More of the Same

Silence I suppose is golden except for being a lousy way to run a blog. I think that on some level both Epicurus and myself would prefer to simply tape political speeches as well as our sometimes enlightened, sometimes snide (but hopefully never petty) comments on them than post. Time seems to slip away and lacking any desire on my own part to do any sort of investigating or reporting, I'm left with a half-dozen ideas on things to write and never seem to get around to writing any.

Why? I think part of it is clearly information overload - it's a tough market to choose from. Pick any number of administration actions and you get a wide swath of bland statements from all sides saying the exact same things they've said any number of times. I'm tired of hearing about the posturing to force some sort of timetable for withdrawal in Iraq, a war that has every indication of becoming our own grind-along affair, the sort of which every dominant world player has engaged in over the years where its fighting forces are deployed far from home in a controversial and unpopular action the administration swears is important to national survival, or at the least, national pride. There's no immediacy to any action anymore: every side got to say their piece on the war resolution and veto, and having congratulated themselves on making a fine photo op out of what should have been a substantive discussion on what "success" now really means, all sides take a breather. The only certainty seems to be that everyone agrees Iraq is really important - no, really important, and that they really care about the troops, and really worry about our national credibility. Too bad they don't really care about doing anything.

The presidential candidates debate have at least given up any appearance of substance - I tuned into the post-debate coverage only to see the primary topic of discussion was who looked more presidential. That's pretty bold, I think. We've really given up even soundbites now for a high school election based on who looks more presidential? I can't wait then for the usual complaints about why American doesn't vote. Did you vote in your high school election?

I can't watch the cable news shows - I have no interest in hearing from broadcasters in New York or California what Americans think based on some opinion poll where some research group talked to the 5% of adults haven't yet learned to screen their calls and asked them their thoughts. There is a reason that folks my age get their news from the Daily Show - and it's because Stewart asks the questions we'd like to ask, to the people we'd ask them to if only we could. Instead of talking about how politicians look, or how they sound, or what the party is trying to do, Stewart shows us what they have said. Period. There's humor, to be sure, and more than a little not-so-good natured emphasis on the more stupid things the administration has said. But I hope that the humor simply shows all of us why we need so desperately to move from soundbites to subtlety in our politics.

What is said is never as important as what is done and I suppose it's unfair to hold politicians - who really only have one way of doing anything, and that's voting - for not doing more. Far more often though it seems politicians worry about the appearance of their words rather than the substance. Is it really so ingrained in every politician's makeup that winning reelection is the most important thing? Can it really be that good a job that you are not willing to risk any controversial, any honest, any simply sincere discussion just because it might hamper your chances of getting back to Congress? There must be a few folks who would rather be judged on what they want to do as President rather than whether they look like a President. The disappointment is that none of these folks, wherever they are, seem interested in running for president. As Adlai Stevenson said, "In America, any boy can grow up to be President, and I suppose that's just one of the risks we take." In the last weeks of listening to the news, that's the only newsworthy statement I've heard any candidate say - and he's dead.