08.04.08: "A Study in Contrast: Republicans"

Say what you want about their ideaology, there are Republicans I can respect, and Republicans that I can't.

Among the latter, I must sadly now count Senator John McCain. Pathetic.

This, however, I can respect.

I'm not convinced that expanded off-shore drilling is a good idea, but I'm not 100% opposed to the idea (as part of a comprehensive energy reform bill).

I am however 100% opposed to liars and juvenile name-callers being given a voice in Presidential politics. John McCain has proven himself to be a moral coward who is willing to sacrifice his dignity in a desperate grab for power.

 

07.23.08: "Fun with iTunes"

I've long been resistant to partaking in the eye-toons, partially because I had visions of this:

 

 

But mostly because it required you to submit your credit card information even if you only wanted to download something that was already free (like that prequel to that Wes Anderson movie where the girl from the Star Wars prequels was apparently naked but that's not why I wanted to see it, get your mind out of the gutter).

KEEP READING "Fun with iTunes"

 

07.22.08: "Apartment Across the Hall"

I don't know if I should be happy that they're removing the hazardous lead from my neighbor's apartment or concerned that it's there in the first place:

 

 

I think I've settled on "upset that Superman now has an unobstructed view into my apartment from the street."

 

07.18.08: "Dumb Joke Friday"

With apologies:

Why did Liberace leave the party before he arrived?

                                              Because he was out of sequins.

 

07.17.08: "OCD Criminal"

Photographic evidence that there is an extremely patient criminal on the loose in New York's subway tunnels:

 

 

From the Spring Street stop on the 6.

 

 

Please be on the look at for a shifty, fastidious youth with an oversized two-dimensional purple right arm.

 

07.16.08: "Created on Phone"

Still playing with this entry. Apparently, I can update my webpage from my phone (which is pretty cool, if not particularly necessary).

I knew there was a reason I bought the same phone that Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf owns.

This must be what it feels like to be a tool twitter.

 
I kid...

 

07.15.08: "Stoopid Media"

So if you follow politics, you may have caught this clip of GOP Veep hopeful Mark Sanford stumbling on the question "How are McCain's economic policies different from Bush's economic policies?"

 

 

The clip made the rounds on other news shows, to a lot of guffaws and "Well, this guy definitely ain't gonna be Veep now." jibes. And, okay...

Guffaw.

What I didn't hear is... well... How are McCain and Bush different?

Because obviously there are differences. McCain wants more restraint on spending. McCain is proposing lots of new policies that Bush has not. (The gas tax holiday, for instance.)

Last I checked, Wolf Blitzer owns a google. Why is he asking surrogates questions that he can easily look up and REPORT on himself?

And why are other NEWS shows running pieces focused on a surrogate gaffe without also REPORTING on the actual substance of the story.

I would call this new approach to news reporting NEWS REPORTING.

And I say this as an Obama supporter.

 

07.07.08: "The Month That Was"

Here's a quick list of highlights from the month of June (in reverse chronological order):

• First Draft, First Chapter, New Novel
  
• Couch or Trike? (Couch)
• Obama Flip-Flops on Lunch Order
  
• Reality Game: Gift of the Magi
  
• June Shirt of the Month

 

07.01.08: "Mission Accomplishedish"

With a bit of a cheat...