Politics and Stuff

“I’m not worried about the deficit. It’s big enough to take care of itself.” Ronald Reagan

Presidents show feelings too: Sometimes it is difficult to think of presidents as people. They live in a bubble and are often kept from reality. But they can get testy, as can candidates running for office. Whether it was “W” the first referring to Al Gore as “Ozone Man,” or ex-prexy Clinton saying “Gimmee a break!” referring to his party’s candidate. One would think that after being beaten up for eight years that “Slick Willie” would have developed a thick skin. But instead of gator hide he apparently has baby pink skin, at least where the little lady is concerned. When the Obie camp began to pillory Hillary, Bill took umbrage. The Hillster proved to be no shrinking violet but the Billster’s ire showed during the political deflowering of his Hill ticket. The “Nation’s first black president” has faded before the glare of a campaign that was his but not really. His recent quote, “I am not a racist,” is beginning to sound eerily like, “I did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky.” Could his reaction become another stain on the dress of his legacy? Only time will tell.

Obama’s newest hymn, “The Sweet Byah and Byah”: The Senator from Illinois referred to his colleague Evan Bayh of Indiana as “one of the finest United States Senators we have,” but did not anoint him as his jet’s navigator. The race for the second spot is an interesting one. Although that seat is “just a heartbeat away from the presidency,” it lacks glory and fame. Rarely does one hear a group of rabid fans cheering, “We’re Number 2.” The Veep slot is simply not one rife with excitement. It is like the backup quarterback who sits on the sidelines listening to the crowd cheer his mentor. Al Gore was the Terry Hanratty of politics. Dick Cheney, on the other hand has been, by many accounts, the crafty uncle who is the real power behind the King George II throne. But back to Bayh as a possible second; by a Stu Rothenberg account he is “loyal, trustworthy, smart, and looks terrific in a photo op.” Sounds like #2 material to me. Unlike the other Indiana VP, Dan Quayle, at least he can probably spell potato.

Come listen to a story ‘bout a man named Jed: The poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed til up from the ground came a bubblin’ crude. If that sounds like the Jed Clampett Beverly Hillbilly story, it has been upstaged by North Dakota farmer and sometimes mechanic Herb Geving who replicated Jed’s success. The 74-year old grandpa gets for more money than he can count from his three backyard oil wells in Stanley, ND. He sits in his 11,000 square foot mansion and plans additions to it just because he can. He’s turned Stanley, 50 miles from Canada, into a boomtown where the driver of a water wagon can command a $ 100,000 salary. Who’d ‘a thunk it? Las Vegas, Hollywood, and New York City are on the brink of a depression and North Dakota is home to hundred thousand dollar a year water wagon drivers?

If you can read this you’re too damn vulnerable: A similar bumper that warned drivers of tailgating once graced the rear ends of autos. But the expression above might be placed on every computer if we are to believe the recently reported flaw in the internet. The problem is that ordinary people like you as you are reading this, type in a legitimate web address. Doing so can expose the user to a gaping security hole that enables a scam to manipulate your computer. The result is that criminals will be able to control your computer. Once tricked, users are unable to distinguish between the legitimate web site and its evil twin, operated by somebody up to no good. Specific details about the scam are not available but it reportedly ran rampant recently in Texas. Is the threat real or is it Memorex. With such little information it reminds us of Saddam Hussein telling us his attacks will be the “Mother of all (fill in the blank).” Perhaps it is time for Al Gore to invent another internet for affected users.

Were McCain ads mocking Obama racist?: It is a well known fact that free publicity is the best publicity money can buy. It is also a fact that the Obama campaign is much more well heeled than the McCain campaign. Therefore by some standards it is clever for the McCain campaign to release provocative ads that get constant replays on mass media for free, like the one that shows Paris and Brittany with Obama in Germany, even though they weren’t there. But some say the ad is designed with racial overtones to show two young sexy blond girls with a black man. To prove their point they say the ad could have been done using Tiger Woods or Oprah Winfrey or any number of other stars who would not have evoked the racist image. Maybe. But such an ad would not have gotten the millions in free publicity.

Paris strikes back: Paris Hilton, whose parents reportedly contributed to the McCain campaign, cut a political video of her own. In it she mocks both candidates by offering her own energy solution. She mocks the McCain ad by saying, “I want America to know that I’m like totally ready to lead.” She ends the ad with, “Oh, and I might paint it (the White House) pink. I hope that’s cool with you guys.”

A little blogging music Maestro... “Pretty in Pink” by the Psychedelic Furs.

Dr. ForgotSee me also at http://vegasbuzznews.com/