Lotsa Stuff

A year ago and still the disaster of last year's U2 show is still fresh...

Congressman Matt Santos wins the election on The West Wing in a pretty lackluster episode that marks the third to the last as the show sends itself off the air. I was excited, I held my breath but I sure felt the last five minutes or so were deflated. I'm curious to see if the Alan Alda character or the GOP will become turncoats and challenge the election outcome. I'm most curious about the John Spencer character.

Sixteen days until the new Bruce album. Nothing about a tour date, so I'm biting my nails.

A's are off to a decent start. .500 or better, right? I'm calling the AL West.

Tonight, my father-in-law cracked open a 1963 bottle of Port from his private collection. It was the most heavenly liquid I've had in my mouth. Truly, nectar of the gods. I'm just glad John had one bottle to share with us. Our visit with him has been wonderful. I don't know if I've ever housed a guest for two weeks but we've laughed, eaten well, shared much history and I can say that I know and love my wife's father as a member of the family. I will miss him as he departs for his long journey.

The GOP and Bush White House are having their heads handed to them on a plate. The Congress with its cluelessness and disorganization over this immigration issue clearly paints them as a party without a vision of the future but of a majority of a desire to return to the past. Bush's tax policies have been exposed to soak the rich, but this time in its own wealth. Tom DeLay's claiming that he's been persecuted because he's a Christian. That works, except that he's from Texas, the most Christian-image-focussed state of the nation.

The Scooter Libby/Judith Miller/Iraq-fake-a-reason-to-go-to-war-gate scandal has been shown to expose Dick Cheney as the originator of the leak to expose CIA agent Valerie Plame in order to discredit U.S. Ambassador Joe Wilson's claim that the Iraq/yellow cake story was pure crap. My English teacher just flipped out and I did myself but I'm not editing that last sentence. Here's a man that does need to resign in order to save Bush's presidency and his own reputation in history. I've been reading up on historians such as Art Schlesinger, Jr. and how presidents get earn rankings in history. This current administration is truly going to be pilloried by historians for its tenure in office. Here is where I almost pity George W. Bush the man, but he appears as a cut-out Greek tragic hero that is cut down by his own hubris. Now, I don't honestly in a bit believe that the man has the intelligence to craft all that he's made himself to appear, but Bush's handlers and vice president are all the same man: W. W shows himself to be inept and proud, cocksure and faithful, though pride, ego and zealotry have almost always been seen as character traits for those who fall far short of their intended goals. Judas couldn't have been assigned greater character flaws, but heck, right now, he's seeing an upswing in the press with the gnostic gospel credited to him and how much his faithfulness and service made him appear the enemy. Five bucks says Karl Rove is pushing this story, too.