Rev. Wright Round II

I defended Reverand Jeremiah Wright in a recent post, and was happy to do so. His antics yesterday however, were certainly bizarre in terms of motivation. To use a term Howard Cosell used when interviewing Muhammad Ali, Wright behaved rather truculantly. Wright has done himself, the black church, and Barack Obama a disservice. His behavior has played directly into the hands of those who would dismiss the legitimacy of his pulpit and his message of dissent, not to mention the candidacy of Senator Obama. Wright deserves our respect for serving in the military and the work he has done in the south-side of Chicago, and it therefore saddens me that he has behaved so recklessly.



Nevertheless, I was not outraged at what Wright said, but more by the manner in which he conducted himself, which was contrary to the ideal vision of a pastor. His conduct at the national press club was arrogant, but also hilarious. I particularly enjoyed his dancing and when he threw his hands up much like a football player after answering a particular question with a strong sense self-satisfaction.

Obama Not Quite Outfoxed?

Barack Obama finally appeared on Fox News in an interview with Chris Wallace today, ending the 772 day Obama watch. Obama did pretty well in the interview, which was surprisingly "fair and balanced". I don't think anyone would consider the majority of Wallace's questions to be softball. You can check out the transcript and see for yourself. In the post interview coverage Brit Hume made pretty astute calls on Obama skating by a few of the questions, but praising the overall effort. I often hear Fox decried as being a bastion of horrendous journalism, but I don't know if that's always the case.

Obama should have appeared on the Fox long ago, or at least when the first rumblings of the Jeremiah Wright controversy began to stir. I think this interview will certainly help Obama attract some of those white middle-class voters. It took a lot of guts for Obama to go on Fox News, especially the way things have transpired in the last month or so.

Goddamn America!

Bill Moyers sat down with Jeremiah Wright for a much needed discussion last night. Click on the following links if you have not had a chance to see what the man has to say.
Bill Moyers & Jeremiah Wright part 1
Bill Moyers & Jeremiah Wright part 2
These are direct links to the PBS page, which are better than trying to watch the interview on YouTube. Of course Newt Gingrich blithely dismissed Moyers as a far-left fringe supporter and apologist. After hearing what Wright has to say I can only explain the controversy surrounding his now infamous sermon, I can only conclude that America has a problem with people who tell the truth, especially if they are black. The "chickens have come to roost" comment is surely no worse than what Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell had to say following 9/11, yet no one is drudging up those comments and attaching them to McCain even though he has received their support in his bid for the presidency. Last time McCain ran for president he denounced Falwell as an "agent of intolerance," but he has since reversed his position. I will concede that the principal difference is that McCain is not a member of either Robertson or Falwell's church.

America's chickens have come home to roost. We have murdered innocent people and propped up oppressive regimes all across the globe, but apparently the American people don't want to face these hard facts. Our government has committed atrocities, and we need to acknowledge these and move on to create a better government and world.

We have been lied to and manipulated. Does anyone consider the Vietnam War a just war? We were lied to about the Gulf of Tonkin incident. We were lied to about WMD, we we lied to about links to Al Qaeda, we were lied to about liberating the Iraqi people, we were lied to about oil. If you aren't outraged, you simply haven't been paying attention. We were lied to and now we have gotten ourselves into a giant Chinese finger trap with no end in sight. Has our presence in Iraq made us safer? Has our presence in Iraq weakened terrorism?

Hillary Needs to Chillary Allready

The race for the Democratic nomination is perhaps the most spirited political race of the century. I think it is a great thing for the Democratic party to have two "outstanding" candidates to choose from, at least if you ask Democrats.
I find the amount of attacks that the Clintons are leveling against Barack Obama to be a bit on the extreme side. For the love of god, do they not realize that they are both Democrats. John McCain has been less vociferous in his attacks on Obama than Hillary and I find that shameful. I have more respect for the McCain campaign than for the Clinton campaign. The Clintons are letting McCain off of the hook drastically and making themselves look pathetically desperate in their quest to win the nomination.
Let me qualify my remarks by saying that I do not buy into the media hype that this race is tearing the Democratic party apart, but I do think the Clintons should be chastised for their negative campaigning. Do they not realize that their credibility is rapidly dissolving, at least among those of us paying close attention. Obama's has amazingly been able to stay above the fray, but how long can he keep on the defensive? The fact that Obama has eschewed negative campaigning (certainly in comparison to the Clintons) only bolsters Obama's appeal in my mind. If the Clinton's only successful strategy is mudslinging shouldn't that provide them and Democratic voters that they are desperate and will resort to any tactic they feel will gain them a percentage point. Say what you will about Obama; he may be a politician, but at least he's good at it.

It Will Go Wrong at the Worst Time

I came across this article on Digg http://www.null-hypothesis.co.uk/science/spoof/articles/sods_law_mathematical_proof_humour that confirmed what many of us allready know. If something can go wrong it will go wrong, and at the worst possible instant. Now there is mathematical proof that our lives are tragically determined by of all things a mathematical equation. The universe is ultimately comprised of an infinite number of dice being rolled for every possible outcome. Hoorah for free will.

HBO John Adams Mini-series

I have recently started to watch the HBO mini-series based on David McCullough's book John Adams. Five episodes into the series I am very impressed with the writing, acting, and most of all the cinematography. The visual style is very surreal and incorporates Dutch angles frequently. This combined with excellent set design and costuming makes the viewer feel as if we are being transported to a strange alternate universe where the political climate seems eerily similar to our own.

Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney star in the series, but the cast is ripe with ensemble appearances by many fine actors. Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin and Danny Huston as Sam Adams deliver excellent performances, but the standout performance in my opinion is Stephen Dillane as a very aloof Thomas Jefferson.

Giamatti's performance is excellent, but I think the likability of John Adams diminishes some of the appreciation of his performance. Linney really shines as Abigail Adams.

I highly recommend the series.