Ive been off my game a bit lately and I apologize. Ive been distracted by work, Christmas and the fact that my parents somehow stumbled down this little rat hole I call MM.com. I know its no excuse, but my mind really has been elsewhere. The other day, someone mentioned to me that Secretary Powell had appointed James Brown Secretary of Soul and Foreign Minister of Funk and I didnt even make a fucking note of it. I just remembered it now because I had “James Brown Live at the Apollo” playing in the car Its embarrassing how much has been slipping by me.
And then theres all the stuff that I did make note of, but that I just didnt have time to write about, like Howard Deans first real foreign policy speech. I was surprised by how good it was, and I was impressed by the way he handled the capture of Saddam Hussein, which had just happened. He was very clear and he didnt try to downplay the fact that he had been against the war, even though people were very much pro-Bush that day. I still dont know if hes got my vote, but he said all the things Id want the President of the U.S. to say. Heres a clip:
Empowered by the American people, I will work to restore:
The legitimacy that comes from the rule of law;
The credibility that comes from telling the truth;
The knowledge that comes from first-rate intelligence, undiluted by ideology;
The strength that comes from robust alliances and vigorous diplomacy;
And, of course, I will call on the most powerful armed forces the world has ever known to ensure the security of this nation.
As for the Dean campaign in general, it just bothers me that the media is treating his nomination as though its fait accompli. Not only are the networks cutting their coverage of Kucinich, Sharpton and Moseley-Braun, but theyre beginning to talk almost exclusively about Dean v. Bush. Maybe its just me, but it feels like theyve crossed the line here by telling us who the candidate is before we even get a chance to vote. I don’t mind a little commentary, but I feel like I’m watching a film with a bunch of very loud, opinionated assholes who have already seen it and delight in announcing everything just before it happens. It’s no fun, and I’d be pissed as hell if I were one of the other candidates in the running.
(I haven’t checked it out yet, but I heard someone today on the radio say that Carter was polling at levels less than Kucinich at this point in the 1976 campaign. If that’s true, there’s really no reason why ABC and others should be pulling reporters from his campaign. He’s a U.S. Congressman and I think he deserves coverage. I may not be planning to vote for the guy, but his opinions, I think, still deserve to be considered. And I don’t want the media deciding for me that his opinions are irrelevant.)
And here, lastly, is something a little more fun. Its the original 1903 newspaper article on the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk. The language is great. I like the phrase, Like a monster bird. I think Ill even add it to the list of possible titles for the next Monkey Power Trio record.
