Monthly Archives: September 2004

Over the last year or so, I became unhappy with my cellphone, which was a Sony Ericsson 310. Sound was okay but controls were clunky and I couldn't hook it up to my computer and transfer my phonebook into it, nor did there seem to be a good car kit so I could use it hands-free while driving. (I've become increasingly fed up with drivers who steer with one hand while holding a phone to their ear, and I don't want to be one.) My contract with Cingular doesn't entitle me to a free phone switch for another year so I finally decided to just buy a new phone, and I picked out the Motorola V-400. So far, it looks like I chose wisely. Sound is great, the screen is quite readable, controls are simple and I can hook it up to my computer via a USB cable and transfer phone numbers and photos. (It has a built-in camera.) Yesterday, a nice man came to my house and installed the kit that lets me use it in the car and…well, it's all working quite well. There's a new, probably-superior Motorola model (the RAZR V8) just coming out but I figured if I waited for it…then by that time, there'd be an even better model about to come out and I'd wait for it. And then when it became available, there'd be another, much-better model on the horizon and…well, you know how this works. At some point, you just have to make your selection, buy it and be content that you made the best possible choice…this week.

I meant to link to this the other day and forgot. Elizabeth Drew reviews The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

On Friday, September 3 on his Fox TV show, Bill O'Reilly went to the mailbag and read a missive from an alleged viewer…

Jack Mehoffer, Springfield, Massachusetts says, "O'Reilly, I see the new Fox definition of fair and balanced means interviewing DNC chief Terry McAuliffe at both conventions."

Well, right you are, Mr. Mehoffer. Newt Gingrich appeared with us at both conventions. So did Mr. McAuliffe. What's the beef, sir? It is long past time to stop the partisan nonsense. Fox News gives airtime to all responsible viewpoints. And our commentators are clear and lively. No hidden agenda here, just flat out stimulating TV. And that's memo.

Uh, given the correspondent's name and address, do you get the idea that Bart Simpson put one over on "Mr. No-Spin Zone?"

Jay Leno discusses his political views and how they manifest themselves in his monologue.

Dennis Donohoe sends the following message with regard to what I wrote about the Iraq War…

I have my doubts about the Iraq war, but there is one thing that genuinely puzzles me (and this is not the start of an ideological rant). You say you were for the war at the start and now fault Bush for having the same view that you did, based on roughly the same evidence. Richard Cohen is more voluble, but essentially says the same thing. I don't see what your point is on this issue. Are you slamming Bush for agreeing with you on going to war (which seems ridiculous)? Or are you slamming him for not conceding the current reality (which is certainly a good point)? Bush has a lot of faults and some definite virtues, but omniscience is not one of his or anybody else's virtues. I sure wish the election were tomorrow and this would all be over.

I sure agree with that last sentence. What I don't agree with is that Bush had "roughly the same evidence" that I did — and God help us all if he did. He's allegedly the President of the United States and he ought to have had (and have actually read) detailed intelligence reports and be briefed by (and maybe even listen to) experts. If all he did was read a few newspapers and websites and watch C-Span a little, which is how I get my info, then something is very wrong. We should not be going to war based on even a rough version of the limited evidence that you and I get.

It wasn't so much that I was "for" the war as that I was not against it. That's a significant difference. I assumed, especially after Colin Powell's presentation to the U.N., that there was some solid evidence that Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction and was poised to use them on us. I also assumed our leaders were better planners and that the early estimates of the war's cost (Remember the $2.7 billion?) couldn't be that far off. It turns out all that was wrong, so my view changed. I'm amazed at the number of people who seem to think that there's some value in being resolute and clinging to their old beliefs, even in light of new revelations…or that it's okay for our government to make that many mistakes over something so important. I don't expect omniscience from our elected officials…but I do think that there are certain kinds of misjudgments that warrant someone being fired. There are times I wonder if anyone in the Bush administration believes that.

One of my all-time favorite comedians was a wonderfully-silly gent named Charley Chase, who worked alongside Laurel and Hardy on the Hal Roach lot. You may not have heard of him, and up until recently when this DVD set came out, it was difficult to see his best work today…but he was a very funny man, and his best shorts are as good as anything by any of the more famous classic comedians. If you're as interested in him as I am, you might enjoy a visit to The World of Charley Chase, a new website devoted to this sadly-neglected talent. (The DVD set is part of a fine new series of silent comedies. We're grateful for it, but we'd really like to see some of Chase's talkies released, as well.)

You know what I'd do if I were Karl Rove, managing the campaign of George W. Bush? I'd have Bush rob a liquor store. I'd have him pull a stocking over his head, go in, wave a gun at the clerk and make off with all the available cash and as much Wild Turkey as he could carry. I think that would help him win the election.

Why? Because for a couple weeks, everyone would be talking about how Bush robbed a liquor store. They wouldn't be talking about what's going on in Iraq.

Have you looked at the news outta there lately? Sweet Jesus, it's a mess…and yes, I know there are improvements happening there, too. There are also homes in Jamaica that weren't destroyed by the hurricane. That doesn't mean Hurricane Ivan was a good thing.

As some of you may recall, I was not against the war when it began, but I am now. We chose the wrong war and we're doing it badly. (Take a look at this. And this. And even this.)

If anyone can point me to a good article that explains why we've done the right thing in Iraq, I'd love to read it and link to it. So far, the only defense I've read is along the lines of, "You probably wish Saddam was still in power."

I also recommend this post by Joshua Micah Marshall on his weblog, and this one.

Penn Jillette (partner of Teller) writes about his idea of Free Speech, which is very close to my own.

William Rivers Pitt explains why the current battle is the stupidest presidential election ever. I don't agree with his every word but I think I agree with his conclusion.

By the way: I found this story via the excellent Sideshow weblog run by Avedon Carol — one of twenty or so I visit every day.

Sorry to hear of the death yesterday of writer-lyricist Fred Ebb…and I'll confess that I have a selfish, personal feeling of regret here. A mutual friend had been trying for a couple years now to arrange a meal at which I could meet one of my favorite Broadway lyricists (or lyrist, as some of them insist on being called) and we were never able to coordinate it. Had it happened, I would have enjoyed telling Mr. Ebb how much I always admired, not just his "hits" like the songs from Cabaret and Chicago and Funny Lady, as well as the ubiquitous, "New York, New York," but also some of his less well-known works. The songs from The Happy Time are every bit as good as those. They just had the misfortune of being in a show with a less-than-satisfactory book. So were the songs in Flora, the Red Menace and Steel Pier and any number of others. He really laid down an amazing run of quality work.

Not long ago, someone sent me a DVD that I enjoyed very much — Broadway & Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters – Kander & Ebb and Alan Jay Lerner. Half is Mr. Lerner and some folks singing his songs. Half is Mr. Ebb singing tunes that he and John Kander penned, with Kander accompanying him on the piano. Neither is a polished performer but there's always something wonderful about seeing a songwriter, however weak a vocalist he may be, doing his own material. You get to hear, more or less, how the author heard it in his head when he wrote it — which may or may not be the way it ultimately reached the mass audience — and it's always performed with gusto and pride. On the DVD, Ebb fares better than most, though he perspires at a rate that will remind you of that scene with Albert Brooks in Broadcast News.

What's especially interesting are the gestures and the way he "sells" the material. Liza Minnelli often said that everything she learned about performing that was not genetic, she learned from Kander and Ebb. If you didn't know that, you might watch his performance and think, "Hey, that guy moves a lot like Liza." But of course, it was probably the other way around.

Eric Idle has written another chapter in his ongoing diary of how he and some associates are turning Monty Python and the Holy Grail into a Broadway show. Sure hope they include Ralph the Wonder Llama.

Even if you don't agree with their politics, I hope you'll admire the enterprise and wit of folks like Freewayblogger. It's a new way of making a political statement, probably more effective than a lot of things we could all be doing. And some of his signs are either funny…or too true to be funny.

Want to get the most comfortable seat on the plane? Then consult the Seat Guru.

Here's an interesting article about George W. Bush's campaigning style. And no, it isn't really a negative piece.

Frank Rich on refighting the Vietnam War.