JFK Fifty Years On

It was 50 years ago today--November 8th, 1960--that John F. Kennedy was elected president. For the next three years there will be continuing anniversaries of great moments in his administration finally culminating in the 50th year since the motorcade through Dallas. These memories will be almost always inspiring and full of pleasure and promise and beauty. But November 22, 2013 will come and we will feel the finality of that day, the end of the sheer joy and fun of the Kennedy years again.

In our historical and mystical heart this day may feel like an impossible new beginning, but this time we know the end and will be left to look to ourselves for the true completion of Jack Kennedy's presidency.

Crazy Times & Crazy People

Glen Beck tells his audience he has not written a detailed talk for his Washington appearance on the Mall because he wishes to leave room for "The Spirit" to speak should he/she/it want to speak through him. This guy's head is going to explode any day now. Sinclair Lewis nailed Beck and all other charlatans in Elmer Gantry many decades ago. So did P.T. Barnum when he said there is a sucker born every minute, one hundred thousand of them came to Beck's tent meeting this weekend.

A new poll in Newsweek shows that over half of Republicans today believe, or think it plausible, that President Obama is a Muslim and desires sharia law to be imposed world-wide. If a fire has a small, contained start it can be beaten out easily with a good broom, but if it is ignored it can destroy the forest and everything in it. The Democrats and however many sane Republicans are left need to grab their brooms now because real madness is on the march in our town.

On Needing To Be Held

Books, like dogs, get lonely and need to be picked up, held and read. That book you see every day as you pass by--read it. And speaking of lonely, President Obama turned 49 years-old today and his family were all out of town--older daughter at camp, wife and younger daughter in Spain. That's summer for you.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Tony Bennett, Newsweek, Two-buck Chuck

Today is Tony Bennett's 84th birthday. A few weeks ago he sang for 10,000 people in Istanbul, Turkey, of all places, and has a gig coming up in Philadelphia. His own favorite recording of his work is of a beautiful song by Richard Rodgers and Martin Charnin called "I Do Not Know A Day I Did Not Love You." It takes you to a different and lovely place for a few minutes. You must return but can go again as often as you wish. Happy Birthday, Maestro!

Newsweek has been sold for $1.00 to the billionaire husband of Congresswoman Jane Harman, a Dem from LA. That's one dollar and assumption of all debts which are considerable. I hope this is a change for the better, for the past few months Newsweek hasn't been worth a minute of your time. Mr. Sidney Harman is 91 years old and apparently wanted a new challenge. Go for it, Sid!

I have lately taken a shine to Charles Shaw Merlot, popularly called "Two-buck Chuck" because it sells for about two dollars a bottle. It's more than okay and has been a big hit in Southern Cal for for the past few years. Trader Joe's is the place to go for it.

Publish and Perish

The presidential campaign of 1976 between the incumbent Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter was coming down to the wire when the ex-president, Richard Nixon, pardoned two years earlier by Ford, announced that he would go again to China, and go at the time of the election. He was strongly criticized for shamelessly drawing attention back to himself and the Watergate crimes--and his pardon--at the very time the man who had unpopularly pardoned him desperately wanted the voters to forget all that and concentrate on voting Republican one more time. Nixon went, Ford lost. Most certainly this was not simple cause and effect, but it illustrated the presumed negative influence of a failed president on the next election.

This all comes to mind with the news that George W. Bush's presidential memoir will be released on Tuesday, November 9th, precisely one week after this year's mid-term elections. Book publishing being what it is today, it is reasonable to assume that there will be leaks of juicy parts and even sales of Dubya's scribbling before Election Day, with
Republicans everywhere being called upon for comment on the late Bush Administration's policies about this and that and everything. The exactly last thing they wish to discuss now, then, or ever. Roll the presses!

The New Look

The editor of this often laggard commentary has seen fit to choose a new format so that readers may not merely have a change of ambience but also get a glimpse of the sky as it usually appears here, minus the trace of clouds. After half a century in dear Minnesota this view brings great cheer to the heart of an aging Irishman. I hope the new look brings pleasure to all who read here.

If I was a seer with a crystal ball trying to see the state of the Obama presidency I would say that it is too murky to see anything definitive yet. He has not hit his stride; there is greatness in him but the man has not yet met his moment. It is surely coming to him as it has to all the men who have lived in that house.

Hitch Is Sick

Christopher Hitchens has announced that he has esophageal cancer and needs to begin chemotherapy. I am very sorry to hear this, Hitch is a brilliant writer and tireless battler against hypocrisy and sham in all their forms. I am currently reading his memoir, Hitch-22, a glorious, hilarious, beautifully written report on his life thus far.

You are not dismissed, Mr. Hitchens. Great work remains to be done, as you know better than most. Get well soon.

A Plume of His Own

The hapless Tony Howard refuses to recognize what experts in his field see--the large "plumes" of oil that remain below the surface but are killers of sea life just where they are. He is a character Monty Python would have made short time of. To his rescue came Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who accused the Obama Administration of gangsterism and actually apologized to Mr. Howard for his very rich company being required to set aside funds to reimburse Americans who have lost their livelihoods due to its shoddy performance. Trust a Republican congressman to step in it every time!

Sometimes we Democrats wonder if the GOBP-ers could possibly be as clueless as they seem, and today we got an answer: they are snake-bit--infected with a type of goddam ignorance that has no earthly cure.

For Governor: No!

Two mega-wealthy internet ex-execs running for the Republican nomination, Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner, and only one candidate on the Democratic side--Jerry Freaking Brown--two-term governor in the 70's and early 80's who recycled himself through Mother Theresa's community, two runs for president--'76 and '92, mayorship of Oakland, California Attorney-General, and who now wants very much, please, to be governor again. No to all three of you!

Our present governor is a former cartoonish movie actor and weight-lifter now rejected by most of his party--the Republicans--who followed a Democrat--Gray Davis--recalled by the voters because they were convinced he was inept. Ahnold, Meg, Steve, and Jerry are not ept either. Whitman has never voted in a state or federal election--too busy--and is spending tens of millions of her own money so people will do for her the thing she never did for anyone else--vote.

Georgy Girl

"Hey there, Georgy Girl . . ." The song was everywhere in the mid-sixties, from a lovely black & white British movie with Lynn Redgrave. She was from a great acting family that has known little but tragedy in the past year. Lynn's niece, Natasha Richardson, died while skiing in 2009, her brother, Corin, died last month, and now she is gone today. Vanessa Redgrave, sister of Lynn and Corin, and Liam Neeson, Natasha's husband, carry on.

". . . swingin' down the street so fancy-free . . ." We need great actors to show us what is inside ourselves, just as great writers and artists do. The Redgraves have met their call and served us well.

Dr. Dorothy Height (1912-2010)

Dorothy Height was born the year Woodrow Wilson was elected president and died having visited Barack Obama's White House 21 times in 15 months. She was a stalwart of the great Civil Rights Movement and a life-long soldier in the fight for women's equality. Her beautiful funeral was held today at the National Cathedral. We learn that she finished her autobiography--A Life of Purpose--just two months ago. Among the many lessons of this great woman's life is the knowledge that it is never too late to start your book.

It's Good To Be Mel

Last Friday Mel Brooks got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which shows that the planet is still in balance and sanity reigns in human affairs. Mel said once that the only way he had to fight the Nazis was to make people laugh at them. His masterpiece--or one of them--is The Producers but his life-long fight is apparent in all of his work. Fair Warning: Mel Brooks is now writing a musical version of Blazing Saddles--the campfire scene where the cowboys are eating beans should be particularly melodious.

In the Los Angeles Times recently Carl Reiner said that he and Mel were planning a new 2000 Year-old Man album. Who could ask for anything more?

The Brits Hold An Election

Watch out for Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party in the UK, he could be the next Prime Minister. The British Parliamentary election is held on May 6th, the current PM, Mr. Gordon Brown, was willed the job by Tony Blair--no doubt against his better judgment. Clegg leads a smaller third party--conventional wisdom says the Conservatives led by David Cameron should win in a walk, but in the debates between the three candidates held so far Nick Clegg has been excellent, more than a match for the other two. He can be very easily--and pleasantly--pictured as Prime Minister. Brown is done to a crisp, it's between Cameron and Clegg, and if Clegg can convince the voters that he is really Barack Obama he will win.

Next big change--the Vatican, or as Sinead O'Connor calls it, Central Command.

7.2

This afternoon we got a significant wave from the 7.2 earthquake that hit Baja, it was the strongest shaking I have felt in 13 years in California. I was at the computer and became aware of the desk lamp shaking and some noise from the living room. The shaking kept getting stronger and as it went on for 20 seconds or so I got up to go outside to protect myself from anything that might fall. That's when it stopped.
I felt a little dizzy and sickly for a while but that soon went away.

You talk about a shot across the bow! An Easter Sunday earthquake that has your entire house shaking will get you down to basics very quickly.
What did we do? We ate take-out chicken and turned on the Yankees-Red Sox game.

. . . Now about the pope and the cover-up artists at the Vatican . . . aren't they having their own earthquake these days? The house the high clergy has built will keep on quaking until all the termites and wood-rot are
removed, and this cleaning must not take too long. No doubt many Catholics are feeling dizzy and sickly and are thinking about leaving, but the sooner they make profound and lasting change happen in that house the sooner the illness will go away.

After-shocks continued all afternoon; there was at least one death and many were hurt, but all agreed that it could have been worse. Were we saved?

Victory

Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emanuel, and the rest of the Democratic leadership have done the thing they promised to do--pass a major health care reform bill. When the president signs it into law this measure will stand beside Social Security (1935) and Medicare (1965) as pillars in the more stable house the Democratic Party has long been building for the American people. They never lost focus; Ted Kennedy died in the middle of the fight, and, briefly, even Barack Obama's most dedicated supporters wondered if he could pull the the thing off.

March 21, 2010 is a new birth of power for the Obama presidency. He has traction now that will only become deeper and stronger in coming years; like JFK, he is a president who only needs to learn his lessons once.

Peter Graves

I'm sorry to see that Peter Graves has died. He was an actor I enjoyed for most of my life, beginning in 1950's TV when he did a Saturday morning show about a horse called Fury. As a kid sitting on the living room floor, I thought the show was excellent. Later I learned that he was from my own city--Minneapolis, and had graduated from Washburn High School, where some of my best friends, and two brothers, went. What's not to like about this guy? Just a couple of months ago Peter Graves guest-hosted an hour on the Sinatra station on satellite radio and played his favorite Frank songs. And, of course, his reverse-mortgage commercials are still running on cable.

To all Minneapolitans--and especially Washburn grads--who came to California and did well, a belated St. Patrick's Day toast! Minneapolis Go Bragh!

Dredge Report

During the Lewinsky scandal Bill Clinton called Drudge's mud puddle on the internet the "Dredge Report." Fresh reason for that appeared today. President Obama had a physical exam on Sunday--he is in fine health and was given the usual cautions by his doctor. Dredge chose to highlight the standard advice of moderate drinking by posting a picture of Obama holding a glass of beer with a caption along the lines of, "Doctor tells Obama to moderate his drinking." The Republican slime machine never misses a chance to score a low blow do they? Limbaugh, Beck, Drudge, Palin, the party's supply of Know-Nothings seems to be inexhaustible.

My advice to moderates who my be sick to death of Republican bile and Democratic befuddlement is to listen to music throughout this new month of March, it will heal your minds and souls. This should come to a head on the 17th, St. Patrick's Day. Listen to the Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers, and all the great old songs; have a wee bit of the gargle and propose a toast to moderation in all things.

On-side Kick

I would like to see President Obama do the political equivalent of what the New Orleans Saints did yesterday as they began the second half of the Super Bowl--surprise the hell out of everybody, break all convention, and do an on-side kick, score a touchdown, and then make a two-point conversion. That little package told the Colts that there was a new game in town. They were playing a team ready to do things that hadn't been practiced against; the Saints weren't just winning a game, they were showing a new way to play.

Barack Obama lets it be known that he watches the Super Bowl and he is smart enough to have instantly gotten this on Sunday night--great politicians see analogies everywhere. Look for his on-side kick any time now.

A Quick Thought

I have just finished watching Inglourious Basterds and at the moment can only say that this is Tarantino's world and the rest of us just live in it.
And see his movies. Capra, Coppola, Scorsese, Tarantino. I get the picture.

J. D. Salinger, RIP

The more I read about J.D. Salinger since his death the more I like him. According to yesterday's New York Times, he was a regular townsman in Cornish, New Hampshire who loved the monthly church suppers, was in local stores daily, had lunch at the local cafe, and drove his Toyota land cruiser to the neighboring town of Windsor, Vermont. (Speaking of his travel, the LA Times last week published a picture of a beaming Salinger talking to a young woman at a theater in South Florida in the early 1980's--some hermit!) From the NY Times story I gather that he was a good and friendly neighbor, not the kooky recluse demanding fans and journalists made him out to be.

Now he is gone at age 91, and it seems he has prevailed in his great joust with the gods of celebrity, photo ops, and television. Almost none of his writing contemporaries were so fortunate--most became, to some degree, public property--that part of your yard that really is owned by the city but that you are required to tend. Good for J. D. Salinger! He beat the whole corrupt flying circus and lived his long life in his own house at his own pace.

The State of Barack Obama

What is being said about Obama, by friends and opponents alike, was said about John Kennedy when he was president. Too aloof, too much head and not enough heart, a manager but not a leader. Eloquence gets tiresome when it doesn't set people on fire, and he should live up to his own stirring language. Suddenly, Kennedy was gone, and he seemed lovable, warm, a member of the family, and of course he had been right all along.

Obama's State of the Union tonight was superb--he knows his Lincoln--and it is always thrilling to see a man actually thinking on a live telecast. The conversational tone towards the end had to attract every ear: he spoke as a friend or family lawyer giving his somewhat slow clients the straight talk they are resistant to hear.

My point here is that Barack Obama, as exceptional presidents always are, will be gone before we know it, and then the great period of catch-up to what he was all about begins with the people. How much better it is to pay close attention now and see the fight he is in, and, in sensitive response, join him.

It all ends suddenly.

I Hope He's Not Lost

The news tonight is that President Obama will call for a large freeze--lasting three years--on domestic spending Wednesday night in his State of the Union Address. Is this a new idea cooked up to please the people who hate him the most? Does he believe that he has the everlasting support of all those who voted for him in 2008 and that they will meekly swallow this while the Pentagon budget goes untouched? He would be wrong in each case. My doubt about him these days does not mean that I have given up on him, but he does need some wins any time now. That health care bill--is that not domestic spending?--needs to be passed and signed or the entire first Obama year will be judged a failure. Where is he right now? And where are we? We cannot be lost.

Brett Favre, Thanks For the Memories

The game between the Vikings and the Saints tonight was entertaining in its way but not what would be called a great game. Minnesota fumbled so often that one came to expect it every time they had the ball. I think they are the better team but just not tonight, as Brad Childress said. How many times can you hand the ball to a 14-3 team and still expect to win? Not as many times as the Vikes did in New Orleans. I don't have any interest in a Super Bowl between the Colts and the Saints and the network and NFL bosses are even now contemplating the lost viewers and dollars caused by a game without the drama of Brett Favre leading the Vikings. They were magic this year but every player and fan knows that magic cannot be repeated. It is only remembered.

Miep Gies, 100 Years

Miep Gies died Monday at age 100. Most people may not know her name but she is mentioned frequently in one of the best-selling books of the 20th century, Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl. Miep was an employee of Otto Frank in his Amsterdam business and for two years, 1942-44, she helped hide the Frank family from the Nazi occupiers. She brought them food, kept the secret, and went into the hidden rooms where they had lived after they were taken away. Anne's diary was lying on the floor after the Nazis had ransacked the place. Miep Gies put it in her desk and kept it there until Otto Frank, the only member of the family to survive the concentration camps, returned in 1945. The diary was published in 1947.

A noble life has ended and the good that rippled from it is incalculable.