The Week In Review - Once Over Lightly

On Palin:
She apparently flubbed some talking points about Israel. I say anybody who expects her to be in the mold of Dick Cheney is just nuts. Bottom line is that she'll toe the foreign policy line of the McCain White House. Who's head wonk? Dunno. Wait and see. Energy in the base may be cracking this week. I think it's because some Republicans may be daunted by the Democratic line - brains matter most. She needs to focus on her strengths, and it ain't brilliant intellect.

On Rice:
Rumors that she's gay? Oy vey! McCain was reasonable to distance himself from Bushites. She's one of W's closest pals. It wouldn't have worked very well.

The Debate:
I haven't yet seen the whole thing or read the transcript. That's for today. I listened to a segment, and the single thing that stood out in my mind was Obama saying "I've got a bracelet too." Yikes.

On the 700B:
It's not a bailout, it's a smart investment by Paulson, a brilliant man who happens to have the deepest pockets in the world. The usual tax abatement and corporate welfare refrains from the Right is just stupid reactionary yammering. The rhetoric needs to be economic not partisan, pols are masking what's really going on and they need to speak to more than just the taxpayer and mortgage holder, but to the investor, the credit card holder, and the American who's still working.

On USC:
Oregon State wiped up the floor with us. The world is truly upside down.

David Foster Wallace:
Anybody who commits suicide gets absolutely no respect from me. I don't care what they did in life. Suicide is the ultimate whine and it demonstrates nothing so much as the inability to recognize the value of human society. Suicide is extreme petulance. Good riddance.

Google Android Phone:
Yeah, sorta. I think it's final proof that nobody ever needs to pay more than 200 bucks for the smartest phones you can by. It's about time these things started getting cheaper. I'll wait for the next version.

Bombing in Yemen:
I still don't understand why we put up with Yemen. I really don't.