A Fun Choice

If you're an obsessive news-reader like me, then by now you should be entirely sick of reading about Bush and Harken energy (especially on Salon, which seems to enjoy driving topics into the ground nowadays). While it warms my heart to see the Administration struggle to explain this unfortunate turn of events, this scandal is far less fun than anything Clinton ever got himself into (although, unlike Bush, Clinton wasn't actually guilty of the first fifteen or so).

Luckily, The New Republic gives a wonderfully clear summary of the known facts, leading up to the conclusion that we should all make: "More important than whether Bush is guilty of insider trading, his Harken past shows him to be either lazy, or stupid, or both." See, Bush claims that, as a member of Harken's audit committee, he wasn't made aware of the company's financial woes, nor of its questionable-at-best accounting techniques. So, either he's lying, which carries its own obvious consequences, or he's not, which confirms suspicions that he was an incompetent, slow-witted businessman.

A final point for those who insist that Bush, despite his father being President of the United States, is some sort of rugged, self-made man. Harken purchased a failing company, headed by Bush, that had purchased another failing company, also headed by Bush. Why would they do this? From Harken founder Phil Kendrick: "His name was George Bush. That was worth the money they paid him."

1994 All Over Again

I thought the baseball watching public was overly generous in coming back to the game so quickly after the '94 strike. While credit is generally given to Cal Ripken, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa for moving baseball from the Business section back the Sports page, there's probably more to it than a few old records broken. After the first year with no World Series since 1904, one would figure the fans of the game would probably have been more upset than they were. And while attendence still hasn't quite caught up to pre-strike numbers, those who labeled baseball the "ex-national pastime" prematurely signed the death warrant. Baseball was and still is engrained in the national consciousness, if only because its history complements so well that of the American 20th century.

Nonetheless, if the players are ignorant enough to strike again, I wouldn't blame a single person who walked away as a fan, for good. While neither side would ever publicly state it, the Players Association and owners' main concerns are their own. Unfortunately, this narrow scope restricts the fans from entering the picture. What we want doesn't matter, regardless that the game is fueled on our wallets, not theirs. I have an unsettling feeling that this strike is indeed going to happen, and, even if it lasts only one day, will cause extreme yet unnecessary harm to an already vulnerable game.

Must Be Karl's Doing

What's with the persistent use of podium backgrounds espousing the day's theme every time President Bush gives a speech("Corporate Responsibility," "Protecting The Homeland," etc.)? Recently, such as on June 18, July 1, yesterday and then again today, the geniuses of the White House have (so creatively) pounded into our heads the topics of the Not-so-great Communicator's discourses to the masses with a sloganized backdrop. While this kind of taxpayer-covered expense is not new to the Presidential podium, never have I seen it so prominent in the background. I'll tell you what though -- they seem to get the point across a helluva lot easier than does Mr. "Malfeance."

"Weather 'tis nobler in the mind..."

Excellent write-up in The Washington Monthly by Stephanie Mencimer regarding Gore's complete abandonment of the environment in 2000 (maybe this was what he meant by relying too heavily on consultants?), and how he has thus far failed to revisit the topic as he sizes up his 2004 options. I'm still ambivalent at best as to Gore's chances in a rematch with W. (unfortunately for Democratic hopefuls, name-recognition and a consolidated primary schedule hand Gore an acute advantage in the primaries), but he needs to renew his passion in the environment as part of an "I told you so" campaign against Bush. Mencimer expounds on how Gore, no matter how dull a candidate he was, seemed to be dead-on -- both as VP and presidential candidate -- with his predictions on the issues mainstream America cares about.

If Gore is finally sincere about being sincere, then his campaign needs to begin and end on two notes for which he is most noted -- true and effective fiscal discipline, and a passionate commitment to the environment. Not surprisingly, President Bush is extremely vulnerable on both of these issues. No other Democrat in the race has a record of public service comparable to Al Gore. He needs to dig through those 24 years and bring something meaningful and inspirational to the American public, and leave those lines about "the people, not the powerful" to his intra-party opponents.

By Now, No One Should Be Reading This...

After a seeming lifetime of nonstarts, the...time...I have to spare during my job has allowed me to resume blogging at a semi-regular rate (i.e., not once a month, with no content). So tell all ten people or so to start checking the page again.