For nearly two presidential terms, the loyal sheep of the Republican party swallowed their reservations. The offset was too enticing. If they remained perfectly loyal to the sometimes irrational dictates of the Bush administration...the Bush administration would remain loyal to them. A permanent GOP majority was the goal--wasn't that what Herr Rove promised? Surely a little capitulation...a few chips off the Constitution...a few war deaths...were worth that prize.
But guess what. As those sheep now recognize their inevitable path to another electoral slaughter, they are attempting to jump the fence. Question the torture...worry now about the forfeit of individual rights...even belatedly withdraw your previously unfailing support for the Iraq fiasco. Senators now are rising...one after another...to acknowledge what the President would never concede--any sign of fallibility with George and Dick's Excellent Adventure. As if their 'courage' now could bring back the tens--maybe hundreds of thousands of deaths that this abortive decision wrought.
Well, my GOP friends, you now understand the not-so-hidden underside of the Bush omerta. Loyalty is essential. But it works only one way.
You pay homage to him.
He walks out on you--just like he did his military obligation to the country.
diderot
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Ruled by the Mob
For the sake of argument, let's say you're one of the few remaining citizens who believes in George Bush--that his intentions were honorable, his patriotism pure, his fiasco in Iraq a simple mistake, his true nature sincere and divinely guided and quintessentially American.
Then you should be asked to explain this: the vast majority of his White House employees, bound by the laws of the land, including post-Watergate mandates for transparency, virtually ignored the governmental email system--instead choosing to communicate almost exclusively via their personal Republican party accounts.
This is criminal. This is illegal (see the Hatch Act). This is something to make even Tony Soprano blush.
Now a semi-honest Congressional investigation says it would like to see exactly what those governmental employees were doing at our expense on their party emails.
Guess what. Of the 81 employees whose records are sought, 55 somehow can find no record of how they corresponded. Nothing.
Remember that Nixon was impeached esssentially for erasing one single tape recording.
You remaining Bush supporters can call your President incompetent, or clueless, or simply stupid. But in any case, a crime is a crime. He should spend his remaining time in a jailyard full of stocky inmates named Bluto.
Then the could do to him what for almost seven years he has done to all of us.
diderot
Then you should be asked to explain this: the vast majority of his White House employees, bound by the laws of the land, including post-Watergate mandates for transparency, virtually ignored the governmental email system--instead choosing to communicate almost exclusively via their personal Republican party accounts.
This is criminal. This is illegal (see the Hatch Act). This is something to make even Tony Soprano blush.
Now a semi-honest Congressional investigation says it would like to see exactly what those governmental employees were doing at our expense on their party emails.
Guess what. Of the 81 employees whose records are sought, 55 somehow can find no record of how they corresponded. Nothing.
Remember that Nixon was impeached esssentially for erasing one single tape recording.
You remaining Bush supporters can call your President incompetent, or clueless, or simply stupid. But in any case, a crime is a crime. He should spend his remaining time in a jailyard full of stocky inmates named Bluto.
Then the could do to him what for almost seven years he has done to all of us.
diderot
Sunday, June 10, 2007
What's Wrong With America?
It's not often you can find out the answer to that question in a single hour's time. And all you have to do is sit yourself in front of the computer and watch Sunday's replay of Meet the Press. The proceedings lay bare the roots of what's poisoning our political discourse, protecting our pimping press, and accelerating the disintegrating state of our national character.
The initial pas de deux features Colin Powell and Tim Russert, not simply rewriting history, but effectively ignoring it as they attempt to pirouette past the damning evidence that proves the role of each in the disastrous killings of nearly 3,500 unwitting U.S. service people in Iraq. Powell, attempting to exonerate himself, instead displays what a weak, pathetic, puerile and cowardly lion he really is. Yes, he admits, 'we were wrong'--but it wasn't his fault. It was the intelligence community--and the Congress--and the administration--and, in fact, 'all of America' who believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
Utter and treasonous bullshit.
Before the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest, not because they were troublemakers or anarchists or Bush-haters. But because they were Americans. They were patriots. They were willing to wait for facts...willing to protect our Constitution...willing to speak truth to power.
On that last point, enter the weasel Russert.
Now...after the bloodshed; after the unmasking; after the weeping widows and children...he can act the role of the still pandering inquisitor, putting to Powell all the questions, now faux, that would have been so helpful, so responsible, so demonstrative of at least the minimal journalistic competence had he the honesty and cojones to ask them when it mattered. He, like Powell, continues to walk in the inextinguishable light of his own ego, capable of wishing away the dark alleys of his own malfeasance.
Then, after the break, ushered in on cue is the great antidote for the lunatic right threatened by any uncomfortable truth--yet another attack on Hillary Clinton. Its mad doctors are current and former reporters for the New York Times, partners in profiteering on yet another helping of putrid slime for the uncaged neocon cannibals. Foremost is Jeff Gerth, possibly the worst, and certainly the most damaging journalist in the history of our republic. He is the author of one delusional and ultimately discredited fabrication after another, from Whitewater to Wen Ho Lee to Loral Communications--each of which sailed inexplicably past the would be editors of that would be left wing newspaper. This man should be behind bars--not continuing to soil the national fabric with his filthy game of make believe.
But instead, see how much easier it is for the 'insiders' of journalism and the body politic to pretend none of their sins ever happened...exculpated by the holy water of their own self-righteousness...cozy in the comfort that the vast legions of Beltway co-conspirators will protect them from the slightest taint of wasted American blood and tears that so decidedly stains their souls...if not their consciousness.
diderot
The initial pas de deux features Colin Powell and Tim Russert, not simply rewriting history, but effectively ignoring it as they attempt to pirouette past the damning evidence that proves the role of each in the disastrous killings of nearly 3,500 unwitting U.S. service people in Iraq. Powell, attempting to exonerate himself, instead displays what a weak, pathetic, puerile and cowardly lion he really is. Yes, he admits, 'we were wrong'--but it wasn't his fault. It was the intelligence community--and the Congress--and the administration--and, in fact, 'all of America' who believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
Utter and treasonous bullshit.
Before the invasion, hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to protest, not because they were troublemakers or anarchists or Bush-haters. But because they were Americans. They were patriots. They were willing to wait for facts...willing to protect our Constitution...willing to speak truth to power.
On that last point, enter the weasel Russert.
Now...after the bloodshed; after the unmasking; after the weeping widows and children...he can act the role of the still pandering inquisitor, putting to Powell all the questions, now faux, that would have been so helpful, so responsible, so demonstrative of at least the minimal journalistic competence had he the honesty and cojones to ask them when it mattered. He, like Powell, continues to walk in the inextinguishable light of his own ego, capable of wishing away the dark alleys of his own malfeasance.
Then, after the break, ushered in on cue is the great antidote for the lunatic right threatened by any uncomfortable truth--yet another attack on Hillary Clinton. Its mad doctors are current and former reporters for the New York Times, partners in profiteering on yet another helping of putrid slime for the uncaged neocon cannibals. Foremost is Jeff Gerth, possibly the worst, and certainly the most damaging journalist in the history of our republic. He is the author of one delusional and ultimately discredited fabrication after another, from Whitewater to Wen Ho Lee to Loral Communications--each of which sailed inexplicably past the would be editors of that would be left wing newspaper. This man should be behind bars--not continuing to soil the national fabric with his filthy game of make believe.
But instead, see how much easier it is for the 'insiders' of journalism and the body politic to pretend none of their sins ever happened...exculpated by the holy water of their own self-righteousness...cozy in the comfort that the vast legions of Beltway co-conspirators will protect them from the slightest taint of wasted American blood and tears that so decidedly stains their souls...if not their consciousness.
diderot
Friday, June 8, 2007
John Drury
For some reason, I woke up this morning thinking about John Drury, probably the most kind, decent, caring and self-effacing co-worker I've ever known. That claim is all the more noteworthy because John was a TV anchorman in the 70's, a job where an outsized ego and self-centeredness were almost prerequisites.
We worked together for WLS-TV in Chicago, an 'owned-and-operated' station, meaning the network itself held the keys, rather than some independent local concern. And for them, this was an extremely lucrative proposition; their five 'O and O's' generated far more profit than the network itself. We were among the first 'Eyewitness News' formats, derided accurately by competitors as a 'happy talk' substitute for real news. And indeed, the nature of our product was kinetic, and often nearly vaudevillian in nature.
Against this, John was as comfortable and welcoming as your grandpa's Barcalounger.
In those days, Channel 7 dominated the local news ratings. The competitors vainly tried to copy the format, to no avail. Eventually WBBM, the CBS station in town, figured out it might as well do something different, and began presenting itself as the 'hard news' alternative. Same actors, different play. But following classical marketing theory, it worked. When you can't compete doing the same thing, doing something different is frequently helpful. (Think Volkswagen in the same era, putting the lowly Bug up against all those behemoth U.S. models). And thus, WBBM went from being a blip on the ratings meters to two blips.
Enter the dramatic conflict. The network's roving band of 'outside consultants' arrived in town, and began a presentation with their trusty foam-core boards (yes, Virginia, there was a time before Powerpoint). What those graphs showed was that, IF THE TREND CONTINUED, WBBM could indeed catch WLS in the ratings race in a couple of years! Whatever will you do?
(It should be noted that WBBM's small increase came largely at the expense of the other station in town, not WLS. The ratings and other research showed that people still loved the WLS product and people as much as ever.)
The droll and disgusted news director of the station put the question right back to the consultants--'well, what would you do?'
Unfortunately, they were ready with an answer. "In order to show the market that you're not complacent, you've got to shake things up. Show some aggression."
"OK," the news director said distractedly. "Exactly how do we do that?"
"We think you've got to fire one of you main anchors. Doesn't make any difference which one. Just fire someone."
No one was distracted anymore.
The news director lasted about 60 seconds more before getting up, proclaiming this 'the stupidest f**king idea I've ever heard", and walking out of the room.
You can guess the rest. A couple months later John Drury was out of a job...and the news director departed not long after.
There was a flood of protest after Drury's departure. "How could you take him off the air? We love him!", was the general tenor of the thousands of respondents. Unfortunately, the consultants were not around to advise exactly how to answer that question.
But when the news director...the guy who built the ratings powerhouse from the foundation up...was ushered out the door for his insubordination, those same consultants were quick to begin collecting additional fees for 'finding' his successor. The man they chose arrived with a decent resume...and a nasty cocaine habit.
And thus did one of the dynasties in the history of local news begin to dismantle itself.
John Drury rebounded nicely. He became the iconic anchor for the independent WGN TV for years...poetically returned to WLS to finish his anchor career...and was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame.
Sometimes nice guys do finish first.
diderot
We worked together for WLS-TV in Chicago, an 'owned-and-operated' station, meaning the network itself held the keys, rather than some independent local concern. And for them, this was an extremely lucrative proposition; their five 'O and O's' generated far more profit than the network itself. We were among the first 'Eyewitness News' formats, derided accurately by competitors as a 'happy talk' substitute for real news. And indeed, the nature of our product was kinetic, and often nearly vaudevillian in nature.
Against this, John was as comfortable and welcoming as your grandpa's Barcalounger.
In those days, Channel 7 dominated the local news ratings. The competitors vainly tried to copy the format, to no avail. Eventually WBBM, the CBS station in town, figured out it might as well do something different, and began presenting itself as the 'hard news' alternative. Same actors, different play. But following classical marketing theory, it worked. When you can't compete doing the same thing, doing something different is frequently helpful. (Think Volkswagen in the same era, putting the lowly Bug up against all those behemoth U.S. models). And thus, WBBM went from being a blip on the ratings meters to two blips.
Enter the dramatic conflict. The network's roving band of 'outside consultants' arrived in town, and began a presentation with their trusty foam-core boards (yes, Virginia, there was a time before Powerpoint). What those graphs showed was that, IF THE TREND CONTINUED, WBBM could indeed catch WLS in the ratings race in a couple of years! Whatever will you do?
(It should be noted that WBBM's small increase came largely at the expense of the other station in town, not WLS. The ratings and other research showed that people still loved the WLS product and people as much as ever.)
The droll and disgusted news director of the station put the question right back to the consultants--'well, what would you do?'
Unfortunately, they were ready with an answer. "In order to show the market that you're not complacent, you've got to shake things up. Show some aggression."
"OK," the news director said distractedly. "Exactly how do we do that?"
"We think you've got to fire one of you main anchors. Doesn't make any difference which one. Just fire someone."
No one was distracted anymore.
The news director lasted about 60 seconds more before getting up, proclaiming this 'the stupidest f**king idea I've ever heard", and walking out of the room.
You can guess the rest. A couple months later John Drury was out of a job...and the news director departed not long after.
There was a flood of protest after Drury's departure. "How could you take him off the air? We love him!", was the general tenor of the thousands of respondents. Unfortunately, the consultants were not around to advise exactly how to answer that question.
But when the news director...the guy who built the ratings powerhouse from the foundation up...was ushered out the door for his insubordination, those same consultants were quick to begin collecting additional fees for 'finding' his successor. The man they chose arrived with a decent resume...and a nasty cocaine habit.
And thus did one of the dynasties in the history of local news begin to dismantle itself.
John Drury rebounded nicely. He became the iconic anchor for the independent WGN TV for years...poetically returned to WLS to finish his anchor career...and was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame.
Sometimes nice guys do finish first.
diderot
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