Which, if you watch Battlestar Galactica, should frighten you a great deal.

He is certainly brilliant, extremely attractive to many, and has a messianic appeal, which baffles and eludes a good number of sensible adults–of which, I like to consider myself one.  And, if these guys show up, I would absolutely expect Senator Obama to respond the same way Baltar did.

What can I say?  For me, it’s Roslin all the way.  Always has been, always will be.

All half-kidding aside, Senator Obama has failed to impress me from the very beginning.  At best, this is the person I see.  Mostly, though–despite knowing that this opinion is likely to make me very unpopular–I see someone who cares more about winning, than he cares about principles, and who is mainly just interested in his own political fortunes–which look very good, at the moment, given the utter and continuing ineptitude of his current opponent.

The FISA vote is just one example of the evolution of The Chosen One to Mr. Expediency.  (Here is the actual text of the bill, if you have a little time on your hands.)  He could have done this, but he didn’t.  Making the convenient choice to abandon public financing doesn’t thrill me.  Waffling on choice really doesn’t thrill me.  (No, NARAL, your check is not now–nor, from now on, will it ever be–in the mail.  I daresay I’ll send a donation here, instead.)  I am also strangely fond of the First Amendment, so the hue and cry over the recent New Yorker cover is very tiresome, indeed.  It does, however, obfuscate the very mixed profile contained within the actual issue, which may have been the campaign’s–clever and opportunistic–intent the entire time.  However, this Slate writer has a nice line:  “Only weak thinkers fear strong images.”

Is it possible that the invariable humorlessness of the Obama campaign is what I dislike most of all?  Yes.  The fall-out from the not-all-that-shocking cover reminds me of Robert Redford’s lament to Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were, when he tells her (I paraphrase), after she falls apart when being heckled during an impassioned political speech, “You had them, Katie. If only you had just laughed.”  It is probably very, very wrong of me to think this article is funny.  (I am sure this is funny–but, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been wrong.)

And, since I’m one of those wacky people who deplores the death penalty, and thinks the Second Amendment does not mandate an individual’s right to own firearms, you can imagine how excited I am about the Senator’s slippery positions on those two issues.  The idea of spending four to eight years of living in this world is just exhausting.  If we’re very, very lucky, we may catch a break for the next few days, and neither Senator Obama, nor any members of his campaign, will feel the need to denounce or repudiate anyone.  But, there seems to be no shortage of people for them to insult, so, don’t hold your breath.

Yet, I am a pragmatist, and–by relying on precedents like Griswold v. Connecticut–I would be willing to allow the current misinterpretation of the Second Amendment remain permanently unchanged (with the proviso that the phrase “well regulated” be applied, as well), in exchange for an ironclad agreement that Roe v. Wade would also remain untouched, in perpetuity.  Seems like a fair trade to me, and could, in fact, be justified by accepting the notion that in the United States, an individual does retain a right to privacy, and that the government should not be allowed to interfere with a person’s ability to exercise that right.  (which, all things being equal, means that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” disastrous policy would also be struck down at once, that Proposition 8 would be defeated in California, and that euthanasia would no longer be an area in which the government is permitted to interfere in any way.)

Not that it will ever happen–but, wouldn’t that strategy solve a lot of huge problems and issues which divide so many Americans, in a matter of seconds?

Remind me why Mr. Gore didn’t run again?

By the way, nice work, if you can get it.

I’d kind of like to read this, although I might wait until fall, and I think this one can definitely wait for a paperback edition, or a trip to the library.  But, even though I was underwhelmed by the first two books this writer published, I’m not going to lie–I’m really might curious about this.  It looks like good, trashy fun.

I never thought I would be entertained by fifteen endless innings of an All-Star game–but, I was.  Three cheers for J.D. Drew!

I am not enjoying this campaign cycle.  I am not looking forward to November.  I have actually been surly and a bit short-tempered lately, as a direct result, which is–one likes to think–somewhat out of character.  So, it’s clearly time for a break.

Lucky for me, the Beloved Team can fill the breach!  After the long trip to Japan, the bizarre exhibition games in Los Angeles, and now, games in Oakland and Toronto, I expect the team to be somewhat sluggish out of the gate, but it’s a long season, and many days and nights of fun await one and all.  Recently, I happened to be talking to a Yankees fan (the team also known as The Evil Ones) on the street and was able to say, very kindly, something to the effect of “You all have a nice, little team.  Perhaps one of these years, you will be able to win a pennant again.”  Frankly, it made my day.  Possibly my century.

I saw Stop-Loss, and recommend it, but without wild enthusiasm.  It’s certainly not a great movie–and it might not even be a good one, but it’s a strong, and probably unnecessary, reminder that the situation in Iraq is an absolute disaster, and is almost certainly going to continue to be so for many, many years.  And Joseph Gordon-Levitt has–somewhat to my surprise, since I mostly just associate him with the fluffy, if fun, Third Rock from the Sun–become quite an interesting actor.

For anyone who hasn’t already heard that Joss Whedon has a new show coming out, starring Eliza Dushku, the plot sounds intriguing and I have already begun my official countdown, as I wait for the first episode to air. Ever since Ms. Dushku first swaggered onto the screen as Faith, I’ve been a fan, and am curious to see whether she really does have the untapped range I suspect lurks somewhere inside.

I enjoyed a Del’s Lemonade over the weekend.  It was from a mix, I think, and so, lacked the pieces of fresh lemon a sensible person prefers–but, I was still delighted to drink it.

And life is good when you get to have a traditional New England supper on a Saturday night.  Ours included home-made cole-slaw, with no mayonnaise, of course–since it is well-known among my people that the substance almost always dooms your salad to utter mediocrity.

Yesterday, a pal alerted me to the fact that Drugs are probably Bad.  Be warned!

I want to wake up, and have Al Gore getting ready to finish his second term. We all have health care. The economy continues to operate with a large surplus. The Kyoto Accord has been scrapped–because it wasn’t ambitious enough, and the new treaty is much better. Since we now have independent, renewable sources of energy, Saudi Arabia has lost much of its influence–and the rulers have been forced to start being nicer to women. (of all things!) Saddam is probably still in power, but he’s a completely marginalized loon, and the Gore Administration has been focused on trying to help Israel’s neighbors learn how to co-exist with an actual staunch democracy, and treat other countries in the region as genuine allies.

Many things have happened during the past eight years, but the best part of all is that the World Trade Center is standing right where it always was. It’s still not attractive, but it’s tall, and we’re fond of it, and thousands of people go to work there every day–and come home safely at night.

Sigh.

Instead, we’re living in a nightmare, and increasingly, Democrats are part of the problem. I’m not sure I want to post any links, because even space aliens have been sitting at their dinner tables all week saying, “whoa, this is out of control, when’s Opening Day?” (Side-note: life really is topsy-turvy, because President Bush was pretty funny.)

And James Carville is suddenly the voice of reason. I’m starting to think that we actually are living in a world without shrimp.

My grandmother–a person I miss absolutely every day–used to have a saying, “God don’t love ugly.” Mostly, she said it when my sisters and I quarreled–which was often. And if she were watching this current election campaign, I believe she would have me pour her some more sherry and say, “Honey, let’s put on some stories.” (”Stories,” being soap operas or television dramas.) We would be entertained. We would enjoy snacks. Life would be delightful.

I was watching CNN today, which showed a very lengthy clip of an angry reverend’s sermon, after which, the commentator said–with no sense of irony, “That was given on December 25th, 2007″ or words to that effect. In other words, it was Christmas. Which, within the context of the Christian faith, is generally considered kind of a Happy Day. Instead, the parishioners were bombarded with a stream of invective. I have to say, that is not a church I would attend twice–nor would I buy the CDs/DVDs/whatever, in order to listen to the shouting again at my leisure. (So, it goes without saying that I would not go again and again for twenty years–until, finally, my own personal ambition forced me to take the spiritual mentor from whom I purloined the title of my best-selling book–and throw him under a bus.)

This, of course, after tossing Samantha Power onto the subway tracks, while the other campaign hurled Geraldine Ferraro out of an airplane–and, well, God don’t love ugly. (obviously, insert your own higher-power-of-choice–or no higher power whatsoever–into that statement, to make it fit within your personal belief system.)

Can the grown-ups come out and play now? Are there any grown-ups left?

Here is what I think is going to happen. Senator Obama will be the nominee in November–and he will lose. It won’t be pretty, and if Senator McCain is wily enough to pick Colin Powell or Elizabeth Dole or someone of similar stature as a running mate, it will be an absolute landslide. You can crunch the numbers right and left, but Senator Clinton isn’t going to be able to pull the Democratic nomination out–without half of the Party sitting at home in November and sulking, as they toss their beanbags up and down in the air. I think the smart move would have been for her to pull out quite some time ago, let Senator Obama take the complete blame for the upcoming November debacle, and then learn from her mistakes and run a much better campaign in 2012. But, I’m pretty sure she is going to keep scuffling all the way to Denver–and the end result will be that two potentially fine Presidents are going to crash and burn. There’s something to be said for being a statesman or woman–and I sure as hell haven’t seen one in either campaign lately.

So disappointing. So unnecessary. So incredibly short-sighted, and stupid. The only thing I can say with reasonable certainty is that I have no intention of voting for anyone I do not consider a grown-up. Which puts me in quite a pickle.

All things being equal, I found this site more interesting than anything else I read today–although it is, by no means, cheery.

However, I was here recently, and it was excellent.

And I don’t like the war, but this is cool.

Finally saw Juno. Totally dug it. If I were ever involved with a movie–a scenario I do not anticipate, frankly–I would want Ellen Page to be in it. I am looking forward to seeing Smart People next month.

Which, famously, describes our current President–and, I’m afraid, also describes Senator Obama. Too much hubris, not enough policy details. Or even any. Granted, the left-wing version of the current Administration would be an improvement over the last seven years, but unless McCain picks Huckabee as his running mate and frightens everyone, I think we may be looking at a Republican landslide.

I’m not a huge fan of its author, but this is a good piece.

I am, however, extremely fond of Mr. Krugman.

Everywhere I went on Super Tuesday, I ran into Obama supporters, who were literally running around in circles and screaming “Yes, we can!” with glazed looks in their eyes. At best, it was embarrassing, but it also felt–deranged. I would love to be inspired by a candidate, and feel wildly excited and so forth–but, not to the point of losing reason. Surely, there is something to be said for dignity? Call me crazy, but I want an adult to run the country. A sensible one. In any case, I feel as though lately, life has been one demoralizing defeat after another. (I will not discuss–now or ever–what happened to a team which will go unmentioned until next season. But, I took it hard. There might even have been a bit of weeping involved.)

Apropos of nothing in particular, she continues to be a mysterious, somewhat perplexing figure.

My friend Barbara sent me a very funny card from this site. If you have the right kind of slightly sick sense of humor, I highly recommend it.

For those of us who like photography, this is kind of neat. They’re starting their second series of 100 on Monday.

And, if you were very kindly making up a gift list for me–which is always a delightful idea–please put this at the top. I did not know, until I became a bit of a photography wonk, that one can lust for gear. I am currently saving up for a 300mm 2.8 lens–and expect to be able to afford one in no more than two or three years. Sigh.

If you are sensible enough to be a Battlestar Galactica fan, you will enjoy this. Dark is good. And, I don’t care what anyone says–Anders is wicked handsome.

This makes life worth living.

[Note from the Webmaster: I've closed comments on this one for ease of discussion. Please head on over to the Politics thread on the MB.  Since I'm about to go out of town for the weekend, I've temporarily reconfigured the board so that administrator approval is not required. Everybody have a great weekend and play nice! ]

We all want leadership, right? These two should be within steps of the Oval Office at all times, if you ask me. And let Chris Dodd be the Senate Majority Leader. It’s really time for Reid to go. Past time. I also think that Nancy Pelosi would be delighted to usher him out the door. For months, I’ve felt as though she has been trying to lower her game to match his mediocre level–simply because she hopes to get something done, even though his timidity regularly prevents her from really doing her job.

And if the blogsphere wants to help, good for them!

Yuck. Let us hope that–most–of this is true.

Here is a second, very interesting piece about Al Gore. The world would be so very different, if only he had carried Tennessee. (No, I’m not going to natter on about the theft of Florida, and the probable treason of the Supreme Court. These events speak for themselves.)

Thinking about Al Gore leads me to a difficult question: if he is, in fact, probably the person best suited to be the President right now, does he have a moral imperative to run? (I have always liked Kant, and flirted, privately, with majoring in philosophy. Locke. Rawls. And so on.) Logically, no, of course not. He has free will, and if he genuinely chooses not to run, so be it. And yet, if a person possesses great gifts, does he or she have a duty to use them for the greater good? Which, obviously, the former Vice President has spent a great deal of time doing, in his own way–but, selfishly, I want more, and therefore, must try to achieve more myself, instead of urging other people to do so.

Hmmm. Majoring in English may have been the better choice. Philosophy is wicked complicated.

Am I rooting for Hillary? Yes. But, if she wins, I’m anticipating 4-8 years of extreme turmoil, independent prosecutors, and trumped-up scandals, given the degree to which she–to my continued confusion–inspires such strong hostility among vast segments of the country. Could I live with Obama? Sure. It would be so very much better than our current Administration, and he would speak beautifully, and the world would probably like him. But, I honestly think it would be 4-8 years of a legislative logjam, and no real accomplishments. How much smarter he would have been to stay in the Senate for two or three full terms, actually show up for important votes on a regular basis, build up relationships and credibility–and power–and then run.

On another note entirely. When it comes to fashion, I am nothing if not a moron–but, Chanel is fun.

Even though the entire state of affairs still makes me faintly uncomfortable, it is to laugh–and laugh quite a lot. It will not last forever, but it’s important to enjoy the ride.

This is pretty entertaining–especially if you have seen the terrifying original.

No votes for Hillary. 7 for Barack. A couple for Edwards.

John McCain wins on the Republican side–with 4 votes.

And now, Hart’s Location has weighed in, with similar results.

Does it mean much? Probably not, except that, so far, this is an election cycle unlike any I have ever seen before, and I think the same two people will win the primary tomorrow night. If she loses by double-digits, I think Hillary is pretty much done; if she is able to get it closer than that, she’ll survive through February 5th. Probably. I think. Maybe. (But, if the polls start swinging away from her in New York, you have to assume she’ll drop out immediately.)

If–when?–Barack becomes the nominee, I will actually be behind him more than one hundred percent, because–like so many of us–I want our country back. Which begs the question I asked a friend just a little while ago–is the current passion for Obama really about the man himself, or about the fervent, yearning desire Americans have to go back to our natural state of hope and optimism, and stop being the Great Satan in the eyes of the world? Would it be enough to have a President who can rise to the challenges of the bully pulpit, even if he’s entirely inexperienced, and possibly not ready for the job? I am not sold on any of this, at all, but I am pretty sure that Senator Obama’s idea of unity would not be to tell all of us–to go shopping.

We shall see. I, personally, vow to remain open-minded. (and am hoping beyond hope that there are no skeletons rattling around in his background–just in case.)

Strangely, Hillary had her most authentic public moment ever today, and spoke as a patriot, and a very human one, at that. Too late to stem the tide, I suspect, but interesting, regardless. She has been very poorly served by her campaign gurus.

On another note, lies, lies, all lies!

Terrifyingly, this is how some New Yorkers celebrate New Year’s Eve. One can only shudder.

Apparently so.  Who knew?

And here’s a piece of shocking news.  The real puzzle, of course, is why she was ever appointed to the position in the first place, since the notion always sounded more like a punch-line than anything else.

I was exceedingly tired–and working much too hard–last night, and completely forgot to watch the latest debate.  Thank God for C-Span, so that I can watch it later tonight online.  As a result, I have no idea whether this assessment is accurate, but in either case, I’m not sure whether the seemingly endless stream of debates does much–for either side–other than help members of the opposition store up more and more ammunition for the general election.  It’s often said that Senators have a terrible disadvantage, when it comes to running for President, because they have so many votes to explain.  And the electorate rarely has the patience to listen to legitimate “well, it was an excellent bill–except for the reprehensible amendment buried deep inside, and so, in the end, I really couldn’t vote for it” arguments.  Sometimes I wonder whether it really might be better to go back to the fabled smoke-filled rooms of old, insofar as selecting a candidate is concerned.

I’m not sure this was supposed to amuse me, but it did.  But then, apparently, I live in a place which is home to Stupid People–and so, it is easy to make us laugh.

I’m still, post-Beloved-Team, in a “Well, now what?!” fugue.  Which reminds me of an old favorite movie–but don’t click on the link, unless you want to have the ending spoiled.  (Small clue, in case you are having trouble making up your mind:  Robert Redford, 1972)  It actually doesn’t feel particularly dated, which was a nice surprise.  Last weekend, I watched Grease, with a 12 year old and an 8 year old–and to my dismay, the movie didn’t hold up at all.  Back in the day, I loved it. 

But, I am really looking forward to watching this.  At its best, it was truly wonderful, and surprisingly often, Holly Marie Combs would walk away with every single scene she was in, despite being surrounded by a superb cast.  If Ray Walston was the conscience of the show, she was very definitely the soul.  (Which I’ve always felt also held true for K.C. on China Beach, even though I find Marg Helgenberger’s current show, C.S.I., utterly unbearable.)  I’ll admit that I thought Charmed was a great deal of goofy fun, especially during the Shannen Doherty period, but I could never quite get past the sense that Ms. Combs was just–slumming.  Which seemed like such a waste of talent.

Wait a minute–now that the baseball season is over, it’s going to be all-television, all-the-time, for me?  God help us.  On the other hand, there are worse things. 

Of course, if I were one of those smart Washington people, I would be spending most of my time reading books.  Here’s another list.  My own would be considerably more low-brow, but so it goes, when you are not intellectual.  You feel compelled to read this.  (the best 25 cents you’ll ever spend!)  And you kind of can’t wait to get this one, even though you might be better off checking out this, instead. 

This will never stop being funny as hell.  Game on, Holmes!

Yes, it is true.  And so, I may seem wicked boring, because I talk a lot about sports.  Ergo, I think I will write an entire post without mentioning sports at all.  No observations about sports.  No bitter remarks about sports.  Nothing whatsoever, in any way, shape or form about–yes, you guessed it–sports.

Even though, today I found out that the New England Patrio–no.  I will be strong.  And I will not discuss sports.  At all.

I have been reading God’s Harvard, even though parts of it have made me wake up screaming in the night.  No, wait, I have actually been sleeping poorly because the god-damn Red So–oops!  I almost slipped there, but recovered just in time.  Whew.  Anyway, here’s an interesting exchange about the book between the author and a columnist.  I am, I confess, something of a secular humanist, and if you say the word “religion” to me, I picture this and this.  Which makes me horribly one-dimensional, and–dare I say it–close-minded.  So, I would rather imagine this, or, perhaps, this.  Or this, which I adore.  Also, I found this book very sensible, although I don’t necessarily agree with everything Mr. Wallis believes.  But I respect the fact that he wants to talk about these issues in an inclusive sort of way.

Now, some people might argue than it is a religion to root for the Boston Red S–goodness me!  I almost did it again!  My bad.

Only a very shallow person would be eager to see this, and I also can’t wait for this new show, about which I hear excellent things.  Plus, the very under-rated Molly Price is in it, which is more than enough reason to tune in, if you ask me.  I think it was highway robbery that she never won an Emmy for playing Faith Yokas.  She may be the only actress in the history of network television who ever had the nerve to shun vanity, and look and act like a real cop–with the exception of Betty Thomas, on my beloved Hill Street Blues.  I hope that entire series is released soon, but you can get the first two seasons, at least.

Sharing the details of one’s meals is the height of banality, no doubt, but I went out to a Sri Lankan restaurant tonight (I am normally quite prompt, but I was disgracefully late to meet my pal–who was very kind about my social faux pas), and among other dishes, we had this, and it was completely excellent.  In fact, I think I will cook up a batch of my own tomorrow, although I will probably add extra onions, and maybe–because I’m wacky and bold and have no respect for authenticity or rules–a chipotle pepper or two.

If you want a giggle, check this, or maybe this, out.  (Full disclosure:  my sister is Juliana McKannis.)

And, this still cracks me up, too.

So, when the hell does Melinda Doolittle’s first CD come out, anyway?