Monthly Archives: August 2008

We Will Not Grow Up

Posted on August 26, 2008 by

Commentary here will pause for a week – a bit of vacation, a week visiting family in Cincinnati. New commentary will resume on Thursday, September 4, or shortly thereafter – although there may be some shorter posts as possible.   … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, American Childishness, Assessing the Surge, Attacks on Obama, Bill Clinton versus Obama, Celebrity, Defending Georgia, Democratic Convention, Empty Threats, Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton Shows Real Class, Hillary Clinton's Convention Speech, McCain on the Leno Show, McCain the Warrior, McCain versus Russia, McCain's Many Homes, Michelle Obama's Convention Speech, Nouri al-Maliki, Obama: Uppity, Russian Empire, Timelines for Withdrawal, Tony Rezko | 1 Comment

Big News from Denver and Bigger News Elsewhere

Posted on August 25, 2008 by

Monday, August 25, 2008, and the Democratic National Convention opened. Yes, pre-packaged hurrah-for-our-side silliness, but the first day had its moments.   The last Kennedy left standing, of the four brothers – coming off surgery to remove what they could … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheney, Cindy McCain, Democratic Convention, Democrats do Something Right, Foreign Policy, History Being Made, McCain, McCain: Hot-Head, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama's Convention Speech, Neoconservate Thought, New Cold War, Nouri al-Maliki, Patriotism, Post-Racial America, Race and America, Russia and Georgia War, Russian Empire, Ted Kennedy, Ted Kennedy in Denver, The Russo-Georgian War, Timelines for Withdrawal, Withdrawal From Iraq | Leave a comment

Anticipating the Democratic National Convention

Posted on August 24, 2008 by

See John Harwood in the New York Times blog, The Caucus. Political conventions have been dying, even if dying very slowly:   The first blow came from presidential primaries, whose growth in recent decades has taken the power to select … Continue reading →

Posted in Attacks on Obama, Chris Matthews, Democratic Convention, Frank Rich, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Shows Real Class, Interfering in the Democratic Convention, Journalism, Keith Olbermann, Maureen Dowd, McCain, McCain's Free Pass, McCain's Many Homes, Obama Chooses Biden, Obama's VP Choice, Petraeus for VP, Rick Brown | 2 Comments

The Biden Gambit

Posted on August 23, 2008 by

Saturday, August 23, 2008 – Obama and Biden Team Makes Public Debut (Reuters) – and that was that:   Obama tapped the Delaware senator, a leading voice on international affairs, as his vice presidential running mate earlier on Saturday.   … Continue reading →

Posted in A Real American, Attack Politics, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton Shows Real Class, Joe Biden, McCain, McCain's Service, New Cold War, Obama, Obama Chooses Biden, Obama's VP Choice, Race and America, Race and Politics | Leave a comment

Kafka in Hollywood

Posted on August 22, 2008 by

Friday evening August 22, out here on this quiet block above this end of the Sunset Strip, was quite pleasant – the distant lights starting to glow in the multimillion dollar homes out back, up in the Hollywood Hills – … Continue reading →

Posted in Betrayal, Bush and Maliki agree to Timetable, Eldon Smith aka John McCain, Empty Threats, Franz Kafka, Obama, Realpolitik Returns, Republicans for Obama, Shiite versus Shiite, Susan Eisenhower, The Iraq War Ends, Timelines for Withdrawal, Withdrawal From Iraq | 1 Comment

Moving Beyond Jesus

Posted on August 21, 2008 by

Thursday, August 21, and a news item from Reuters no one ever expected:   A slim majority of Americans, including more conservatives and Republicans than previously, want to keep religion out of politics, a survey released on Thursday found.   … Continue reading →

Posted in Attack Politics, Church and State, McCain's Free Pass, McCain's Many Homes, McCain's Wealth, Moving Beyond Jesus, Obama Strikes Back, Obama Too Cool, Religion and Politics, Tony Rezko, William Ayers | Leave a comment

Assuming People Are Impressed by Empty Bluster

Posted on August 20, 2008 by

Okay, sometime in the seventies, with the rise of the sort of pop psychology that centered on authenticity, openness and issues of self-esteem, it became conventional wisdom that suppressing your feelings would likely kill you. It was important to vent … Continue reading →

Posted in Appeasement or Realism, Defending Georgia, Diplomacy, Empty Threats, European Values, Foreign Policy, McCain and the Draft, McCain's Authenticity, McCain: Hot-Head, Missile Deal with Poland, Needless Provocation, No Military Options, Obama Too Cool, Pop Psychology, Self-Control and Dignity, The French | Leave a comment