buzz twang

The wingnut blogosphere is buzzing that Bob Dole has “unloaded” on Scott McClellan. Bob Dole? Bob Dole?!!!!

When they start yanking the dusty statues from the dark corners, it usually means the building is going to collapse.

Having grown up watching the Carol Burnett Show, and the movies of Mel Brooks, Harvey Korman was a household name in my house. Watching Harvey trying not to laugh is one of the greatest laugh inducing things ever:

Also, director Sydney Pollack passed away. He made a lot of films, three of them are IMHO, classics:
Jeremiah Johnson, Three Days of the Condor, and The Sketches of Frank Gehry.

Here’s a clip from Three Days of the Condor, a film which pretty much predicted the middle east and world situation we are now deep into… If you haven’t seen it, you should.

Speaks for itself:

What we are seeing is a man with a conscience revolting against the tyranny he witnessed and took part in.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, Matt Drudge has had “Scott the Snitch” on his propaganda site all day, an attempt to paint former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, who has a new book coming out that is not kind to his former employer, as a turncoat. It’s rather interesting for a couple of reasons.

The word “snitch” is a pejorative that means “informant”, and in it’s most popular usage is associated with criminals and mobsters who break with their masters and turn. So, in a sense, Drudge is implying that the White House is mob like. It’s an appellation that isn’t really used in any other context other than refering to informing on others where a crime has been committed to denigrate that person. The appropriate term here would be “whistle blower”. But that doesn’t serve Drudge nor his masters.

And, of course, the White House are following the party attack line, calling McClellan “disgruntled“, or “out of the loop” or insert ad hominem here. No doubt he’ll be “insane” by the end of the media cycle. Look for the Freepers and extremist wing nut blogs to fill that hole with bile.

Keep in mind, the only news here is that it’s a former loyalist saying that the Bush White House chose propaganda over policy. We’ve heard this accusation before. The propaganda over policy issue, and why is was implemented, was a topic on this blog nearly FOUR YEARS AGO, and the facts bare this out. It was an attempt to polarize the public with fear and solidify and maintain power in that manner.

Ultimately, history will tell the story of whether George W. Bush was simply over his head, or a willing puppet who stood by playing golf and spouting propaganda while Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld implemented disastrous policy. Personally, I think Dubya is an ideological tool of Cheney. Not smart enough to engage policy in any meaningful manner, he simply agrees with whatever Dick says and catapults the propaganda like a good doggy.

Not a bad job if you can get it. Alas, the real world is a bit more serious than this piss ant approach to to governing and policy. And, we will pay the price for the insipid, emotional playground politics of this White House.

We already are.

What I see in NYC. Probably my favorite painter, Caravaggio. The denial of St. Peter.

What I see in NYC. st. bart's chapel. love the hanging lights.

What I see in NYC. sunset west from where I came.

What I see. big sky.

What I see. painting by jim franksen circa 1989. find the face.