P.S.

I know the layout of this blog looks ridiculous. But I majored in Accounting, not interior decorating (miracles and not math?).

I'm open to any and all recommendations.

Meet the Angry

Every once in a while a person comes along who captures my intrigue and amusement. Why Tim Russert? Let me sum it up for you: If you go into his Sunday morning kingdom, touting your impressive record of integrity upon which the American populace can hang their hats, he will point to the screen and up will pop the quote, "Yes, Mommy, I finished all my homework," when in fact, mere moments after your bold statement fifty years ago, your mother pointed to the undone question #4 of your second grade math homework.

The Road to the White House contains a one hour red stoplight at Nebraska Avenue NW in the Washington Bureau of NBC News. Flip-flop or contradict yourself in front of Angry Timmy, and you couldn't get elected dog catcher of your hometown. Refuse to appear on Meet the Press, and anybody who's anybody will bristle at your cowardice.

Why wait until now to dedicate this post to His Adamance, when I've been watching his show ever since the infamous interview that put him on the map: "Rabbi Christ, you poured wine into this cup, and moments later, without pouring anything out or anything else in, the exact same cup was said to contain blood. How do you explain that?" The reason for this tribute, my friends, is given in the opening moments of Democratic Debate XX on MSNBC this past Tuesday night in Ohio, as pretty boy Brian Williams introduced his moderating partner. The very next face on camera was the crazed glare of a fat man whose pork chop was just stolen and who had just been spat at in the face by the miserable thief (see the top of this post). SMILE, for crying out loud, Timmy! Or at least give a curt nod. Hillary didn't even lie to your face yet! I came close to wetting my pants in the midst of my laughter at this display.

The Buffalo, NY native's ensuing performance was excellent. Refusing to change the topic about public financing in a McCain-Obama matchup, he basically got Barack to admit he might break his own word. Pressing Senator Clinton about why she hasn't released the records of her activity as First Lady - to shed some light on her "35 years of experience" - led her to sound foolish as she blurted, "Well I'm a little busy right now!"

His coup de grace of the night, however, came during a follow-up question about Iraq, before which both candidates said upon taking office they would begin withdrawing troops immediately and then keep behind residual forces to maintain peace. In a hypothetical situation as the voice of the Iraqi government, he portrayed that nation's leaders expressing dismay at our rapid withdrawal yet willingness to keep some men behind by raging, "No! Get out! Get. Out. Now." I promptly hid under the covers.

Getting back to my point about his interviews with candidates. In mine and a good friend of mine's opinions, Ron Paul's campaign truly ended on December 23, 2007 solely at the hands of Mr. Russert. Backing Mr. Paul into a corner about the difference between his earmarking philosophy and non-corresponding actions, he, as he is wont to do, made the Republican Congressman from Texas sound like a babbling Alzheimer's patient. See for yourself in the video below, from 6:17 to 8:55



If it's Sunday, it's Meet Your Death. Go Bills!

Rando Thoughts

1. I should marry an Italian girl. They all have big families and I would never go hungry. I realized this today as Sal and his wife at Pugsley's (pizza place by my school) kept putting food in front of me as I was filling out a $200 order for Beta Alpha Psi.
2. If you insist on referring to Senator Obama as Barack Hussein Obama because "that's his full name," then please refer to his opponents as Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, John Sidney McCain III, and Michael Dale Huckabee. Until then, most people will think of you as an inane racist and Islamophobe. And before you say, "Well what about William Jefferson Clinton, Richard Millhouse Nixon, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt," please keep in mind that these men all referred to themselves as those names from time time.
3. I'm very much addicted to the Sopranos.
4. Winter just needs to kill itself. I hate running in tights and with a hat on.
5. Maureen Dowd wrote in this past Sunday's New York Times, "When historians trace how her inevitability dissolved, they will surely note this paradox: The first serious female candidate for president was rejected by voters drawn to the more feminine management style of her rival."
   
6. My Mom just bought some really delicious tea from Teavana last week. Sometimes I chew on the leaves.
   

Done

Yikes. No more politics for a while. You know it's time to give something a rest when even you're tired of it.

I just started watching The Sopranos. Yes, typical, Mike catching on to something about nine years after it started. Well, I didn't have HBO as a boy (nor do I now), but Netflix is helping me bridge some gaps. It is totally mind blowing, just the art of that show. Perhaps the first thing that people from Howard Beach and the Upper West Side can agree on since, oh, just ever.

Where You Goin', Hillary?

YOU GOIN' NOWHERE

You can have all the national conventions you want in August until the cows come home. The fight for the Democratic nomination ended on February 12, 2008.

Among women in Virginia:
Obama 59%

Among senior citizens:
Obama 52%

Among low-income people:
Obama: 50%

Among white men:
Obama: 58%

Among whites overall:
Obama: 50%

That, my friends, is what I call cutting into some Clinton constituencies. And, most importantly, that shows that white people will come out for Obama, despite what Clinton fans might want you to believe.

Just In Case You Were Wondering...

Projections are in for the Washington and Nebraska caucusii. Natch, you know who won since Caucus is Senator Obama's REAL middle name.

Some people think it's a little odd that he's swept almost every caucus except for Nevada and American Samoa (yeah, they get delegates to the party convention, but no electoral votes). I think the answer is quite clear if you think about it. What's less weird, shouting "YES WE CAN!" while standing in a group of your friends and neighbors, or sounding like a raving lunatic yelling the same by yourself behind a curtain?

Tomorrow's the Bronx Half-Marathon, which is why I'm blogging rather than partying on a Saturday evening. 'Ish me luck.

Mitt Leaves Himself Open to Another Flip-Flop

He's suspending his campaign? What, if every single Republican in next Tuesday's Potomac Primary decides to show him some sympathy, he'll be semi-back in contention and pollute our airwaves again with his phony aw-shucks oration? As Warner Wolf would say: C'maawwn! If you had Mitt Romney plus 440 delegates, you lost!"

In all seriousness, I know he's not stupid enough to try to get back in at some point, but it's just another example of how much he resists just telling it like it is. He didn't drop out of the race, he "suspended" his campaign. Just like as governor of Massachusetts, he didn't raise taxes, he increased "fees." I guess he has never taken a ride on the Straight Talk Express. As Senator McCain mentioned in one of the recent debates, I don't care if you call them bananas, people still had to pay more money.

My disapproval of Romney wasn't about his positions - which, as Mike Huckabee said in one of the best lines of this campaign season, which ones? I never knew for what he stood, and feared above all else his pandering to the base that brought us eight years of George W. Bush - who, while better than his 2004 opponent, definitely could have been unseated within his own party if it were not for Rovian politics. Bush sold his soul to the bastards, and so probably would Romney. I smiled when I heard Rush Limbaugh proclaim that McCain would destroy the party, and jumped for joy when Ann Coulter said she would campaign for Hillary Clinton if it meant John McCain was the alternative. The opinions of those two alone are enough for any sane (liberal/moderate) Republican to plant a John McCain sign in his or her lawn.

One nice thing I do have to say about Romney, though, is that he finally showed a moment of genuineness today. He admitted, the business man he is, that it is time to cut his losses. He acknowledged that staying in a race that he had no chance of winning would forestall the inevitable McCain general election campaign and thus weaken it. Like a good business man, he sacrificed the interests of the CEO for the sake of the shareholders. Maybe if he had run as a moderate Republican with a weak social conservative record but strongly qualified to run an economy, instead of running as what he is not, he would have been addressing C-PAC as the presumptive nominee today. Instead he stood there as a cheerleader for America, hoping someone else can get the job done.

Friday Tidbits

It's official: The Mets are once again the team to beat in the National League. Vegas actually improved their odds of winning the World Series from 8-1 to 5-1, somewhere between the Red Sox and Yankees.

In other news, I watched the whole thing. I can't believe I watched the whole damn thing. What I was hoping would be a slugfest, ending with Obama pummeling Clinton with left hooks while Michelle and Chelsea tumbled down the stairs of the Kodak theater on top of each other, actually proved civil and even pretty inspirational. And fine, fine, I think an Obama/Clinton ticket would probably be pretty positive, but as Barack said, that combination is much different when flipped around.

The following, according to "Don Corleone" on the Imus in the Morning Program the other day, is the reason why his "godson" Rudy lost in the Sunshine State:

In Florida, there are too many old people. They take sides based on what they have heard last. Rudy speaks to them and they nod as they drool in their oatmeal. They swear their loyalty and respect and then as soon as he leaves their sight they turn to one another and say, "Who was that? Where am I? When is Bingo?" I thought I made them an offer they couldn't refuse, but instead it was an offer they couldn't remember.