alternative hippopotamus

In the late 1970's I remember being very impressed by an interview with Ron Nessen. He was talking about Ford's campaign loss, and the devestating role that SNL's depiction of him as an off-balance bumbler, ordering his stuffed dog Liberty around:

Gerald Ford: [Sits back down] Ron, you've got to be here when I call you. [To Liberty] Roll over, Liberty. Good boy. [To Nessen] Now, Ron, tell me about these rumors that I'm gonna fire you. What is that all about?

Ron Nessen: Well, I have heard those rumors, Sir.

Gerald Ford: Are they true?

At the time I thought that this would change elections for the rest of American history. In politics, satire would be a deadly weapon, a weapon that the left would wield more effectively. That was thirty years ago. And with a few noted exceptions, the Al Frankens and Jon Stewarts of the world, the use of comedy to create a political message has almost evaporated.

I was reminded of this when I read this Consortiumnews piece:

At one point, an exasperated “Bush” threatened the director to a fight: “What do you mean ‘cut’? Well, you can do it yourself, jackass. I’m going to fight you. Are we going to throw down right now?”

The Ferrell video was the creation of Los Angeles-based Balcony Films, which was doing work for America Coming Together (ACT). After watching the long-form version of Ferrell’s performance, I turned to the executive producer (and friend), Julie Bergman Sender, and told her that if the video were widely broadcast on American television, I couldn’t envision Bush winning.

As it turned out, that never happened. The media side of ACT played it safe, sticking to the mantra of increased voter turnout.

This time, ladies and gentlebloggers, let's nail the fundies, freepers, and neocons to the wall.
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Novak hits fan, goes radioactive: (BayouBuzz)

The embarrassing episode caps a pretty bad summer for Novak. His shows "Capital Gang" and "Crossfire" have been canceled. He has a leading role in the controversial Valerie Plame case, being the first journalist to reveal her name in a column. Journalists keep asking Novak about his involvement in the case and to answer some important questions, such as

• Where did he get the information about Plame´s CIA identity?
• Has he been subpoenaed?
• What information has he told the special prosecutor?
• Where does he keep his coffin? [ed: not really, I just added that for fun.]

Less noticed is this speech he gave Wednesday to 200 students attending the Young Americas Foundation conference: (Human Events Online)

“Why am I called the Prince of Darkness? Well, I like to say that it’s because I’m for small government, low taxes and individual economic freedom -- all of which are satanic characteristics in this town,” said Novak. “But I think really why I am called the Prince of Darkness is that I tend to be a critic and look at the glass as half empty rather than half full. And the fact of the matter is, I am a journalist.”

Well, Novakula, it may have something to do with your habit of spinning leaks into right-wing hit jobs.

Payback is the bitch goddess of Karma, Bobbie Boy.
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USA Today:

CANTON, Ohio — Pastor Russell Johnson paces across the broad stage as he decries the "secular jihadists" who have "hijacked" America, accuses the public schools of neglecting to teach that Hitler was "an avid evolutionist" and links abortion to children who murder their parents.

Washington Post:

The sleeping bag was the idea of a soldier who remembered how his older brother used to force him into one, and how scared and vulnerable it made him feel. Senior officers in charge of the facility near the Syrian border believed that such "claustrophobic techniques" were approved ways to gain information from detainees, part of what military regulations refer to as a "fear up" tactic, according to military court documents.

Steven Vincent:

Words matter. Words convey moral clarity. Without moral clarity, we will not succeed in Iraq.

I would say instead, that words are often used to create the illusion of moral clarity. (Another argument is that moral clarity is itself a meaningless phrase.) I don't think it's a coincidence that a block of the war supporters and fundamentalists both use similarly emotionally charged language. To a large extent, they even sound alike. In both cases the world is divided into Us and Them. And Us by necessity is morally clear.

Dualistic thinking provides a basis for self-justification, to disguise even sadistic practises, such as the torture example above, as being part of the larger plan of "moral clarity".

Or, to put it differently: Who Would Jesus Torture?
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• PM: "I've Wee Gastrointestinal Hike" (link)
• 10 Jurymen Dig Aurora-borealis, End CBS/FM (link)
• Non-Compos-Mentis Maitre-d'Hotel Rubs Bananas, Snubs Pea (link)

Brought to you courtesy Martin's Java Applet Anagram Generator. If it's Martin's Java, you know it's Variant Jams.

Update: As a courtesy to my French readers:

• P.M. : "J'ai La Hausse Gastro-intestinale Petite"
• L'Aurore-borealis De Fouille De 10 Membres du jury, Extrémité CBS/FM
• Les Non-Compos-Mentis Maitre-d'Hotel Frotte Des Bananes, Rembarre Le Pois

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The Senate hadn't been out of Washington for more than a few days when President Bush decided he would no longer tolerate Democratic obstruction of his nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations. He gave John Bolton a recess appointment to represent the United States at the corruption-ridden international body.

- Jeff Gannon, A Voice of the New Media

He just makes me giggle.
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Anonymous Liberal has a provocative post about Judith Miller, and her role in the leak of Valerie Plame's covert identity. While A.L. is focusing on the notion that Miller laundered the leak through her own contacts, there are other forms of active roles she may have played that don't go to that extent.

Here's an example from All The President's Men that suggests how reporters get caught up in political dirtywork: (All The President's Men, page 54)

On the freeway, a billboard caught his eye. It pictured a handsome, thirtyish, blond man who looked like a model in a cigarette ad. "Vote for Neal Sonnett, State's Attorney, Dade County," it said. Bernstein's anger at the chief investigator turned to rage.

A couple of weeks before, Dardis had called him for a favor. "It's on a case we're working, not related to Watergate," he had told Bernstein. "You must have some friends at the Pentagon or somewhere in the military. If you could get somebody to look up the records for you... " Then he asked for any possible derogatory information- arrests, mental illnesses, history of homosexuality- in the file of a Neal Sonnet.

A Pentagon colonel had agreed to try to get Sonnett's military information for Bernstein, and just before the Republican convention Bernstein had called Dardis to tell him so. Fortunately, Dardis had said he didn't need it any more.

In this case Bernstein was willing to get damaging material on a source's political opponent, though he makes it clear that he didn't know what use the information would be put, and would probably not have approved if he'd known.

I use this example to suggest the possibility that Miller may not have been the source of the leak, but if all the facts came out, she wouldn't look 100% above-board either.
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