Am-Can Analogies, Ctd.

Following up on my brilliant post yesterday, some clarifying thoughts:

Arguably, the most analogous moment between Bush & Harper was... Terri Schiavo. That was never about governing. It was a cynical pander to fundies.

Finally, Obama must be careful. I fear, esp. like Harper, the party/Admin. will be "all about him." That's dangerous.

American-Canadian Analogies

OK, I'll admit to my fetish: Canadian politics. Westminster/parliamentary systems utterly fascinate me and, frankly, I'm amazed how little attention we pay to our friends up north.

Anyway, some similarities struck me between Tory PM Stephen Harper and our previous GOP administration. For years, both were seen as political pitbulls who were savvy tacticians. Governing for both, however, proved tricky, mostly because neither was truly interested in doing so. Gaining/retaining power? Now THAT motivated them.

And it worked... for awhile. For George W. Bush, the reckoning came in the floods of New Orleans and bombs of Iraq. Now, well the GOP is what it is.

History might show Nov. 26, 2008 as the beginning of the end for Harper. This Maclean's piece is really well-written and a great chronicling of events. He threw aside governance for pol. gain.

Funny thing though. Harper's standing today? Been better.

Governing matters. The North American right must learn this. Now.

A "Smashing" start to the '09 season

Literally. Congrats to Ryan Briscoe & Team Penske. It was a wreck-fest at times (apparently watched by no one on VERSUS*), but it was still an interesting, entertaining race. Maybe THIS and RHR's 2nd (!) helped.

*That said, the coverage was 10,000% better than ABC/ESPN.

So it begins

The IndyCar season, that is, at St. Petersburg, FL. With 22 cars.

This is down, of course, from last year's non-Indy 500 range of 25-28. Furthermore, names like Buddy Rice, PT, Bruno Junquiera, and Oriol Servia are MIA.

Still, given the recession, 22 cars (23 at Long Beach) is NOT awful. So, the predictions:

Series champ: My heart says young Rahal. N/H/L is more familiar with the cars, and he is too. But he's still 20. Instead, I'm picking... Ryan Briscoe. Post-Indy, Ryan found his groove in IndyCar. Expect that to continue.

Indy: We'll know more in 5 weeks, but my hunch? Briscoe again.

Most out-of-their-depth: Stanton Barrett. Just watch him.

Enjoy the season!

The Most Destructive Man In American History

Richard B. Cheney. That's the only conclusion one gathers from reading that opinion from Sully and THIS.

I pray history does not sugar-coat this era.

It all looks so familiar...

Over the years, I've been a big fan of Robin Miller and his work (going back to his time at the Indy Star). During a period full of nothing but laughable spin from everywhere, Miller cut through the bullshit from both sides. Yes, he ended up being quite negative much of the time, but guess what, there was little to praise.

With that said, I bring you Robin's 3/4 Mailbag. Look familiar? How about the 2/17 edition? Or the 2/11 version? You could practically cut & paste every week. It's the same thoughts.

It's not that I disagree, but jeebus, we get it already! Write something new already.

And furthermore, sorry, there's a contradiction between wanting USACers and a 50/50 oval/road split. If you hit everything juuuuuuuusssssssst right, maybe you can create a car that accomodates both. But I doubt it.

Year 8(?) of Pook's genius plan to save CART

Ahhhh, memories. Remember when the possibility of CART becoming a top feeder to F1 was just a dream? Only brave interweb warriors like Mark "No really, a race in China!" Cipolloni boldly predicted the truth. TGeorge never stood a chance!

Remember this when you hear those Prancing Horses in CART this year.

Mark C. and Chris Pook: Genius beyond worldly (well, our world, anyhow) understanding!