Epigraph

Oh, the Hilarity!

Greenspan's Belated Mea Culpa

"I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interest of organizations, specifically banks and others, was such as they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders."

So says the man, Alan Greenspan, at least partly responsible for the mess we're in now. What? Say it ain't so! Multi-billion dollar corporations and multi-million earning executives put greed and greater personal gain ahead of the public good! I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!

Joe Knows

Here Comes the Flood

One after another, Obama keeps racking up new endorsements. The Chicago Tribune (which has never endorsed a Democrat). The Houston Chronicle (which hasn't endorsed a Democrat since 1964). The LA Times (which has never endorsed anyone). The list goes on and on. Then Obama draws 100,000 to a St. Louis rally. Then Colin Powell endorses him. Then he raises $150 million in one month, doubling his personal record and essentially doubling McCain's entire campaign coffers. Even if it's not over it's as close to being over as can be. At this rate, even Bush will endorse Obama.

Anyway, this all adds up to a referendum, and a real one at that. If Obama runs away with this thing in two weeks, no one will be able to say boo about the results, and a horrible chapter in our recent history will finally begin to recede. Obama's will be the first true "Do-Over" presidency, beginning with undoing all the damage done before him and continuing forward by pointing the country back in the right direction.

And that's "right" in the moral sense, by the way, not "right" as in the morons, racists and nuts who blindly follow the risible Republican party, folks who always believe these repeat offender failures will somehow cut spending and taxes and make them safer despite all evidence to the contrary, and folks who turn a blind eye to all the bad things done in their name, from torture to ignoring the 21st century realities of climate change. You know, Palin's people. Anti-intellectual fanatics and fundamentalists that place gut feelings and "blinking" above common sense and the good of the country. If anyone is truly "anti-American," it's these people who have dragged us down for decades and worked to destroy all the things that do or can make us great.

Acme Campaign Destroyer

Via the Andrew Sullivan site, McCain's campaign in less than two minutes;

Ha!

I Know You Are, But What Am I?

It's sad to see what John McCain has become, yet in a vacuum, it's sort of funny in its shamelessness. His campaign has been full of lies, yet it's Obama who is now depicted the liar. It's McCain (and Palin) who have been fighting dirty, yet it's suddenly Obama who they paint as a dirty campaigner. It's McCain whose past indiscretions and associations sullied his reputation (back when he had a reputation to sully), and yet it's Obama they paint as morally and ethically dubious. Granted, none of these recent moves have been as ballsy as trying to appropriate Obama's mantle of change - I mean, come one, really? - but considering the depths he's suddenly willing to sink to in an effort to keep all the subjects that matter (and hurt him) off the table, McCain's desperate all-or-nothing strategy will likely leave him with the latter, no matter what the outcome of the election. Either way, he'll end up part pariah, part pinata, and everyone will be lining up to take a swing.

The View from There

There was a short little piece on the radio today about American expats living in Britain. Apparently there are about 250,000 there, my sister included. Anyway, the question posed was essentially what it would take to get them to move back to America.

First, let it be said that the handful of folks interviewed did not necessarily represent the majority or minority view, just a handful of folks. Second, not a single one had an "absolutely no way" attitude (which is what my sister more or less claims). And yet, each had a legitimate grievance that would need to be remedied before returning. One of them wanted more economic stability and government oversight. Another wanted universal health care and better social services. A third wanted a recognition of gay marriage that would provide all the rights they enjoyed throughout the UK. And yet all noted that even were the U.S. amenable to these changes, they doubted the country would now have the budget or resources to make them a reality. Frankly, it was embarassing to think America, formerly a beacon of hope and a good example for the rest of the world, has been relegated to second class status, out of touch and behind the times.

My parents like to argue, chauvinistically, that America is better off - safer, more secure, all that stuff - than most other countries, and particularly Europe. Apparently, despite several recent visits to the Continent, they haven't been convinced that, contrary to their various prejudices, it's the U.S. that's teetering on the brink of collapse. I mean, I hope I'm wrong. I hope the country pulls through. But at the same time, we're probably overdue. Europe languished for decades before its current boom. Japan and much of Asia did likewise. South America and Africa have barely held on for dear life. And now it's our turn in the doldrums. More and more it's looking like 1980, the proverbial morning in America, except this time it's a democrat who's the Reagan-esque rescuer, and the republicans who are the incompetents.

There's always blame to go around, and you can look back as far as you want until you find a scapegoat that strikes your fancy. Stop at Clinton, if you like. Or the the first Bush. Or Reagan or Carter. But like 9/11, in the end the blame falls squarely on the man in charge at the time. This is what it's come to. For what may be the first time ever, we've had a president that has not just negated ten years or more of progress, but actually taken us backwards.