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.

And if it’s wrong, do I want to be right? Probably not. It’s always good to get a different point of view, and I like to see their perspective on various situations.

Which is the same reason that I read the New York Post. No, that is a lie. This is why I read the New York Post.

In any case, Al Jazeera is often a must-read for me, and from there, I generally head to the BBC, which reported this oddity today. (I saw it elsewhere, also–but, hey, I like the BBC.)

Then, ultimately, I ended up here, which was a short hop to my all-time favorite photo of President Bush.  Be afraid. Be very afraid.  Arguably, though, that one shot sums up the man’s entire Presidency.  (And–it’s not a purse, damn it!)

On my travels, I also came across this article, which I thought was very cool, indeed. Although I suppose the case could be made that it will be even more cool when people no longer write articles about such things. But, it reminded me of this story from last year. And then, suddenly, I ended up here. Oh, goodness me.

So. Is the Internet the biggest time-suck there is in the history of the world, or what?

And, I am sorry to say, Ebay is the Devil’s Tool.

Big game tomorrow night. Wicked big game. Can’t wait.

After months of huffing and puffing, we now have some Actual Results–and I, for one, was left disappointed in a way that I don’t think I would have predicted, even though I’m pretty sure we’re all supposed to be really happy. In fact, my friend Barbara and I spent a very long time on the telephone afterwards, moping and fretting and engaging in pre-game analysis of New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. Is it, in the end, about really wanting a woman to win, even if one is not a huge fan of the particular person running? Possibly so, because I felt a certain sense of despair watching her get trounced. (Third place, and 9 percentage points behind, with 100% of the precincts reporting. Wow. Are heads rolling up and down the aisle of the campaign plane tonight? One can only assume so.)

And–yes–I’m disappointed. Miles to go before we sleep, and all of that–but, disappointed. Granted, my horse, Senator Feingold, wasn’t even in the race, but it doesn’t seem like a good sign when you’re sitting around thinking, well, okay, if the junior Senator from Illinois with no legislative accomplishments whatsoever–and a disgraceful attendance record, to boot–wins the Big Prize, at least he’s smart, and that will be a nice change.

Barack reminds me of the guy with whom you have an absolutely glorious first date, and you run home and tell everyone you know that you met someone intelligent, and good-looking, and funny, and he’s perfect, and they should maybe start saving up for your favorite silverware–except then, you go out with him again. And you’re dying to fall in love with him, because on paper, he just seems so wonderful–but, for some reason, privately, you’re already losing interest, and like Buffy, you’re kind of going through the motions. And, your loved ones say, gosh, you have not mentioned Barack at all lately, what’s up with that?–and you sigh and shrug, and mumble a lot.

Which was an embarrassingly banal description, but I am from New England, and many of My People are not good at expressing the way we feel about things.

Maureen Dowd did a fine job, though, and quite effectively pinned down part of what is bothering me the most about the winner of the Iowa Caucus–and the person who came in third. (is it wrong to say that the notion of 4–or 8–years of Michelle just makes me tired? In fact, even writing those words means that I may have to go over to the cupboard and help myself to some of The Wonder Drug immediately. The Caucus has only been over for a few hours–and I already want her to go away and leave me alone. Which was true the very first time I saw her interviewed, actually. Way too passive-aggressive–and simultaneously garden-variety aggressive, to wear well over the long haul. Or, in my case, the very short haul.)

But, regardless, it has all Begun–and until February 5th, we are looking at non-stop pundits, and talking points. Sigh. Deep sigh. Exhaustion. More Wonder Drug. And, perhaps, I’ll chase that with a glass of Rhode Island Elixir.

Is anyone else awfully damn sick of the word “Change” every four seconds? It beats “Tyranny,” a word I have come to despise during the past seven years–but, not by much.

By the way, Mike Huckabee won, too. I kind of like the guy, but I still laughed my head off.

On a more positive note, the Red Sox have not traded Jacoby Ellsbury yet, and a week ago, I was lucky enough to witness this, from the second-to-the-last row of the stadium. Although the friend I was with would assure you otherwise, (I was grouchy and tense and no fun at all for more than three full quarters), I enjoyed the game very much, once Eli finally coughed up the predictable crucial interception.

Forget February 5th; I am waiting for January 12th.

Sometimes, I think too much. Which is boring, and maybe dull. So, today, I think I will only focus upon Fun Things.

For example, kittens. About whom there are many fun facts to be found. As it happens, I have a crippled, neurologically impaired diabetic cat with no tail–but, she is still a happy girl.

And, you know, puppies are nice, too. There is absolutely nothing bad to be said about dogs. This looks like a fun afternoon. And I pretty much always enjoy Get Fuzzy.

I have no fear of bunnies, but once, my dog and I were walking in the park on a sunny spring afternoon, and we saw a small family of bunnies, with their parents, ambling through the grass. Overcome by excitement and joy, we raced over to get a better view–only to discover that it was a family of baby rats, with their parents. But, it was a nice day, and they seemed happy–so, after a moment of brief consternation, we just stood there and watched them go on their way.

It goes without saying that popcorn is fun. Not that I have ever turned down Doritos.

If I were in Atlanta right now (also known as My Homeland), I think I would go here, immediately. But, since I am not, perhaps I should make some very delicious grits this morning. Or maybe I could look around here, and try a few.

The next time I am in Boston, I think I should actually stop–for the first time in years–and take a ride on these.

Do I want to watch Tootsie? By God, maybe I do. Or, perhaps, Ghostbusters. Since I am devoted to pop culture, spending the day here might be a good a idea.

It is the wrong time of year to do this, but wouldn’t it be pleasant? Maybe, like Lonnie Paxton, making a snow angel would be the way to go. (People, um, need instructions? Okay.)

Or I could just sneak off to Facebook, and attack people with my monsters for a while–which I find a whole lot more entertaining than I probably should.

It’s hard to take the Iowa Caucus seriously, because it’s so random and idiosyncratic. A victory probably only means something, if the candidate comes out of nowhere–which seems highly unlikely in this perpetually media-saturated election cycle. Huckabee is a possbility, but at this point, that doesn’t seem that unexpected anymore. (Novak says,Huckabee ‘clearly departs from the mainstream of the conservative movement in his confusion of “growth” with “greed,”‘ which makes me wonder whether he’s more worried about his stock portfolio than anything else.) I love politics–but, I have to admit, I’m getting sort of tired of this endless horse race. Even this news made me say, okay, whatever, it’s about time.

But, this article–and the show itself–both made me giggle. The whole thing was, for lack of a better phrase, pointlessness-squared. This, however, made me sad–and, like many of us, I wasted some time mired in what-might-have-been. (Personally, I think Lower Manhattan would still be intact.) In any case, this article–while quite long, and probably very old news–is still well worth reading, and the follow-up is, too.

I’m not sure if this should have offended me–but, it did.

On a more cheery note, the Patriots hung on for a tough win yesterday. Which is good, because NFL games shouldn’t be easy.

Razor finally aired this weekend, but alas, it will be many months before we will be able to see another new Battlestar episode. Until then, I will have to speculate and natter on, with others of my kind, at this entertaining site.

Sometimes, I think I would very much like to pursue another career, so this caught my attention. I wonder if British citizenship is required.

All Red Sox fans will know why I am pleased.  Very pleased.

 Now, it’s time to relax and enjoy the off-season.  Yay!

–makes me very dull.  I remember when I used to be a speedy and efficient worker; now, I am plodding and slow.  Or, it may just be some post-Post-Season malaise.  And the other Beloved Team has a bye week right now, so what is one to do?

My pal is dealing with a terrible scandal.  Oh, the horror!

With the strike, it looks as though we’re all going to be watching a lot of re-runs.  Recently, I have found that I need a Mary Cherry fix, and must address that.  Was it a flawed show?  Yes.  But, when it was on its game, it was genuinely hilarious.  It had a certain rhythm and style, which made it a complete giggle to watch.  Unfortunately, by adding a serious plot-thread during the second season, the show doomed itself, and sputtered to a finish.  Too bad.  I really liked it.

I caught my chum in the middle of a Buffy marathon recently, and was very jealous, even though he was–for unknown reasons–plowing through the disaster that was Season Six.  (with the notable exception of the musical, of course.)  I think I want to watch “Hush,” which has my single favorite scene of the entire series, and “Doppelgangland,” and “Passion,” and “Helpless,” and “Prophecy Girl,” and maybe even “Band Candy,” because I enjoy Jane Espenson’s sense of humor.  I do not particularly like Marti Noxon’s writing, but “The Wish” was actually pretty damn excellent. 

I adore Giles in every way–so, why am I Tara in this quiz?

Joss Whedon has a new series coming.  I am tentatively elated.

I think the Democratic Party, such as it is, had a really bad week.  Having major candidates conveniently skip the vote was extremely disappointing.  The next President is going to need to be bold and courageous–in order to try and fix the plethora of problems which s/he will face–and no one currently running seems to fall into that category. 

I don’t agree with her politics, but Peggy Noonan knows how to write.  Unfortunately, so does this guy, albeit not as well.  Luckily, Maureen Dowd does, too–and extremely well, indeed.

As ever, we really do need Laura Roslin to come back soon.  Until then, this will have to suffice.

Yeah, I’m probably going to talk about Iraq–but first, the Patriots need some praise.  Neither team was really sharp–and the officiating crew made what seemed like an intentional effort to insert themselves into the outcome–but, in the end, the Patriots did precisely what needed to be done.  Addai nearly won the game all by himself, though–it was a very impressive day on his part.  Bill Belichick may not be the most charming fellow ever (although I confess that I find him strangely–or maybe not so strangely–attractive), but seriously, if we had to go through D-Day again, wouldn’t you want him to be the guy planning it?  And read this, if you want to see why he is legitimately furious about the NFL using selective injustice against him earlier this season.  (Welcome to karma, dude.)

For those of you who dislike sports, you may stop skimming now, if so inclined.  But, if you hate politics, resume skimming at once. 

I don’t like the war in Iraq.  I thought it was stupid when it first came up; I think it’s stupid now.  I did support taking action in Afghanistan–even before September 11th.   After all, this was happening long before that terrible day.  By “action,” I don’t mean war, as such, but I think the international community could have been convinced to try and suppress the Taliban–and this could well have changed history.  Even this country might have agreed to help out, and that would certainly have had an impact on what is happening currently.  In fact, with intelligent leadership, we might have lots of friends we don’t have right now–and may never have again.  But, that is precisely the type of leadership we did not have–not even close–and it certainly hasn’t turned out very well.  There is no way anyone will ever know for sure, but I am quite convinced that if five members of the Supreme Court hadn’t decided to appoint a President of the United States all by themselves in 2000, the world would be entirely different–and some iconic buildings in lower Manhattan would still be standing. 

But, I digress.  Because, alas, we are in Iraq, and there is a dreadful mess to clean up.  On a short-term basis, the surge may be working a little bit, but unless our soldiers stay there indefinitely, that surely won’t be sustained, and that will have a devastating impact on the country for decades to come, I fear.  Both countries, actually.  If we were going to invade, there should have been a coherent plan–and the reality, I think, is that part of that plan would have required reinstating the draft.  Charlie Rangel may be a wacky guy, but I do think that he is right about this.  If there is going to be a major war, there really must be a sense of “shared sacrifice” across the country–or what you will end up with is….a defeat.  I very strongly believe that national service (not necessarily military, of course) should be a requirement for all citizens, and while I shudder at the thought of bringing back the draft, if we had a draft–with no loopholes–I suspect even the most bellicose Administration in history still wouldn’t be able to take the country to war against its will. 

But then again, as we know, this Administration’s idea of shared sacrifice is to say: “I encourage you all to go shopping more.”  Would it be that hard to suggest–for starters–oh, say, conserving energy?  Just a thought.

It is strange, actually, that yapping about the Patriots led me into thinking about Iraq so intensely.  But, really, Belichick’s win-at-all-costs; who-cares-if-it-is-pretty attitude is actually exactly what you need to win a war.  (Ever seen this page?  It’s quite damning.)  Yeah, it’s only football, but there’s a serious mind working there, and if he had taken a different life path and had been the Secretary of Defense back in 2003, it would be hard to convince me that the war–if, in fact, he had recommended such a thing, which it’s entirely possible he would have been far too intelligent to do–would not have turned out differently.

Right now, I am reading this.  But I think I would maybe rather be reading this.

Or possibly these, which I adored as a child.

To put it mildly.  Where to begin?  I could post about seven thousand links–but, I will be merciful, and keep myself to one two three four.

First

Second

Third

Fourth

And maybe I lied, because here’s one more, about The Guy Who Was My Favorite All Year Long.  Please sign him immediately, Theo.  And stay away from The Creepy One.  Please. 

Okay.  Deep breath.  (and, oddly enough, I am going to have so much more free time between now and next April.  Or, actually, until pitchers and catchers report in February.  What will I do with myself?  Oh. Right.  Work.)  I will also feel much less emotional turmoil–although, after tonight, I don’t think Red Sox fans are allowed to complain anymore.  Ever.  We still will, of course, because it’s our nature–but, we really shouldn’t. 

Well, okay, just one more.  Because I am weak. 

And in other news, this was pretty excellent, too.

Moving on now.  The end of the baseball season means that I will spend the next few months obsessing about politics.  For a change.  I’m starting to get the very strong sense that Obama is toast.  Part of me is disappointed, because I really wanted to fall in love with the guy as a candidate, but from the very beginning, it has always seemed as though he’s only running because he thinks he can maybe win the nomination–not because he wants to be the President. 

And we have someone who wants to be the President, and is actually prepared to do the job.  In the best of all possible worlds, I’d like the campaign to be joyful, but after the grim, glum nightmare of the current Administration, I think I’d be quite happy with calm, cool, collected competence.  There’s actually a lot of food for thought in this article, although it’s not exactly cheery.  I’ll back her all the way, though–especially since I think the prospect of Rudy in the White House is absolutely terrifying.

I’m not sure I recommend this novel, but I’m not too proud to admit that I am currently reading it and am reasonably entertained.  However, as soon as this Gerald Ford book is released, I’m going to grab it.

Starting tomorrow, I think I need to begin doing this and this.  Although I do not enjoy exercise for the sake of exercise–predictably, I only enjoy sports activites–it will be a pleasure.