13 February 2008

True Colors



By the time the re-run of The Simpsons was over, the whole thing was wrapped up. I enjoyed the episode; it was the one where Crusty the Clown is framed for robbing the Quicky Mart by Sideshow Bob, whose voice is provided by the actor Kelsey Grammer.

Kelsey has quite a back-story in his personal life, as we all do, but we seem satisfied with the prim waspish characters he plays on television. We only are shocked when the interesting texture of life is aired about other television actors who are in the political business.

The episode dates to one of the first seasons, and you can see how the writers and animation staff are finding their voices and style. I must have seen this one ten or fifteen times, but there is always something new in them, which makes the cartoon better than the network news.

Barack swept the Potomac primaries, Maryland, the District and Virginia, that was clear as soon as the polls closed. He crushed Senator Clinton. It was at least two-to-one.

The exit polls were so bad that she did not stick around to hear the results. We moved offices this week, so I have had to find new doorways to lurk around. We happen to be next door to the Clinton National Campaign Headquarters.

Late in the afternoon, chill gray rain was forming ice on the pavement and the cars were starting to gridlock on the approaches to the ramp to I-66. I knew something was happening by the lack of activity. There was only one satellite truck outside on the service drive to the building, and a lone technician hunched over the access panels, hood pulled up over his head to keep the rain off.

It did not take a rocket scientist to figure out what was happening, and there was not much suspense, or waiting up for the last ballots to be counted.

What was more surprising was that the Senate actually did something. By a 68 to 29 margin, they approved modifications to the   Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that the White House and DNI Mike McConnell have been pushing ever since the emergency extension was passed six months ago.

It was surprising, since Majority Leader Reid rolled on the key sticking point in the legislation. The Administration was hard over on providing retroactive immunity to the phone companies, who cooperated with NSA and the Justice Department. Without relief, they would be liable to civil claims by persons asserting their privacy might have been violated.

Mike McConnell has been pretty good about explaining the problems with the law as it is now, and why he needs more flexibility for his agencies.

Senator McCain, who did not dominate his primaries the way Senator Obama did, was present to vote. The two Democratic candidates did not. Senator Clinton was on final approach into Texas when the vote was held, and Senator Obama has staked out his turf in Wisconsin.

The House version of the bill does not include the immunity provision, so there will be some intense negotiation in the Conference Committee, and all the candidates can duck the heat on what emerges, and take whatever positions they want. I suspect the phone companies are going to get their immunity, though at what cost I cannot tell.

Senator Obama's position will clearly be against it, as he is foursquare against everything associated with the war. He has not yet had to come to grips with the fact that there are several wars in progress, and the reality of the matter is that none are completely discretionary at this point.

But that is the next argument, and I think he may be in a position to endorse fantasy, while Senator McCain is stuck with the grown-up version of reality. Senator Obama is really on a roll, and even though he is only about even in the delegate count, he is looking clear-eyed and confident. His support is broad-based, and his message is selling. The last Clinton hope is some big states next month, Texas being the first of them. The Senator is at her best in adversity, and people tend to feel for her when she is vulnerable.

I don't know if that includes the Super Delegates the Democrats have created as a sort of party Board outside the real electorate. I think even party hacks can recognize momentum when they see it.

Since there was no drama in the elections, I clicked through the movie channels before getting ready to go to bed. One of the films running was the John Travolta vehicle “True Colors.” The story purports to tell the story of the first Clinton campaign. You remember that one, since it featured the larger-than-life former President in the spotlight.

I did not have to watch long. In fact, I could not watch it at all. The hair stood up on the back of my neck with the prospect of the return of the reality show that was his presidency.

I turned it off, and then the lights, and watched the cold rain falling on Big Pink's black asphalt parking light, the drops shimmering as they hit the quicksilver reflection of the puddles under the security lights.

This morning, the Clinton campaign must be feeling like the satellite technician in the rain.

Copyright 2007 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com

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