i said WHAT?!

did i just earlier today post something about rarely posting about politics? um. never mind…

no big thoughts or insights to offer tonight. just a humble observation, having just finished watching obama’s half-hour primetime spot:

what a relief it will be should we indeed collectively decide that now is the time to let the adults step up and take charge for a spell.

Post Script–Why I Love the Rude Pundit, Part 11: Description of last night’s John McCain interview:

In his interview with Larry King yesterday, which was a little like watching the Cryptkeeper have a conversation with the grandpa from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on some kind of 24-hour zombie station broadcast from Hell …

That’s almost too devastatingly funny for me to safely deal with my coffee.

file under: couldn’t'a said it any better myself

Courtesy of Americablog, I was directed to a pretty thoughtful article by Jonathan Martin that appears at Politico. I’d characterize it as an exploration of where a failed, panicking presidential campaign and a subset of the population dominated by the ancient, reptilian parts of their brain intersect. It’s a dynamic that we’ve seen play out in full view over the past very few days (and I have found it to be a very ugly and disconcerting series of displays).

Anyhow, here’s the money quote (emphasis mine):

John Weaver, McCain’s former top strategist, said top Republicans have a responsibility to temper this behavior.

“People need to understand, for moral reasons and the protection of our civil society, the differences with Sen. Obama are ideological, based on clear differences on policy and a lack of experience compared to Sen. McCain,” Weaver said. “And from a purely practical political vantage point, please find me a swing voter, an undecided independent, or a torn female voter that finds an angry mob mentality attractive.” 

Can’t really add much to that, apart from a sense of sadness that there are so many so gripped by fear that they’re ripe picking for cynical assholes who’ll play them like chumps as they’re worked into frothy, lathery fits.  

And also that I am really looking forward to adults being back in charge.

freshly b’rude

I follow politics pretty closely. And I’m capable of saying astonishingly bad-taste, sailor-blushing, downright filthy things. As such, The Rude Pundit is very close to my heart.

I’ve linked in the right margin to the Rude One’s site. If your political sensibilities lean left, and if your tolerance for off-color metaphor knows few if any bounds, I am pleased to recommend his site with enthusiasm. If either or both of the above are not the case, please discard my recommendation, as you will not enjoy it one bit.

Anyhow, in a brief reflection upon the political event that was last night’s VP debate, RP opines that

Just because one does not toss shit at people for a couple of hours does not mean one is not a monkey.

I really don’t have much to add to that, and, really, what’s needed?

As a tangent, I take note of the definition of prehensile to include: adapted for seizing, grasping, or holding, especially by wrapping around an object.

A talking point is a kind of object, yes?

UPDATE–fresh rudeness

Newer, longer reflection on last night’s debate just got posted, and his closing thought includes an analogy that is very, very close to an observation I made within the past couple weeks in a comment I posted on a political blog. RP says:

You know what? Forget it. The Rude Pundit’s disgusted talking about this nothing, this nobody, this perfect amalgamation of Machiavelli and Chauncey Gardiner.

I’d previously offered an observation that she embodies the absolute worst aspects of both Bush and Cheney. I think my precise words were Bush’s haughty vapidity meeting Cheney’s sado-Machiavellian je ne sais quoi.

Not too completely far off.