10 THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 8/13/2006

In trying to make sense of the last week in the
geo-political world I realized I've entered obsession again. On
Wednesday night I had a dream about Ned Lamont. In the dream I was
advising his campaign. In reality, my life lacks its ordinary balance
because I've again become preoccupied with things beyond my control –
like how America will ever rebound from being led by an administration
so blatantly and entirely motivated by political gain.
Out of my ruminative cesspool have come the following 10 observations:
1. Joe Lieberman is a terrible candidate, regardless of party
affiliation. After closing his primary campaign by running back to
the left by finally criticizing the handling of the war, he's now
forced to play to the right. He did this in the wake of the terror
news by somehow equating Iraq with a plot by British citizens to blow
up airplanes. This kind of opportunist-logic is, I think, annoying
and sad.
2. I don't advocate a conspiracy theory. I think the terror plot is
real. I also think it's over hyped by the administration for
political gain – these people will politicize anything. I think the
cable news media is complicit in dishing fear to its viewers.
3. I think the administration proved its tendency to think only along
political and ideological lines this week when Dick Cheney called a
press conference to discuss the Connecticut Democratic primary. A
sitting Vice President offering extended commentary on a primary
election in the opposing party infuriates me.
4. I can only hope the administration's credibility is so shot that
the fear machine no longer works. I hope the average American is
tired of listening to these guys sound authoritative when all
objective evidence points to their ineptitude at actually governing.
5. John Edwards is a strong candidate for 2008. I heard him on
Hardball this week. In contrast to 2004, he now strikes me as
credible on foreign policy. He was able to quickly and neatly
summarize the difference between pure fundamentalist hatred of the
U.S. (which he says will always be present and must be dealt with) and
the fact that our policies inflame otherwise reasonable people who
might be inclined to view us favorably.
6. I love Russ Feingold. He passes my smell test of genuineness. He
flatly stated on This Week, that McCain would beat him in a general
election. He even went so far as to say that McCain would probably
beat anyone in a general election. Honesty. Isn't it refreshing?
7. How in the hell did W. beat McCain in 2000? Rove's nastiness
aside, it still amazes me. But after hearing McCain on This Week, I
believe W. wouldn't have won in a post 9/11 world. I long for a
president, from either party, that displays a reasonable command of
vital issues. I disagree with McCain on Iraq, but at least he's
intelligible.
8. It will be interesting to see what happens in southern Lebanon
this week. I can't see a cease fire taking hold, and it feels
negligent to me that it's taken so long to put one in place. But as
Condi says, maybe we're seeing the "birth pangs" of a new reality in
the region. By the way, I find it annoying that she always has plenty
of time for interviews, even amidst crisis in the Middle East. I
guess that's the benefit of an anti-diplomacy administration.
9. The media will go a long way towards deciding the fall elections.
The terror plot being busted was as big a story as the media wanted it
to be. With the administration's political guns blazing, the only
equalizer in the coming months will be the news cycle. I wouldn't be
shocked in the least to see more Michael Chertoff press conferences.
It seems to be the only thing capable of pulling the yuks on cable
news away from American Idol and the Tomcat baby.
10. I'm ready for the election to be over so that I can shift my
obsessive mind away from politics for a few months. College
Basketball will be going full tilt at that point, which will then take
me right up to the start of the Presidential primary cycle (and even
closer to the long awaited end of the W. presidency).
Jay