Monday, August 23, 2004
History, Get Me Rewrite
Up here this morning, Wisconsin Public Radio reported on an Edwards appearance where he addressed the Swift Boat Veterans controversy. The story included the comments of one veteran who thinks the accusations against Kerry demean all veterans and impugn their service. Jerry Bowles makes a similar point at Best of the Blogs today, but he suggests that a broader goal of SBVT is to rewrite the history of the Vietnam era. Surely that's a powerful and tempting impulse, especially in an era when we seem to be repeating some of the mistakes of Vietnam, and when we're making a presidential choice between someone who served and someone who didn't.
I'd be interested in knowing whether you think Kerry has been damaged by this, and how badly. I believe he has been, as polls over the weekend showed. What I fear more is the likelihood that similar big-lie tactics will be used to similar effect over the next two months, and that Kerry, like the last Massachusetts liberal to run for president, will be endlessly defined by his opponent, thus finding it hard to be heard on his own terms. Click "Comments" and weigh in. Half-baked thoughts are encouraged, because what is this blog, if not a collection of those?
Recommended Reading: The instrument has yet to be invented that is capable of measuring my general indifference to Britney Spears, although I have considered starting a pool on how long her upcoming marriage will last. (Keep in mind that she's already been married once, for approximately 48 hours--thus there's no guarantee that her second time around will last any longer.) What I do find interesting about Britney, however, is her usefulness as a cultural barometer. In Salon today, Rebecca Traister writes about Britney's transformation from virginal pop idol to bad-decision-making grownup. The choices she makes say a lot about her life past and present--and the way we perceive them says a lot about us.
Comic Pages: Tom Tomorrow is his usual brilliant self today. Earlier this month, at the height of the New York terror alert, Ted Rall was similarly brilliant in nailing the threats the Bush Administration fears most.
Up here this morning, Wisconsin Public Radio reported on an Edwards appearance where he addressed the Swift Boat Veterans controversy. The story included the comments of one veteran who thinks the accusations against Kerry demean all veterans and impugn their service. Jerry Bowles makes a similar point at Best of the Blogs today, but he suggests that a broader goal of SBVT is to rewrite the history of the Vietnam era. Surely that's a powerful and tempting impulse, especially in an era when we seem to be repeating some of the mistakes of Vietnam, and when we're making a presidential choice between someone who served and someone who didn't.
I'd be interested in knowing whether you think Kerry has been damaged by this, and how badly. I believe he has been, as polls over the weekend showed. What I fear more is the likelihood that similar big-lie tactics will be used to similar effect over the next two months, and that Kerry, like the last Massachusetts liberal to run for president, will be endlessly defined by his opponent, thus finding it hard to be heard on his own terms. Click "Comments" and weigh in. Half-baked thoughts are encouraged, because what is this blog, if not a collection of those?
Recommended Reading: The instrument has yet to be invented that is capable of measuring my general indifference to Britney Spears, although I have considered starting a pool on how long her upcoming marriage will last. (Keep in mind that she's already been married once, for approximately 48 hours--thus there's no guarantee that her second time around will last any longer.) What I do find interesting about Britney, however, is her usefulness as a cultural barometer. In Salon today, Rebecca Traister writes about Britney's transformation from virginal pop idol to bad-decision-making grownup. The choices she makes say a lot about her life past and present--and the way we perceive them says a lot about us.
Comic Pages: Tom Tomorrow is his usual brilliant self today. Earlier this month, at the height of the New York terror alert, Ted Rall was similarly brilliant in nailing the threats the Bush Administration fears most.
