From Peak to Pathetic- March 14, 2005

March 14, 2005. It was only a little under four years ago, but it must seem to many, especially the Republican Party, like an entire world away.

Recall, if you will, that George W. Bush had been reelected in Nov., with a slightly strengthened GOP majority in Congress. Weeks later, the “Orange Revolution” in the Ukraine had seemingly, and stirringly, ended Russian influence in that country. Iraq had just gone through “successful” elections. These events, combined with Bush’s second Inaugural Address which stressed the pursuit of freedom in almost radical ways, seemed to be proof of the ultimate wisdom of Bush’s “Freedom Agenda.” March 14th seemed to be the final nail in the realist/anti-Bush movement.

You’ll recall that over 1,000,000 Lebanese jammed Beirut on that day. Syria’s occupation/presence would soon end. History was on an inevitable march to freedom.

But it wasn’t. Four years on, Lebanon is a mess, having gone through one war and seeing Hezbollah gain much power. The Ukrainian Orange Revolution is pure dysfunction. In the Palestinian Territories, freedom led to… Hamas. In short, the world is a mess.

We couldn’t have known that 4 yrs. ago. But then came Terri Schiavo, Katrina, and the ultimate mess of Iraq. March 14th was the Bush Presidency’s peak. It’s fall was swift, sudden, but warranted.

Rick Santorum

TOTAL FAIL.

Read it all. Remember, GOPers working with Dems.=BAD. LOL.

More "Silly" Thoughts

Following yesterday's post, some additional thoughts:

Paul Tracy to KV Racing? It might happen. To which I say F#%*ing Awesome. If Bourdais AND PT are in, that's 2 villains (not counting Danica) in the series. And PT in a good car can still be fun as hell.

But there are some unfortunate downsides to the recent news. If Tracy gets that ride, then that leaves Oriol Servia, Justin Wilson, and Ryan Hunter-Reay all without rides. That is downright criminal.

Servia was the most consistent of the drivers that came over from Champ Car, Wilson WON a race (Belle Isle) and RHR was great all year (one win-The Glen- and ROY at Indy). But in the economy of IndyCar racing, none of them might have an ICS ride (ALMS and Grand-Am may benefit, though).

So where does that leave us? Well, if even 2 out of those 3 get rides, combined with everything else (Reminder: Some of this is bound to be vaporware), this will all end up being a considerable net gain. If not, it might just be a push, at best.

UPDATE: Also remember that McNulty's reliability can be spotty.

UPDATE2: Read THIS RM piece on Power's actual status at Penske. My guess? He runs the full year.

But it does remind me that simply losing Helio (though he annoys me) will really hurt.

In Which We Discuss Silly Season

Ahh, "Silly Season." For years, it has been nothing short of farcical in IndyCar/Champ Car racing. Why?

In short, due to the "troubles" facing the sport the last decade-plus, it has become, outside of the already funded teams (few and far between), an exercise in ride-buying. Talent is a secondary (if that) consideration. If you have money/bring money, you'll have a ride.

Given the dire economic conditions, this isn't changing. Example? Mario Moraes. Is Moraes on the Dennis Vitolo level? No, he does have some talent. But, really. he's only getting the ride for one reason: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. All of which means no ride for Will Power.

Wait, hang on! Nevermind! Will, with the best name in all of racing, is Penske's new hire. Justin Wilson and RHR were also contenders and, sadly, both are likely out of rides altogether in 2009. As for Power replacing Helio, 1) it has to be done; RP can't count on someone facing possible deportation, and 2) Power's an interesting pick. He's plenty fast, but he must learn to harness it, particularly on the ovals. Of course, having Rick Mears as your tutor won't hurt.

A day earlier, Robin Miller gave us other interesting newsbits. The possibility of BOTH Doornbos AND Bourdais joining N/H/L is, great, but to novices, also curious. After all, they couldn't afford Justin Wilson, but CAN take on both Doornbos and Seabass? Well, Bobby D is supposedly bringing along $$ (ING) and given his connections, Seabass might too. In this case, there are two ride-buyers I'd heartily support.

The "Team France" tidbit is... interesting. I was one of many who mocked Nelson in his 1st year. Mea culpa. He's damn good and SHOULD be in this series. Still, like others, this smells of "vaporware," i.e. something that won't really happen. I'd love to be wrong.

Finally, this interesting news. Let's be honest, ever since the 60's (Winning, Grand Prix, and Le Mans), racing-oriented films have, ummm, what's the word, SUCKED. Seriously, you need to watch Driven to appreciate how awful it is.

This film, should it really happen, could, could be different. For one, the film will deal explicitly with the Indy 500, and it's origins. Interest in the modern 500 might be at an all-time low, but it still resonates (well, it's past) in the American sports world. Portraying, in dramatic fashion, the first Indy 500 in 1911 starts with compelling possibilities. Furthermore, period films, like Cinderella Man, can be far more compelling to a larger audience. It goes without saying that Ray Harroun is no Jim Braddock, and despite Escue's hopes, you won't be seeing a Russell Crowe anywhere near this film.

Still, if done well (and Pizzo's presence gives me some hope), it could, at worst, be an interesting "sports movie." The fact that racing in 1911 was an altogether different, more dangerous venture that had no idea what boundaries it could break gives filmmakers the potential to create an almost mythological air. I wish them well.

Bonus funny note: While looking at pages discussing racing films, Super Speedway. It remains a truly stellar look at the sport (though given the timing of it's production, it depresses me whenever I watch it. The crowds! :sigh:). Anyway, after some exploring, I found... A Teacher's Guide to the film. Really? I know there is tremendous science involved in the sport, but LOL, a teacher's guide? OK.

So long 2008!

Let’s get this out of the way: Those who believe they can, definitively, speak to how 2008 (or any year) will be thought of in 50 years is a self-righteous fool. Harry S. Truman (and to an extent John F. Kennedy) proves otherwise.
Time has a way of clarifying history’s true judgments. Right now, 2008 seems like the year of Barack Obama. History may very well judge that assessment accurate, but it could just as easily be an ironic, negative assessment. Or perhaps the global economic implosion will, ultimately, come to define 2008 and an entire generation. We simply cannot know.
With that said, these reflections are given w/o the benefit of time and are quite likely to be seen as utterly foolish in years to come.
We begin with the trivial: Sports.

January once again gave the Ohio State Buckeyes a thumping, with LSU reaping the benefits. That game annoyed me far more than the year before (with Florida). Why? Stunningly, Jim Tressel seemed to learn nothing from the year before, with an awful gameplan on both sides of the football. A loss to Texas in the upcoming Fiesta Bowl won’t help the cause.

After a big trade in Feb., involving Ben Wallace, Delonte West, and Wally Sczerbiak, the Cavaliers played eventual champs Boston tough, but not tough enough. Looking ahead, that’s OK. As of the afternoon of Dec. 23, the Cavaliers, now with Mo Williams, are 23-4 and, unlike last year’s “LeBron and some other guys” unit, this team CAN truly win an NBA Championship.

The Indians, meanwhile, had huge expectations. They went on to fall flat on their faces. Joe Borowski, and the bullpen as a whole, should be fingered in this, but c’mon, you had platoons all over the place (1B, C, OF). No championship org. should be pinning their hopes on platoons w/ mostly average players (Delucci, for one). And yet, given the Cleveland market and Larry Dolan, this is the reality for the franchise: An extreme dose of good luck (Kerry Wood staying healthy) and good fortune (Shin-Soo Choo playing well) is the only way we’ll ever win.

The year in racing deserves it’s own post, which I probably won’t get to ;), but it ends with the end of an era.

So, Barack Obama will be President in 20 days. I think the night of, and the day after, the Iowa Caucuses were when the awe and gravity of what would possibly happen really hit me. As an abstract, it sounded great. But then, the abstract became reality. Obama, and ALL of us, made it happen.
What kind of POTUS will he be? Again, who knows? I hope he surprises me with, for instance, how he handles the UAW in the next month. But I’m not holding my breath.
Nonetheless, despite the turmoil and difficulty, for me, 2008 was the year we reengaged: with ourselves, each other, and our country.

Happy New Year!

A long, maddening, weird, and... inspirational 2 years

Ends tonight.


Two years ago (25 months, really), I wrote THIS. I didn't really know what would happen if he did run. By my nature, I'm a pessimist, so I doubted his ability to truly pull this off. And yet...

Yet, here we are. Unless we are surprised tonight, Barack Obama is going to be the 44th President of the United States. Democrats will be the clear majority party in Washington and the country.

Know this, race shouldn't be a pro OR a con in determining a vote. If so inclined, you shouldn't support Obama just b/c he will indeed become our first black president (though, if you are African-American, I certainly get it).

Make no mistake, though, it IS important. 160 years ago, Barack Obama, had he lived in the South, would have been property. 50 years ago, the South (and some Northern enclaves) was segregated. Now, Barack Obama is likely to become the next President of these United States.

As to what kind of POTUS he'll be, no one ever knows for sure. I disagree with him fairly strongly on trade, though I suspect he'll be less protectionist in office. In truth, what the right never understood about Obama is his pragmatism and caution. I was attracted to his candidacy for two reasons: His respect for political ideas with which he disagrees and his un-radical approach. We've had enough radicalism the last eight years. How about a political detox?

I think Alex Massie best explains the Obama phenomenon. In short, the right moment met the right man. He makes no sense as a candidate in 2000, 2004, or perhaps even 2012. But he does in 2008.

For me, outside of that remarkable day in January when Obama won Iowa, the most important day of the campaign was March 18th in Philadelphia. Jeremiah Wright had exploded like a bomb onto the scene, threatening Obama's entire political future. Was he REALLY just a black radical himself who agreed with Wright? Even if not, how could he have gone to Trinity all those years? Would he permanently turn off white voters?

Then came "A More Perfect Union," a stunningly thoughtful, eloquent, and American speech on race. No other politician, of any color, could have truly given that address. Yes, he went on to lose Pennsylvania to Hillary Clinton (along with other parts Appalachia), but it was that day that he not only saved his campaign but also allowed us to have a thoughtful dialogue on race.

Barack Obama is no messiah, as I wrote before. He'll never live up to the enormous, utterly unrealistic expectations set for him. He will fail. All Presidents will. But will he be a failure? I doubt it, but you never know.

Some thoughts on conservatism in America. It is a true shame that the movement started by Goldwater and mainstreamed by Reagan has degenerated into Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber. By the end of the night, the Republican Party might be virtually reduced to a Southern-led rump. It needs to come back, and with some thought and work, it will.

For now, though, an era comes to an end.

Yes and No

Overall, I think I agree with Sullivan on the Keating strategy. I had hoped Keating would not get mentioned at all, and I think you could have let the increasingly bizarre McCain camp bury itself in bombthrowing.

On the other hand, if as Scheiber suggests (see Sully's links), the Keating connection is used, in part to discuss policy differences, like regulatory policy, I'm less troubled by it.

Not to mention, it's, you know, TRUE.