Month: September 2003 (Page 2 of 7)

Credibility

Does anyone believe anything that comes out of Bush’s mouth anymore? Anyone? Bueller?

This story is great because it also highlights how Colin Powell said, six months before 9/11, that sanctions against Saddam were working.

“I didn’t change my assessment,” said Powell today.

As Josh Marshall said on Talking Points Memo the other day, this administration runs on not results, but credibility. And the tank is empty.

The West Wing

I thought the “West Wing” premiere last night was brilliant. In addition to deepening the storm of problems faced by the characters at the end of last season, this new crisis holds a funhouse mirror up to our current situation. When the camera panned over the candles and signs left for kidnapped Presidential daughter Zoey Bartlet, I couldn’t help thinking of similar displays around the world after Sept. 11. And the blustery interim President’s response was quite evocative as well.

Best writing on TV right now, bar none.

Michael Moore responds to the right-wing attacks on “Bowling for Columbine.” Good reading.

What’s always fascinated me about “Bowling” is that while Moore castigates the NRA and Charlton Heston for some of their tactics, he’s not some sort of gun-hating commie. He even talks about how Canada has as many guns, gun owners and hunters as we do, but we have exponentially more gun violence. Moore’s real target, it seems to me, is the media that whips up fear of “the other” in the public’s mind. When you don’t feel safe, even if the reasons are fake, you lock your door and grab your gun. That’s the real message of Moore’s movie, if you ask me.

The sky is cloudy and I am cloudy. We match.

Bush to World: Drop Dead!

I confess that things have gotten so bad, I can barely look at GWB when he pops up on TV. It’s physically painful for me, like when I accidentally see some of those surgery closeups on TLC.

But I caught a couple of minutes of his infuriating speech to the U.N. this morning. In the funny way the universe works, all I saw were some strange comments about the international sex trade – what the hell was that doing in a speech about Iraq? So there’s not much else I can comment on. The headline link has a pretty good rundown, for those who can stomach it, from Slate.

Sometimes horoscopes can be strangely insightful. Here’s mine:

Cancer
You like things more than you like people right now. Things stay where you put them and bend easily to your will. People develop opinions about you, some of which make you happy and some of which have to be corrected. Anyone trying to burst the balloon of your elaborate joke will find a lot more than hot air inside. In your own flamboyant way, you’re telling the truth. Once you drop the cheerful curmudgeon act, it turns out that you really love people. They’re wonderful to touch and fun for sharing good ideas and good times. You also love people because they can applaud.

Commerce observations

1. I used a “self-checkout” station at Shopko the other day, where you stand at what looks like a giant ATM machine and scan your own purchases. It was fascinating and vaguely disturbing all at the same time.

2. Apparently there’s been a new sales seminar at Best Buy. The salespeople, especially the ones who roam the “Oh my god is he really going to buy a flat-screen TV?” area, are required to stride up to you, shake your hand, announce their name in a loud purposeful voice, and then demand to know yours. Anyone who’s ever read this site will know exactly how I feel about this new strategy.

3. My mortgage bank office is in a mini-mall right next to a Check-N-Go.

Family

Admittedly, a lot of my photographs don’t have any people in them. To counter this a little bit, I made a TypePad gallery of some family photos, taken by me and others. Enjoy.

Matchstick Men

I saw four movies this weekend, a lot even for me. Friday was “Magdalene Sisters,” and Saturday was “Underworld.” Then yesterday afternoon, because I wanted to get out of the house, I saw the regrettable “Cold Creek Manor” with Sharon Stone. It doesn’t even merit a review, except possibly for Stephen Dorff’s naked sweaty torso on display through the first third of the movie.

Then late last night came “Matchstick Men.” I wasn’t expecting much; my friend Paul’s prejudice that a movie with Nicholas Cage will probably suck has seeped somewhat into my own consciousness. Plus, my brother had just finished telling me he didn’t like it. But I was pleasantly surprised. Cage grabs hold of his neurotic con man character Roy and doesn’t let go, much like the bulldogs Roy seems fond of. Great stuff also from Alison Lohman as Cage’s long-lost teenage daughter, and Sam Rockwell of “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” as Cage’s partner.

Anyone expecting a conventional caper movie (like Ocean’s Eleven or similar) will probably be disappointed. It’s more of a character study wrapped in caper.

Recommended.

Lunchtime conversation

Me: There’s a lid for every pot. At least I hope so. Right now, all I have is the pot.

Michele: That’s OK. After all, you can still cook without a lid.