More than 30 journalists and media workers have been murdered or have vanished since December 2006. As vast self-censorship takes hold, Mexico's future as a free and democratic society is at risk.
Kinda cute. Hat tip to Ray Buckley, who posted this at Blue Hampshire. The Peter Finch screen cap is slightly misleading, it's not just a Network clip.
OK, want to hear why Game Change is problematic? Briefly, the technique of telling the story from inside the campaigns, while fascinating, doesn't tell enough of the story. Events are generally scored by how the campaigns and what bloggers like to call The Village (Washington officials and the Washington press corps) saw them.
For example, there is discussion of Barack Obama as a phenomenon, but it's dismissed too easily, almost a curiosity but not something real in the electorate. And when John McCain invokes "being tied up at the time" as a slam at Hillary Clinton supporting a Woodstock Museum, his campaign cheered and it may have thrilled some GOPers, but that was a mistake. Nobody wanted to continue the culture war.
I enjoyed it, though. I think anyone who follows politics closely enough to read a blog would enjoy it too. It might be easier to read if you supported Obama than if you supported someone else, because he comes across the best.
I didn't plan to read it as the fall campaigns were kicking up, but the timing was interesting in that way. Inevitably it's affecting the way I view the current races. As annoying as 2008 was at times, I miss it.
Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. We have persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people -- a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page.
As we do, I am mindful that the Iraq War has been a contentious issue at home. Here, too, it is time to turn the page. This afternoon, I spoke to former President George W. Bush. It's well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq's future.
The greatness of our democracy is grounded in our ability to move beyond our differences, and to learn from our experience as we confront the many challenges ahead.
(Hat tip to Dean Barker, whose title I stole. What other word is there?)
In the movie version of Return of the King, all evil vanishes when the Ring and Sauron are destroyed. But in the book, the Hobbits return home to find the Shire under the rule of a dictator, who must then be vanquished.
This has been your fall campaign motivational speech for the day.
I am reading Game Change, which is highly entertaining -- and a bit problematic, but I don't have time to get into that the moment. It's entertaining because it's almost exclusively the views of people working inside the campaigns -- the people who usually don't talk.
According to the authors, the Clinton team believed politics is "total war." The Obama team may have believed the same thing, but their candidate -- almost naively, the authors suggest -- insisted that his campaign be different. He wanted to emerge from it, win or lose, with his head held high. They would mix it up if need be, but only if they had to.
Two points:
1. It's pretty clear that the Obama approach had broader appeal in 2008. I think it still does.
2. For those of us dedicated Democratic types, it's actually a good time to think about the high road, remember that the president wants to stay on it, and remember -- Hmm, where did I read this recently? -- that merely being better than the other side is not good enough.
A prominent Republican -- it might have been Dick Armey -- once said, "Moral victories don't count." Yeah, not during elections, but wins that are also moral victories feel great.
World Wrestling Entertainment considers its wrestlers "independent contractors," not actual employees, and so the very profitable corporation does not actually provide its wrestlers with health insurance.
Maybe someone could make a video like this about any sport. Maybe not.
One place the better is not good enough effect can be seen is journalism. I think the Globe has resurged since its near death last year, but for years it coasted on being better than the long-suffering Herald (not that the Herald doesn't have its good points -- it does, and always did -- but that's a topic for another time). And I am quite sure that many news organizations comfort themselves that they are better than Fox.
Life may be competitive, but that doesn't mean it's sports. Winning has to serve a purpose.
So it is with politics, and so with blogs. And with that, here's a goofy video that made me laugh. Hope it makes you laugh too.
