As America’s stalwart Egyptian man-crush slinks into the shadows, can America ever love again? Where will our search for love, strength and stability take us?Perhaps to the southwest shores of Africa, where an island glistens in the sun. Teodoro Obiang Nguema = Choice!
Thanks to whatever diplomatic pack-rat who gave Wikileaks its document trove, we know learn that a young Obama administration looked to move on from torture, bank fraud and general kleptocracy, turning a new page with the dynamic island [and chunk of shore] nation of Equatorial Guinea.”“It is time to abandon a moral narrative that has left us with a retrospective bias and an ambivalent approach to one of the most-promising success stories in the region.“
Any Number Can Play!
Eager Republican National Committee beavers want you to send birthday greetings to the ghost of Ronald Reagan, and appear to be shunting them onto the Twitter without editing.Pranksters have already had at it, and you can join the conversation here.How do you remember Ronald Reagan?
Pastures Of Pawlenty Results are pouring in, and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty’s 2012 campaign launch video is on its way to comedy gold. Ominous music, quick cutting between historic footage and the fairytale grittiness of handheld cameras [Thanks, Battle Of Algiers!]
lend a semblance of urgency to Pawlenty’s flat intonation, but can the Rick Santorum Of The North overcome his roots in America’s Almost Canada? Amidst the familiar 60s crawl – MLK! Moonshots! – Pawlenty’s not afraid to take controversial stands He Does Not Care For Communism!
And, Founder Porn!
We also get such oddities as a wagon train [in black and white, for authenticity!]
If Tim Pawlenty can’t protect us from Blackberry wielding Canadians, how can he defend America?
The Kennedy Library used to [and may still] have a display of Jack’s Greatest Hits from press conferences of yore.It was amazing. Even allowing for who chose the footage, the fawning questions setting JFK up to knock it out of the park every time were breathtaking. But it wasn’t heard to convey energy and what passed for wit after the torpid Eisenhower years with Mom & Dad.
I think we’ll be spared the excitement of future Woodstock anniversary commemoration, but someone thinks there’s still juice to be extracted from round numbered Kennedy dates.HBO’s “A President To Remember” nominally marks the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s inaugural. Creator Robert Drew has great black and white footage of men in suits looking decisive, beyond that I’m guessing.The publicity materials are sparse, but the film seems blissfully unaware of the vast efforts by actual historians and journalists to take Smiling Jack down a peg. It’s still selling the original Kennedy premise of energy, drive and vague goals.Drew laments“We’ve had generations that have never known a active lively president who was well-regarded” What’s presented is Kennedy at his empty-suitest. The publicity clip opens with JFK sound over video that sounds spliced together from a couple of sources, and amounts to emphatically stated blather of the highest order:“I run for the presidency because i have strong ideas about what this country must do. That’s what i think this election is about, that’s what we’re going to begin to do next Tuesday”