Post-Mortems

Brevity is the soul of wit Saturday… since it’s Football Day and I’m otherwise occupied. But here are a few items for my politically-minded readers (both of ya!) that you’ve probably already read. First… the inimitable Charles Krauthammer with “The Campaign Autopsy” (via memeorandum and Real Clear Politics). Excerpts:

WASHINGTON -- In my previous life, I witnessed far more difficult postmortems. This one is easy. The patient was fatally stricken on Sept. 15 -- caught in the rubble when the roof fell in (at Lehman Brothers, according to the police report) -- although he did linger until his final, rather quiet demise on Nov. 4.

In the excitement and decisiveness of Barack Obama's victory, we forget that in the first weeks of September, John McCain was actually ahead. Then Lehman collapsed, and the financial system went off a cliff.

[…]

We don't yet appreciate how unprecedented were the events of September and October. We have never had a full-fledged financial panic in the middle of a presidential campaign. Consider. If the S&P were to close at the end of the year where it did on Election Day, it will have suffered this year its steepest drop since 1937. That is 71 years.

At the same time, the economy had suffered nine consecutive months of job losses. Considering the carnage to both capital and labor (which covers just about everybody), even a Ronald Reagan could not have survived. The fact that John McCain got 46 percent of the electorate when 75 percent said the country was going in the wrong direction is quite remarkable.

Senator McCain might as well have had one of those “Born to Lose” tats on his shoulder after the financial meltdown. As Krauthammer notes, even Reagan couldn’t have pulled this one off after the financial system…not just “the market”… tanked. Mr. Krauthammer has more and it’s good stuff… as usual.

Reading Krauthammer makes one think “How now, Brown Cow?” Well… Investor’s Business Daily has a few answers in its op-ed “Road Still Leads Back to Reagan in Republicans’ Latest Soul Search.” (via Real Clear Politics) Excerpts:

Few will claim that "big government Republicanism" — or, as Goldwater referred to it, a "Dime Store New Deal" — is the wave of the future. Conservatives know that competing for the affection of voters by leasing their souls to corrupt lobbyists has been a fool's errand. Within days will come a restatement of minimalist government principles, especially by the economic right.

This will resonate immediately as President-elect Obama has espoused the most collectivist philosophy of any presidential candidate since George McGovern in 1972. As the newspapers are filled each day with articles detailing the failures and corruption of government at every level, it will be easy to hang the Democrats with this issue.

[…]

The social right will have a more difficult time putting the genie back in the bottle after eight years of being promised that the national government could achieve what they had been working for years to achieve at the state level. Yet again, since the national levers of power are now gone, practicality will force the social conservatives to go back to basics, and win the war for the culture at the local level.

From a practical standpoint, the results of the Nov. 4 election should not be disheartening for the Right. When Obama stuck to his teleprompter, he talked about tax cuts, family values, the Second Amendment and strong national defense. Without his teleprompter, he talked about a national police force, overturning state conceal carry laws, how health care is a "right" while his supporters salivate at the prospects of censoring, smearing and criminalizing conservatism.

Unlike Republicans, the Democratic leadership of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid understand power. Liberals will move to shut down talk radio, dressed up in the nicest of language of course. Only a few days ago, Schumer equated Rush Limbaugh with pornography.

I agree with nearly all of what the IBD has to say in this space, particularly with its view on the social conservatives’ agenda. State and local gub’mint is the place to go for this sort of stuff, not the federal gub’mint. But then again I’ve always thought this way… when I think about a “social agenda” at all, which is rare, indeed. I’ve never taken the trouble to lay out my political beliefs in detail (who the Hell cares, anyway?), so I’ll just repeat what’s in my Blogger profile: “Politically moderate, I'm conservative on foreign policy and national defense issues (surprise!) and liberal on social issues.” It all comes back to that ol’ saw: “You can’t legislate morality.” You shouldn’t even try. My mini-rant aside… there’s much to like in the IBD op-ed.

And finally... something for us 27-percenters: “Why I'll Miss President Bush,” in today's WSJ. Excerpt:

President Bush will soon be heading home and for many that day cannot come soon enough. Count me among those who will miss him and his bedrock decency.

He had a rough road from day one. His first inauguration struck me as a portent. I was there, shivering in the grandstands on Pennsylvania Avenue. At the exact moment the president heard "Hail to the Chief" for the first time and was announced to the audience, a sleet storm descended from the skies.

It has never let up.

Through it all Mr. Bush kept his head up and soldiered on. He took the criticism in stride.

All too true, dat. And you know there's more...

Happy Birthdays!

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite chirps*… Joni Mitchell. The lovely Ms. Mitchell is (gasp!) 65 years old today. In celebration here are a couple of my very favorite Joni Mitchell tunes, beginning with “A Case of You” (which also features a very nice slide-show, with lotsa great vintage photos):

And… “Both Sides Now:”

No less an august institution than the Wall Street Journal was compelled to commemorate the occasion of Joni’s birthday. (Lengthy parenthetical aside: The credit goes to great good friend Lori, who tipped me to this article. Lori and I share a love of and for Joni... Ms. Mitchell was a bond between she and I in the way-back, and that bond remains. Joni got Lori and I through some pretty long and cold North Dakota nights all those many years ago and those nights are among my fondest memories.) So. Here are a few excerpts from that WSJ article (“A 65^th Birthday Tribute to Joni Mitchell”):

Joni Mitchell turns 65 years old on Friday. As a milestone, reaching that age doesn't mean what it once did, but any opportunity to celebrate Ms. Mitchell and her work is worth seizing. Gifted and fearless, she remains among the finest singer-songwriters of the rock era, a title that doesn't quite accommodate the breadth of music and the audacity of her career. As David Crosby told me when I called him last week, "In a hundred years, when they ask who was the greatest songwriter of the era, it's got to be her or Dylan. I think it's her. And she's a better musician than Bob."

Mr. Crosby produced Ms. Mitchell's first album, "Song to a Seagull" (Reprise), which was released in 1968. Though she had a democratic approach to music, enjoying Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Edith Piaf and the scat-singing trio Lambert Hendricks and Ross, among others, she developed her skills playing folk in coffeehouses in western Canada, Toronto, Detroit and New York's Greenwich Village. On "Song to a Seagull," she's presented as fully formed -- a thrilling folk singer and gifted songwriter.

"It was the quality of her songs," Mr. Crosby said when I asked him what he found appealing about young Ms. Mitchell. "And the singing, and the instrumental ability. She was beautiful and intriguing, but the songs were so good." Her early catalog was so strong that she chose to omit from her debut album three of her compositions that had already been recorded by a variety of other singers -- "Both Sides Now," "The Circle Game" and "Urge for Going."

I’ve been a fan since 1970, at least, and perhaps slightly longer than that. Ms. Mitchell provided the sound track for a good portion of my life and most certainly the soundtrack for some memorable love affairs. Some Joni songs still bring a tear to my eye when I hear them… the memories are that strong, that vivid, that lasting. Part of that effect is the person (or persons) with whom I associate the memories, but it’s Joni that invokes the feeling. I owe the woman a lot… a whole helluva lot.

Happy Birthday, Joni… and many happy returns.

* Joni’s self-description, as immortalized in the stage patter on “Miles of Aisles” (“… and me… the chirp”)

―:☺:―

Apropos of something… The First Mrs. Pennington also turns 65 today. It would be churlish of me to not mention this… even though TFMP has never read EIP, to my knowledge. Her boys do read, though, and I don’t want either to think poorly of me.

Happy Birthday, Ramona. And many happy returns to you, too.

The First Mrs. Pennington (circa 1969) in our very tiny apartment in Wakkanai, Japan. That’s SN2 in the high chair.

Reality Check

So… I’m still in a bit of a funk today. I’m having the hardest of hard times coming to grips with the reality of the nation’s political situation, truth be told. Here’s part of an e-mail exchange I had with SN1 earlier today:

Me: So... here I am, waiting for the coffee pot to finish its magic. Yesterday was SUCH a strange day. I was up until 0400 yesterday morning, watching all the election returns (Missouri and N. Carolina still "too close to call" as I write), and up again just after noon. When I say "strange," I mean the feeling I get whenever I see The One's smiling face and hear people refer to him as "President-elect Obama." I've even said "President Obama" out loud a couple of times and it simply doesn't work for me. At all. I'm still in something akin to a mild state of shock. In my heart I knew McCain would lose, but the reality is very hard to accept.



What's the temp like among the troops? Most of the milbloggers I read have the typical military attitude... Obama will be the CinC, and that's that. Salute smartly and move on...

SN1: As for the local mood regarding the election…you hit it spot on. Here’s an excerpt from an email I wrote the kids:

Ok...now that the initial shock has worn off...

The beauty of our country is our ability to have an election, peacefully transfer the greatest power on the planet, and press on with our lives.

We'll be ok. I don't agree with the man on a lot of things...but he'll be the president and I'll support him, because he is our nation's leader. That's what we in the military do...we follow our leaders.

So you nailed my sentiments…and those of most around here…right on. I’m having a hard time imagining him as the CinC as well…I really don’t want to retire while he’s in office…another reason to stay in…

I’ve noticed in my ramblings around the ‘net… through the (primarily military) blogosphere… that the above opinions are nearly universal, and that comes as NO surprise to me. As SN1 stated… “that’s what we in the military do… we follow our leaders.” The key point is left unsaid, of course. But, just to clarify for readers of little or no military experience, there are two salient points in play here.

First and foremost: everyone who puts on the uniform of our country swears an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and “I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me” (there are minor differences between officer and enlisted oaths, but let us not quibble over details). I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this oath, as it ends with the words “So help me God.” You swear the oath, you make a commitment in the presence of the Deity and invoke His help. This is NO small thing. It’s the very essence of what it means to be in the military and that essence remains a part of you as long as you live. Or it should, at any rate. There are always a few outliers.

Point Two: The President of the United States isn’t the President of the Democrat/Republican/What Have You Party… he’s the President of the United States, duly and lawfully elected to that office by the people. As such, the incumbent is OUR president, and that’s no small matter, either. I could launch a huge tangential rant about how annoyed I was with the Left for failing to realize this fact over the course of the last few years, but I’m sure you know where I’m coming from, Gentle Reader. And I flat REFUSE to become the right-wing equivalent of a moonbat by saying shit like “Obama isn’t MY president.” The people have spoken, for better or worse, and we’ll have another go at this four years on. In the meantime… I suggest any malcontents out there suck it up and get with the program. Otherwise? Vote with your feet. There are airplanes departing these shores every single day. Get on one and be gone, as you obviously don’t “get” what this country is all about. I’ll end this part of the rant right here… or, ‘nuff said.

One last point… I agree with what Cassie has to say on this subject:

It remains for us now to find a way to reconcile our political differences, for despite the rhetoric of hope and change our differences are stark and will not give way to the fuzzy talk that wins votes. This will require grace and magnanimity from the victors as well as restraint and willingness to forget old grudges from the losers in this contest. We need not forebear to criticize, but we should never undermine policy once Mr. Obama takes his oath in January.

And above all, let us respect the dignity of the office of the President. He has earned it by dint of the campaign he ran, as well as by virtue of the thousands of votes cast for him. It is well that there will be no unseemly haggling over the vote counts, as happened in 2000 and 2004. This has been a long contest and with two wars going on and an economic turndown to deal with, our energies will be best directed to the conversation about the America we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.

The good news is that we all still have a voice in that America. Let's roll our sleeves up and make it a better place.

What she said.

(Image from The Wiki)

A Class Act

John McCain's concession speech, just in case ya missed it (10:00 min):







My initial reaction to this speech last evening was there has to be just a little bit of buyer’s remorse amongst some Obama voters. Not the hardcore Obamanons, mind you... I'm thinking more of the cross-over vote and/or newly registered “Independents.” Senator McCain is a class act… a man of courage, integrity, and values. He would have made a great president.

I also watched Obama’s acceptance speech last night and it wasn’t all that bad. There wasn’t any substance in the speech (as usual), but he did say a few of the “right” things. Once again, in case ya missed it, here’s Obama’s acceptance speech (17:00 min):

I was up until 0400 this morning watching all the brouhaha. I’m tired, disappointed, and emotionally hung-over today (no alcohol hangover, thankyouverymuch). But I need to say one thing: I was SO very proud to be an American last night. Our democratic political system played out as it has so many, many times in the past. There will be yet another peaceful transition of power, with no blood in the streets, no riots, no threat of a coup d’état. There will be a recount or two where the results were close, but that’s about it. My bottom line: I may not like the results but I LOVE the process.

Well Done, America.

Today's the Day

Vote... if you haven't done so already. This election is too important to stay home.

This and That

Flavia Nasini is an owner of A Tutta Birra, a shop in Milan that stocks many of Italy's great craft beers, as well as rare brews from around Europe. (Photo: Dave Yoder for The New York Times)

When you think of Europe and beer in the same space, most people think “Germany.” A few will think “England” (including YrHmblScrb), and the cognoscenti immediately think “Belgium!” But beer and Italy? You might think that’s a non-starter, as I did. If so, you need to read “Savoring Italy, One Beer at a Time.” Excerpts:

We celebrated our arrival with a couple of the brewery’s pilsner-style beers, a ubiquitous, often-overlooked style that Birrificio Italiano’s brewmaster, Agostino Arioli, has attempted to redeem with hoppier, more flavorful versions, traveling to Germany to select his own hops.

As we sipped our lagers, commenting on their vibrant bitterness, a jazz band set up on the pub’s small stage, beginning to play just as our appetizers arrived: a plate of poppy-seed toast with rich toma cheese and a sticky, gooey beer jelly, accompanied by a glass of the brewery’s Scires, a wine-like strong ale flavored with local cherries. Our main courses quickly followed: a chunky, inch-and-a-half-thick pork chop, and scottata alla piastra, a plate of paper-thin grilled pork fillets, both of which were marinated in the brewery’s malty Bibock ale, which made an excellent accompaniment. The same flavors showed up in our shared dessert: a panna cotta made extra sweet and slightly bitter with a dose of Bibock, which combined perfectly with the light dusting of chocolate on the pudding’s top.

As I finished the meal, I found myself thinking: If this is what Italy’s craft beers are like, they can keep the wines.

I keep finding reasons to renew my passport, and this is one of the best I’ve seen lately. Some of the descriptions of the food and drink in this article literally made my mouth water. The article also made me wish I lived in a place with good liquor stores, as well. I’d like to sample a few of the beers named in the article but that’s not even remotely possible here on The High Plains of New Mexico, where Bud, Miller, and Coors rule the roost… such as it is. Well, with the possible exception of the Class VI store out at Cannon Airplane Patch. Thank God for small favors.

―:☺:―

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery… or however that saying goes. And in the hockey world, the Red Wings are drawing their share of flattery, beginning with the league-leading (at the moment) San Jose Sharks (“New-look Sharks out-Winging their opponents early on in season”). A few excerpts from the linked story:

The reverberations of the 2007 Stanley Cup victory of the Anaheim Ducks, it is fair to say, are still being felt.

The Ducks partially brawled their way to that title, and last season much of the Western Conference added muscle with which to confront Anaheim.

[…]

The Detroit Red Wings, needless to say, proved there was another way last season, riding skill, speed and Tre Kronor power to an impressive Stanley Cup title. The Wings hardly fought at all, didn't carry an enforcer and roared through the postseason.

That left the San Jose Sharks, to name one team, in a bit of a conundrum.

Follow the Ducks or follow the Wings?

Simply being the Sharks, after all, wouldn't do. That had become synonymous with strong regular seasons -- 418 points in four seasons -- and disappointing playoff pratfalls.

Well, for better or worse, the Sharks chose to imitate the Wings.

In fact, beating the Red Wings 4-2 in Silicon Valley on Thursday night boosted the Sharks to 9-2 on the season, the best start in San Jose franchise history. It was a game that came on the heels of an impressive win over the Eastern Conference defending champs from Pittsburgh, in which Sidney Crosby and Co. were held to just 11 shots by the stingy Sharks defense.

The Wings, it's fair to say, left town thinking they'd just played themselves.

[…]

"Not only are they the Stanley Cup champs," said San Jose winger Ryane Clowe. "But we stole their assistant coach."

That, of course, is the most concrete evidence that San Jose plotted to copy Detroit this season. Detroit assistant coach Todd McLellan was hired by the Sharks to replace the fired Ron Wilson, who was canned somewhat reluctantly by Doug Wilson and was immediately snapped up by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Well, hiring Detroit’s assistant coach certainly goes a long way towards implementing the Wings’ style, doesn’t it? The Sharks have been an impressive regular season team these past few years, yet have consistently failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs, come spring. This year might be a different story… and as noted above they’re certainly beginning the season with an impressive showing.

Yeah, it’s early days and a LOT can happen between now and the playoffs. And a lot can happen DURING the playoffs, as well. As Damien Cox says in his closing sentences: “It looks great now. When it comes to the spring, however, it will be a lot tougher to out-Wing the Wings.”

Word.

How I Spent My Day Yesterday...

Wow! Yesterday was quite the day for football, eh? I began the day by switching back and forth between Florida – Georgia and Notre Dame – Pitt… but settled in with the ND game after it became clear that Florida was going to bury Georgia… literally (which was sometime towards the end of the first quarter of the Florida game). The ND game was certainly exciting… going, as it did, to four overtimes. Only the outcome was disappointing, as Pitt managed to go one field goal better than ND… in South Bend, for cryin’ out loud. It was a hard loss for the Domers… Charlie Weis:

"I think the next 24 to 48 hours, you know, it's a trying time when you come off a disheartening loss," Weis said. "You got to bounce right back. Get treatment tomorrow, and Monday morning come in and watch the tape, move on to Boston College. I think more than closing the game, I'm just worried about getting their psyche right for this week."

Weis' concern is understandable. This is the second game Notre Dame has lost late after giving up a double-digit lead. The Irish led North Carolina 17-6 before the Tar Heels marched back to win 29-24 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Well… Weis ain’t the only coach to suffer a tough loss. I’m thinking Mack Brown can empathize… but only about being on the losing end of a GREAT game… in addition to wondering what the Hell happened to Texas in the first half last evening (like the rest of football fans in these United States). I don’t mention Texas’ poor play to take anything away from Tech, because they played their hearts out and engineered one of the greatest finishes in college ball I’ve ever seen, bar none. I say “one of the greatest” only because I have seen similar comebacks in the past, but perhaps none with quite the impact of last night’s game (except for the 2006 Rose Bowl, of course). Texas almost managed to eke out a win last night, engineering a remarkable comeback in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter… only to see it all blow up in their faces with ONE second left on the clock. High drama, indeed.

I’m thinkin’ there are quite a few hangovers in Lubbock today. Austin, too, for that matter… but for entirely different reasons. The BCS standings should be very interesting when they’re released later on today. But for now, here are the AP and USA Today polls…

The AP Top 25 Poll (First place votes in parens, record, poll points):

1. Alabama (46) 9-0 1,600

2. Texas Tech (12) 9-0 1,528

3. Penn State (6) 9-0 1,525

4. Florida (1) 7-1 1,398

5. Texas 8-1 1,353

6. Oklahoma 8-1 1,324

7. USC 7-1 1,250

8. Oklahoma State 8-1 1,198

9. Boise State 8-0 1,030

10. Utah 9-0 1,028

The USA Today (Coaches’) Poll (First Place votes in parens, record, poll points):

1. Alabama (40) 9-0 1498

2. Penn State (14) 9-0 1437

3. Texas Tech (6) 9-0 1409

4. Oklahoma (1) 8-1 1290

5. Florida 7-1 1268

6. USC 7-1 1232

7. Texas 8-1 1227

8. Oklahoma State 8-1 1066

9. Utah 9-0 1018

10. Boise State 8-0 958

It will be most interesting to watch how Tech handles both Oklahoma and OK State, to say the very least!