Stewart - O'Reilly - The Best Presidential Debate

You know something has changed when you see Bill O'Reilly chat with Jon Stewart.

His interview of Stephen Colbert a few weeks ago was about personal character but here, we've just witnessed the best debate of this election year.

You had all the ingredients for a good comedy : two talkative New-Yorkers, a short Jew and a tall, massive Irish guy, live on Comedy Central for The Daily Show. Jon even offered a Mr Snuggles anger management teddy bear to tame his guest, along with a large cup of warm chocolate sweetened with a handful of sugar cubes.

But here were also two smart and sharp people having a good and lively conversation, sailing well beyond the usual PC pond... and enjoying it. Of course, Bill O'Reilly's idea of "center right" America is not that Alabama where people routinely shoot Jonathan Stuart Leibowitzes on sight while enjoying weird "BBQ parties" (you wouldn't want to visit his "real" Amerika). And of course, Jon Stewart's definition of the American tradition goes beyond gay marriage.

This was a good debate. Exposing acute differences, but putting all fear aside and embracing mutual respect. Change has come to America, and it looks like peace.

The first post-Bush / Cheney era debate.


Part I (5.31 mn) - meet Mr Snuggles.



Part II (6.23 mn) - center, right, tradition.

GOP Primaries 2012 Kick-off - Charlie Crist's Second Coming

Iowa, get ready: the GOP pack is bracing itself for the 2012 Primaries.

John McCain ? declined. Sarah Palin ? you betcha*. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee ? still there. Rudi Giuliani ? already dead.

Not yet ? Whatever. He won't run in 2012. Neither the NY Marathon, nor the Big Race. Maybe a fever, after his yearly flu shot.

One week after Obama's victory, 3 players are exuding Prez ambitions from every pore (4 if you include Condi Rice, but that goes without saying) : Bobby Jindal, Charlie Crist, and Tim Pawlenty are already campaigning.

Crist did his best to save appearances in front of cameras during John McCain's doomed campaign. A second coming of Crist in 2010 would put Florida back on the GOP map ("wasn't me"), a failure would probably condemn him to retirement in Maine (I suggest home sharing with Stephen King : Charlie keeps his sun tan alive during the summer, Steve prevents his own old bag of bones from screaming durin' 'em long yankee winters, ayuh).

Tim Pawlenty could be the reformer this party needs, but does he have the strength to run the ultimate campaign ? Can he lead and set people in motion the way Obama did ? That remains to be seen.

Bobby Jindal remains the favorite for 2012 or 2016. Besides, Obama helped his cause by breaking the biggest glass ceilings : Jindal's first name is Hindi (Piyush), and his ears are ridiculously stuck to his skull.

Let's see how those 3 not-yet-candidates perform on the web :

CharlieCrist2012.com belongs to Joseph B Mizereck &
Associates, Inc. from Tallahassee, FL
Created on: 01-Jan-07 - Expires on:
01-Jan-10 -Last Updated on: 26-Sep-08
The domain is active (for advertising
purposes) and officially up for sale

Crist2012.com belongs to Chris Stavrianos from Chicago, IL
Created on: 27-Feb-08 - Expires on: 27-Feb-11 - Last Updated on: 14-Mar-08
The domain used to be active (with scary commercial content) and up for
sale.

CharlieCrist12.com and Crist12.com belong to Cadenza
Entertainment from Winter Park, FL
Created on: 30-Jan-08 - Expires on: 30-Jan-09 - Last Updated on:
30-Jan-08
Inactive (ads)

BobbyJindal2012.com belongs to Mark Fricker from Newton
Square, PA
Created on: 07-Feb-08 - Expires on: 08-Feb-09 - Last Updated on:
07-Feb-08

BobbyJindal12.com belongs to Rod Snyder from Naperville,
IL
Created on: 10-Oct-08 - Expires on - 10-Oct-13 - Last Updated on
12-Nov-08
Active (ads)

Jindal2012.com belongs to Peter Orvetti from Washington,
DC
Created on: 22-Oct-07 - Expires on 22-Oct-12 - Last Updated on: 20-Mar-08
Domain parked

Jindal12.com belongs to Brian Sabolich (Sabolich Realty)
Created on: 30-Aug-08 - Expires on: 30-Aug-09 - Last Updated on:
30-Aug-08
Domain parked.

TimPawlenty2012.com belongs to a more discreet
person
Registrant: Click Industries from Minneapolis, MN
Created on: 16-Jan-07 -
Expires on: 16-Jan-09 - Las Updated on: 17-Jan-08
Domain inactive

TimPawlenty12.com belongs to Kyle Sandstrom from Rochester,
MN
Created on: 30-Aug-08 - Expires on: 30-Aug-09 - Last Updated on:
30-Aug-08
Just registered page

Pawlenty2012.com and Pawlenty12.com belong to Michael
Deutsch, a MIT Alumni from Guttenberg, NJ
Created on: 03-Jan-08 - Expires on:
03-Jan-09 - Last Updated on: 01-May-08
Ads

Anyway, 12 or 16 suck compared to 00, 04, or 08. So forget about those. And "Smith2012" sounds too much web 1.0, XXth century deja vu.

CristforAmerica.com and PawlentyforAmerica.com are somehow "deja vu" too, but still available. Up to now.

JindalforAmerica.com has been booked for the long run (2016, an interesting date).
Registrant : Domain Discreet from Funchal, Portugal
Created on: 22-Sep-08 - Expires on: 22-Sep-16 - Last Updated on: 24-Sep-08

But by then, a web 3.0 candidate is likely to have come out of the blue... or even out of the red.

blogules 2009


* see "Sarah Palin and the Segolene Royal Syndrome - The GOP on the same path as the French Socialist Party"

ADDENDUM 20100211

This post recently received a visit from an interesting URL : vpn.giulianipartners.com (74.9.69.162). Yup. That's from Rudy's headquarters in 5 Times Square New York, NY 10036-6527... Sorry lads if I gave you inaccurate news regarding your dear boss.

2009 blogules (H2)

Below, a list of blogules spilled over the second half of 2009.

NB : for the comprehensive lists of blogules (2003 - to date), go to the blogules transfusion center - the 2003-2004 blogules are stored in a specific website, blogules archives, with links to this one.

December 2009 (5)
- "Santa Miranda Rights" (20091226 - flash fiction fresh from the oven)
- "Hatoyama's Christmas gift to Japanese extreme right" (20091226 - again, pressure from the extreme right)
- "Happy New Year 2011" (20091222 - look back at what happened over 2010)
- "Obama plays good COP - bad COP15" (20091218 - and for this speech, I give thee a D minus)
- "North Korea's lost Won" (20091205 - anger management as in anger fueling)

November 2009 (8)
- "Carbon Dioxide Emissions per unit of Gross Domestic Product" (20091126 - ahead of Copenhagen, nice examples of wind power applied to words)
- "Herman van Rompuy, haikus, humor and religion" (20091121 - he's not Tony Blair, but he pledged allegiance to Benedict XVI nonetheless)
- "Warniks' Woodstock" (20091119 - the concert of the millenium ? you betcha !!!)
- "The end of Japanese imperialism" (20091116 - Hatoyama's government leaks proofs that Dokdo belongs to Korea)
- "al Qaeda and Amerika on trial" (20091114 - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed meets fair justice. The Bush Admninistration next in line ?)
- "After Arafat, will Tel Aviv hawks terminate Mahmoud Abbas ?" (20091106 - Abu Mazen left to his own devices... and with the Hamas, Israel's own device)
- "European Court of Human Rights slams fundamentalists (a)cross Italia and Europe" (20091104 - no crucifix in school : this is a republic)
- "Obama Season II" (20091103 - warning : plot spoilers)

October 2009 (5)
- "Korea needs even more Truth and Reconciliation" (20091030 - on the future of transitional justice in Korea)
- "ReOpenReOpenReOpen911 - the Pentagony continues" (20091016 - exclusive : the non-euclidian-non-darwinian-non-official-version of the self proclaimed Truthers)
- "As if" (20091015 - this is not a recovery : this is denial, phase II)
- "Change has come to Japan." (20091009 - praise Hatoyama for his honesty and courage, praise Japan for its grandeur - provided the country follows its new leader - NB - Published in JoongAng Ilbo)
- "Kim Jong-il's bridge to nowhere" (20091007 - the Dear Leader just sold his country to salvage his dynasty)

September 2009 (6)
- "dragedies" (20090928 - shameless self-promotion for the best book ever published by this excuse of an author - Yours truly)
- "Israel accepted as true the choice between its security and its ideals" (20090916 - no more the good guys)
- "They did it" (20090911 - eight years ago, September 11, 2001)
- "We didn't come here to fear the future. We came here to shape it" (20090910 - Obama on healthcare and beyond, on what politics should be)
- "Al Franken is not Dan Quayle" (20090909 - I know, that's typical smart monkey stuff, but I like it)
- "Republican Appointed Judges : John Ashcroft "repugnant to the Constitution"" (20090905 - former Attorney General impostor caught by Justice)

August 2009 (8)
- "Land of the rinsing sun ?" (20090831 - yes, Hatoyama can save Japan - far beyond its economy)
- "Afghanistan, ground zero" (20090826 - Iran redux)
- "CIA to Blackwater : Kill, Baby, Kill" (20090824 - outsourcing Cheneyism)
- "KIM Dae-jung as Don LEE's Statue du Commandeur" (20090818 - another dead president looming over Lee Myung-bak)
- "We reject as false the choice between our social security and our ideals" (20090814 - why Karl Rove & Co are really scared by the Healthcare reform)
- "Latest Korean Export : Hangeul Alphabet, To Indonesia" (20090806 - do you speak cia-cia ? write in Korean !)
- "Israel openly embraces fascism" (20090803 - I love Israel like I love the US, but Bibi's government is as anti-Israel as Bush-Cheney's administration was anti-American)
- "Six Pax Americana - Brewing the Gatesgate" (20090802 - instead of another Bush, Anheuser Busch)

July 2009 (8)
- "Hillary won't run again. Unless..." (20090727 - meet the next VP)
- "News biorhythms and the future of newspaper" (20090724 - papers, please)
- "John Thune raises his profile and his guns" (20090722 - legalizing outlaws)
- "Tony Blair : a newborn fundamentalist President of Europe ?" (20090716 - thanks but no thanks, Europe doesn't need this kind of leaders)
- Lake - Hodson - Stevens (20090715 - CNN International vs BBC World News)
- "Scoop : Cheney is not a democrat... but why this 5 month delay ?" (20090712 - Dick shunted the legal path but that's not the news here)
- "The Dictatorship of Short Term: Beijing and Uighurs" (20090707 - Beijing is losing its mojo in strategy and ideology)
- "GOP - From Morale Building to Moral Damage Control Mode" (20090705 - meet the new boss same as the old Sarah)

2003 blogules (Jan-Dec)

NB : for the comprehensive lists of blogules (2003 - to date), go to the blogules transfusion center - the 2003-2004 blogules are stored in a specific website, blogules archives, with links to this one.

. "SUnoVa Car" (analyse this - boys with toys - 20031224)
. "Halliburton and the 40 thieves" (things could be even worse : the most infamous VP in History is just one heartbeat away - 20031114)
. Weapons of Mass Disinformation (Masters in Bullshit Administration - when Dubya competes with Comical Ali - 20031030). White blogule to Mystic River (seen worse flicks, seen better from Clint - 20031027)
. XP - XP hate (Microsoft XP helps you expiate for all past and future, actual and virtual crimes - 20031015)
. "Wireless Korea" (wireless maybe, not exactly wirefree - 20030403)
. Amerika - Take a walk on the dark side (experiencing US' Weapons of Mass Disinformation in Louisiana and Georgia - is this the country of freedom or a sick fascist revival ? - 20030318)

Fox News executes Sarah Palin

If you haven't seen this cult O'Reilly Factor video yet, here's Carl Cameron exposing to Bill O'Reilly what kind of Veep John McCain would have offered America.

It beats all those SNL videos : Palin unable to list NAFTA countries (nor even the countries in North America !), Palin thinking Africa was a country and South Africa a region of this country, Palin refusing to rehearse before the Couric interview and blaming the staff for her failure afterwards, Palin clashing with everybody, Palin on shopping frenzies... it only lasts five minutes but you know that waiting behind, there will be enough Palin bashing books to fill up the Library of Congress by Christmas Eve :



O'Reilly had to apologise the next day to his outraged viewers.

Bonus video - Politico's wrap up of the day following the elections (Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, David Lettterman...) :



Addendum 200811: the "Africa" part proved to be a hoax by the Yes Men. Anyway, the Pranked in Chief award goes to Sarah.

The Stolen Election

I'm not fully pleased by the way Obama's historic victory is being celebrated.

Don't get me wrong : I've been wishing for his election ever since I listened to his 2004 DNC speech and Tuesday night, I've welcomed my own tears of joy, relief, hope and respect... Heck, I even felt like hugging America altogether !

Yes, the ultimate race barrier has been blown away by a tidal wave embracing the US of A as a whole and as they are at their best, strong of an incredible diversity. At last, die hard outspoken racists will be silenced... and even better : unconscious racism may decrease significantly (without even noticing it, many unintentional aggressors will change their body languages - but their common and uncommon victims will more than probably notice... and hopefully feel a lighter weight on their chests).

Yet. If America electing the first African-American President is in itself History and a giant leap for mankind, this election cannot and shouldn't be summed up by this one formidable accomplishment.
The stakes went even higher.

And no, it's not the economy, stupid. I know that was the top issue for 62% of voters as well as I know that Obama will do a much better job than McCain in that field. But the situation would have improved after a while anyway and as far as History is concerned, even this titanic mess is a minor factor compared to the key issue of the 2008 Presidential Elections : the very survival of America as a democracy, and the world struggle against fundamentalism.

Everybody is celebrating the first African-American president, and of course everybody should, but it wasn't the aim of these elections, and certainly not the reason why the dangerous Bush-McCain-Palin squad failed (even if they want you to believe it)... only the most exquisite bonus to the main prize.

The aim was to elect a strong but sound leader who would not only prevent the nation's moral and political collapse but also durably put the country and the world back on the tracks of democracy and mutual respect.

When Barack Obama says "America is a place where all things are possible", he knows that this is not a one-side coin : if all things are possible, even the worst is possible. When Barack Obama says "the dream of our founders is alive", he doesn't forget that the great George Washington himself used to own slaves. And when Barack Obama finishes with "the power of our democracy", he's not only making his strongest focus on the massive turnout of this glorious day.

When Barack Obama uses the words "power", "democracy", "patriotism" and "liberty", they don't have the same deviant flavor as in the mouth of George W. Bush ; they claim their true meaning back, as the ultimate condemnation of the wrong path taken after 9/11...

"The true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms
or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals:
democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope".

... "because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America".

This change happens to be carried by an African-American, but what really matters is that it is a change in the good direction, not the irreversible change George W. Bush was only one Supreme Justice shy of triggering**.



* see "The Maverick is free again"
** see (I hope for the last time) "Change is coming" and Mac "will fight", but for whom and for what ?"


PS : All right. I just wrote yesterday* that Barack Obama's speech was not "a truly Historic one", and I didn't mention the unease I felt when John McCain (like Bush the following day) focused too much on the African-American dimension of That One's victory. But I did mention the special quality of those two parts of his speech.

The Maverick is free again

I watched both victory speeches.

Obama obviously prepared the first part and the last part of his most important speech until January 20... but not much else. 44 somehow filled the blanks with a medley of his own campaign speeches, sounding at times presidential, at times partisan, and letting us wondering whether he was talking to Chicago, a crowd of ecstatic fans, the USA or the whole World.

But you cannot blame him for delivering just a great speech instead of a truly Historic one. Not today. And I loved to see this beautiful first family*, this colorful Obama-Biden kindergarten, and Barack's wonderful smile at the very last moment when he left the stage. A smart kid enjoying a powerful home run over the neighbor's fence (did you hear that window crack ? could be a glass ceiling for all you know...).

McCain celebrated his victory against himself. He seemed relieved and at peace with himself. Not compelled to please the most extreme core of diehard fanatics anymore. His speech was quite good and probably sincere (except of course for his tribute to Sarah Palin, you betcha).


* we've seen them grow up, wide and grey - but stronger and even deeper in love with each other. Michelle will be America's favorite First Lady. And if she wants, she can even do what Hillary couldn't 8 to 16 years from now.

America is a great country

OH has just been called as blue as PA.

Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President Of The United States of America.

This man (or Joe Biden or even Hillary Clinton*) will nominate the next Supreme Justices : sound and unpartisan citizens who will make sure that, for the decades to come, the country not only remains a democracy, but also becomes a much better one.

America refused Bush-McCain-Palin's Amerika, embraced democracy, and voted massively**.

America decided to lead the Western World with the best person for the job (a strong and smart leader, a charismatic uniter with a vision and a sound approach to complex challenges), and this person happens to be an African America born in the Pacific Ocean and raised in South East Asia.

America decided to say YES to History.

In the most vital election since Abraham Lincoln's, America has just made the biggest step towards redemption.

Whatever happens now (and it won't be a walk in the park), America will forever be very very very proud of this moment of grace.

* should a lunatic fulfill her "dream" (and my nightmare) before Jan. 20, Biden would probably let her take the helm.

** overwhelming a nasty campaign, last minute dirty tricks and hoaxes, and potential bitter legal actions. By the way, I hope President Obama will do something and fix this miserable electorate system.

---
Addendum 20081109 : 236.com Election night in 2 mn (that should be Election Day In A Minute).

---
Addendum 20090602 : thos video seems to be experiencing some problems (with an impact on this site's efficiency)... I maintain the link to the original page on Huffington Post / 236.com.

McCain-Palin @ SNL (and QVC)

John McCain as himself and Tina Fey as the Cariboo Barbie / white Oprah.

John is sadly good at this. He reminds me of Bob Dole doing ads after his memorable loss... Was it for Viagra or incontinence diapers ?

Sarah Palin and the Segolene Royal Syndrome - The GOP on the same path as the French Socialist Party

The long overdue implosion of the GOP (see "GOP : time to split") has started.

McCainiacs are as dead as their leader. They are the only Americans who'd love to see their country in the position of the underdog, who believe a suicidal planecrasher can fix the damage he himself contributed to cause, and who think a man who pledged allegiance to George W. Bush can't follow the same dangerous path.

Paleocons, as usual, have nowhere to go. They keep roaming the vast plains, grazing aimlessly and wondering which one of them will survive all the others.

Reaganians don't want the party to remain under the dark Bush-Cheney umbrella, and the smartest of them are now supporting Barack Obama, a strong but cool leader with great ambitions for America and the power to change the world.

Reformers, the future of the party, need to look for each other and start building something together. The most difficult task will be to find a leader. Romney lost a big chunk of his credibility courting traditionalists and theocons.

Speaking of which.

Sarah Palin is claiming Bush's thecon fellowship as well as Cheney's neocon legacy, the very combo which ruined and disgraced America. She has the convictions and stamina, but no substance whatsoever.

Palin may become USA's Segolene Royal : an ambitious person more focused on her own self, or rather fascinated by her own Candidate avatar, and unable to lead a massive flock of followers in any consistent direction.

Just like in France, where Nicolas Sarkozy orchestrated in the media the rise of Segolene Royal, her victory at the 2006 PS primaries, and her mediatic come back earlier this year, the confirmation of Sarah Palin as a major figure would prevent her own party from evolving towards a much needed cultural revolution, and strengthen the other party.

It's definitely time to split for the GOP. True Republicans should let this theocon circus spin off and focus on what truly matters : what does this country need and how can they help ?

Right now, the best thing to do is obviously to vote for Obama.

---
Addendum 20081101 - Sarah Palin Got Pranked (Canadian pranksters impersonating Sarkozy and making a fool of her big time) :