[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
Since I don’t feel like writing an essay this morning after briefly discussing four items I’m going to find my DVD copy of Slapshot and thoroughly enjoy that great movie. I don’t go to church anymore ‘cause I got mad at the Episcopalians for not fighting the war ‘cause it would make the rich Republicans in the pews upset, Jesus save us, but watching a Paul Newman movie today still seems Christian, somehow.
Rest in peace and thanks again for everything, Mr. Newman. If only I could do half so well.
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I had known from reading the excellent work of Cliff Schecter that John McCain, grandson and son of two accomplished Navy Admirals, never got the duty and discipline memo before going to Annapolis and spent his entire academic career as an obnoxious, combative, hungover lout who finished fifth to last in his class.
Having problems following Dad is no shame in a guy’s life, all right, but what the fuck—really—is the matter with the Republicans? Not only is this a precise replay of the odious academic career of George Bush, thanks for offering a fresh choice in the political marketplace, dudes, but it really does help a President in possession of a brain that brilliantly applied all it had to some of the best and most complex ideas the race has ever examined.
One can debate the real merits of a college education (I’m sympathetic to barrier entry issues) but Americans deserve a President who really earned one. I feel tired after writing that sentence.
Anyway, what I hadn’t known until this week from reading Rolling Stone (h/t MsGrin)—and was completely flabbergasted—to learn that John McCain’s Navy career was intimately connected with USS Forrestal.
Every sailor in the fleet this very second instantly knows that infamous name as a horrible accident and fire, of futile bravery and death, and mostly of what not to do when fire breaks out aboard ship. I’m not being critical at all, okay, but when a Zunni rocket accidentally is fired and ignites the fuel tank of a sitting F-4 100% perfect response is called for, it didn’t happen, and 134 guys died in a hellish exploding inferno.
Oh...my...God John McCain was the pilot of the struck F-4! He scrambled out, grabbed the re-fueling rod, fell to the deck and ran, receiving superficial blast wounds before—as an officer with a raging fire aboard—he just watched it all on closed-circuit television in the pilot ready room.
It gets worse. The New York Times flew out a reporter, and seeing good copy of the Admiral lineage escaping the fire befriended McCain, who left his ship and his shipmates the next day by helicopter with the reporter.
Holy mother of God. I simply do not understand with one little grey cell I possess how a man leaves his wounded ship and dead shipmates like that, after doing nothing as an officer to lead a fight against the fire. I hope for John McCain his POW experience negates that behavior, really, I still can’t believe somehow a United States Navy officer did that. Jesus Christ.
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Senator Barack Obama, of course, got a brilliant education, choosing community organizer rather than the military, a career move of endless discussion that totally misses the significance of the evolution, in my opinion.
Hello? Chicago delivered Michelle Obama into Barack Obama’s life. There is no more brilliant life move than that.
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I’ve been fortunate to get a cool new office-mate in my workplace—liberal Raiders fan, great guy—and both of us have been bitching we want the way cool electric Tesla car being built just a stone’s throw away in San Ramon, but the god damn thing costs $90,000.
I was watching Nova last week, Cars of the Future, and there the inventor was with that awesome car, a brilliant man of endearing humility and earnestness, he reminded me of Van Jones. Anyway, I was thrilled to hear that the ridiculous $90k beefcake model will be soon be followed by a practical less-expensive model, date and price left unsaid.
How I hope it’s a great practical car, I want one, I want to live the future of pure renewable electrons off the grid that I captured off the roof of my own house. I’d very much like to do that before I die, yes.
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Right after I publish this I have to go over to Booman Tribune and apologize to Booman for getting punchy when he supported Pelosi in the Wall Street bailout and impugned the character of one of my people, Paul Krugman. I was sorry I had donated, wouldn’t do so again, yadda yadda yadda.
I’m still correct on this and I don’t ever make excuses for sticking up for my friends, but it was still stupid and wrong to cut Booman off like that. He is a fine man with an exemplary public service record I can never match, he has done a great, great deal of good for the liberal community, and it’s just one thing.
I hope he can understand I was upset, I still support him and his blog, and I hope my readers do too.
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The Raiders have a bye week and Paul Newman will soon grace the start of my day, so it looks like a very good one. Please have a great Sunday yourselves, Left Coasters.