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I was listening to this bit of political discussion from “Meet The Press”.

Obama said something along the lines of “Reagan put America on an entirely new track, the Republicans had once been the party of ideas etc.”

At the end of that clip, it was natural to show Hillary and Edwards pillorying ( Hillary - Pillory, I like rhymes ) Obama for saying that Reagan had changed the game, had moved into new directions, had presaged a change in the zeitgeist. As Edwards wound up for his swing I mentally muted him. I didn’t care. Hillary then did the same thing winding up about, well hell, honestly, I don’t even remember anymore.

My point being is that Obama was looking gracious ( to say nothing of fresh and clean, Mr. Biden ) and, as noted in the commentary, gracious, of a superior cut of material; while Clinton and Edwards looked like cat squabbling outside of a rowdy bar where back-alley where a lit patron makes a makeshift bathroom behind a trash can.

And here is the secret, if he stays cool and collected, he may not have to get dirty in the tumble. He may turn out to have a coat of teflon or he may prove to be like Bre’r Fox: he can present a tar baby that the more mercurial can take several big old swings at, get mucked up in, and prevail in the tussle without so much as having gotten the sharp snap of the crease in his slacks weakend.

This is a popular sentiment, but as I sit here reading and translating my Latin homework I’m always struck by how applicable these lines are ( I think my translation is right, but you may want to go to the source for yourself, I’m also reading a watered-down version for beginners but…)

Livy:

Nec vitia nostra nec remedia tolerare possumus.

“We are able to tolerate neither our vice nor its remedy.”

Cicero:

Ubi l?g?s valent, ibi populus l?ber potest val?re.

“Where the laws are strong, there the free population thrives.”

Those Romans sure could write magnificently about rapid declines.

Wow.

• Adam riding a saddled dinosaur.
• WMD’s actually being found in Iraq.
• Evolution being denied for the sake of creationism, er, “Intelligent Design”.

Welcome to Idiot America. Where intellectuals are mocked and expertise is suspicious. The organ of wisdom is the gut, the organ of elimination.

Idiot America

My blog-friend Daniel has posted numerous times citations, references, quotes, speeches of the representative of the 14th district of The Lone Star State: Ron Paul.

Yet I can recall being a freshman with The Social Bobcat during one of Mr. Paul’s re-election cycles. The ad was the typical attack ad; judging by Paul’s attendance record, it didn’t do much to derail his career.

In any case the ads were along the lines of

• “Rrrron Paul, mumbledy mumble badda badda. “

or

• “Who approved mumbledy mumble, blah blah? Rrrron Paul.”

There was the implication of a rolling “Rr” and when it was said the picture on the screen would inverse expose ( look like a film negative ) and it became clear that Paul was the negative (ho-ho!) choice.

Every time I see Paul’s name I think “Rrron Paul”

I wish I could find that ad on youTube.

At a farewell reception at Blair House for the retiring chief of protocol, Don Ensenat, who was President Bush’s Yale roommate, the president shook hands with Washington Life Magazine’s Soroush Shehabi. “I’m the grandson of one of the late Shah’s ministers,” said Soroush, “and I simply want to say one U.S. bomb on Iran and the regime we all despise will remain in power for another 20 or 30 years and 70 million Iranians will become radicalized.”

“I know,” President Bush answered.

“But does Vice President Cheney know?” asked Soroush.

President Bush chuckled and walked away.

Source: TPM

“You know better than I do that many Americans feel that your administration has not been straight with the country, has not been honest. To those people you say what?” Pelley asks. “On what issue?” the president replies. “Like the weapons of mass destruction?” “No weapons of mass destruction,” Pelley says. “Yeah,” Bush says. “No credible connection between 9/11 and Iraq,” Pelley says. “Yeah,” the president replies. “The Office of Management and Budget said this war would cost somewhere between $50 billion and $60 billion and now we’re over 400,” Pelley says. “I gotcha. I gotcha. I gotcha,” Bush replies. “The perception, Sir, more than any one of those points, is that the administration has not been straight with…,” Pelley says. “Well, I strongly disagree with that, of course,” Bush says. “So I strongly reject that this administration hasn’t been straight with the American people. The minute we found out they didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, I was the first to say so.”

From AmericaFIRST

All I can say is I know how this country would respond.

When attacked by a clear and present danger from outer space, we must invade Iran to neutralize the threat.

Donald Vance, a 29-year-old Navy veteran from Chicago, was a whistle-blower who prompted the raid by tipping off the F.B.I. to suspicious activity at the company where he worked, including possible weapons trafficking. He was arrested and held for 97 days — shackled and blindfolded, prevented from sleeping by blaring music and round-the-clock lights. In other words, he was subjected to the same mistreatment that thousands of non-Americans have been subjected to since the 2003 invasion.

Even after the military learned who Mr. Vance was, they continued to hold him in these abusive conditions for weeks more. He was not allowed to defend himself at the Potemkin hearing held to justify his detention. And that was special treatment. As an American citizen, he was at least allowed to attend his hearing. An Iraqi, or an Afghani, or any other foreigner, would have been barred from the room.

This is not the handiwork of a few out-of-control sadists at Abu Ghraib. This is a system that was created and operated outside American law and American standards of decency. Except for the few low-ranking soldiers periodically punished for abusing prisoners, it is a system without any accountability.

New York Times

I love the way the opinion writers are examining the fall of the Bush presidency in these grand Greek tragedy arcs.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times sees the theme of a spoiled son of privilege wrecking Daddy’s Porsche:.

Poppy Bush and James Baker gave Sonny the presidency to play with and he broke it. So now they’re taking it back.

They are dragging W. away from those reckless older guys who have been such a bad influence and getting him some new minders who are a lot more practical.

I see much more the theme of the sorcerer’s apprentice.

George, The Junior Wizard, a fictional imagining of The White House

The unworthy acolyte, full of bluster and best intentions steals daddy’s magic wand and thinks “I’ll best his work (a very Satanic impulse isn’t it?), I’ll get a second term and I’ll change that there Iraq better’n Poppy did!”

With sound and fury he pulls upon the powerful machinery of alchemy or Office of State. The lightning falls, the thunder bellows, the shock and awe. The dogs are unleashed hungry upon the desert and the battle goes well. But the peace, it turns into, what LBJ called, that ugly bitch. Mickey The Apprentice runs and finds himself scared, lost, and confused when Sunni brooms start dumping buckets of GI blood all over the place. Oddly that river runs down through the Mesopotamian sands alongside the Acheron and bubbles up in the lives of Middle America.

And the neighborhood kids, so impressed by the feat of this arcana are now scared, because the brooms won’t stop dumping!

Dickie from Montana street is gone.

“Condi where are you?” a hollow voice stammers over the plush carpets of the Oval Office.

Little Donny’s feet peek out from behind drapes in the behind the desk.

“Tenet, I gave you a freedom medal buddy for broken intelligence where are you?”

… The sloshing continues bucket by bucket.

The apprentice runs frantically and remembers the old magic spell that fixed the Arbusto energy’s bankruptcy dance.

Daddy Help Daddy Help Daddy Help!

ka-krack

We can see the wizard’s cap on 41’s head bedecked with moons and stars. A flowing beard and purple robes move in a flash to steal back the wand summoning Scowcroft, Baker, and Gates, but lo, they’re in a deep sleep and must be awakened. He looks at the apprentice and utters the words: “You know the rule of equivalent exchange in alchemy, son”. Sonny points behind the drapes where little Rummy was hiding. In a bit of black alchemy, political sacrifice is given to awaken the elders.

For political station is the only sacrifice sufficient to make the ultimate alchemical gamble: transmuting legacies of lead shit to gold.

Emerging from their slumbers the men throw back their alchemickal cloaks to reveal Brooks Brothers suits.

“Yon Baker, prepare us reports”

Yes

“Yon Gates, take control of The Department of Defense.”

Yes

“Yon Scrocrowft, help us cut-and run!”

Uh, Daddy, Karl said me-n-Tony shouldn’t say cut-and-run

“SILENCE!” “Ahem, Scowcroft, help us arrange for uh, peace with honor”

Yes

[ George slinks away ]

“And you, are in for a spanking, Son!”

Aw Poppy!

[ The Laugh Track Plays and the audience claps while the credits roll in that big-friendly Three’s Company typeface ].

— Fin —

Andrew Sullivan also envisions this battle for supremacy, in more intimate and pitched battles in Shakespearean terms.

This whole Oedipal / Freudian / Greek thing is exactly what Gore Vidal expected would come to Bush sooner or later: that other Greek word: hubris.

Apparently Newsweek’s new press run has the title: “Father Knows Best”. This has got to really smart for W.

Perhaps instead of consulting with his famous “higher father” he should have asked the one that successfully executed a war in Iraq.

Too good not to share.

Evolution of a President