THE CRISIS IS HUMAN
Whatever your sentiments about the bailout plan (mine: reluctantly in support), you realize of course that what collapsed yesterday was not the market, but the Congress.
Don't let your anger at Speaker Nancy Pelosi lead you to believe that she's stupid. She knew what she was doing when she sabotaged the bill's already slender chances: screwing John McCain. He is done. Obama should send Nancy flowers.
For the same reason that anti-war liberals needed failure in Iraq, and cannot admit with even a shred of magnanimity that Petraeus' men are winning over there, the Bill Maher-Democrats want the collapse of the American economy. When the dust clears, all that would be left would be...government.
Republicans get some blame here too. The anger, when and if it comes, will burn incumbents in both parties. Boehner and his leadership looked like whipped wimps complaining about how Nancy's speech hurt their feelings.
Understand: if you believe their version of events, they voted against a bill we needed due to Pelosi's behavior. Partisan politics over the national good. In their own words.
One party couldn't do it. One wouldn't do it. Two possibilities:
1.) A new bill, reloaded with pork, brings in the House Hispanic and Black caucuses (all voted no) and you have more than enough votes to offset Republicans who might peel off.
2.) Nothing happens for the remainder of this Congress. If there is to be a credit crisis, we'll soon see it. Some say we're one more major bank failure away.
WARREN BUFFETT
"Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful"
MORTALITY TALE
One of my favorite writers, P.J. O'Rourke, just got a bit of bad news from the doctor, and turned it into a
funny, insightful essay. Sounds like he will be okay...and, in fact, already is.
HOW WE GOT INTO THIS MESS
Had to link to
this to start your Monday morning...it says so many of the things you and I have discussed, under one news event or another, over the last several years. If you can understand how we went wrong, you can have hope of putting it right.
MCCAIN: STUNT OR STATESMANSHIP?
Sinking in the polls ever since the Wall Street meltdown began looming over the campaign, Senator McCain proposes postponing the first presidential debate, in Oxford, MS Friday night. Instead, he says, he and Senator Obama should get to D.C. and stay there 'til a plan is passed.
Obama, who turned down countless debate invites from McCain earlier, now says no---Oxford must go on. Snarky: "Being president means dealing with more than one thing at once."
How do you see the offer by McCain, apparently made in vain: as a cheap political stunt? Or as the mark of a
grown-up, statesman who values action over conversation? Or something else?
PRESIDENT BUSH ADDRESS TO NATION 9/24/08
Full text.
RUMORED HILLARY-FOR-BIDEN TRADE
Picking up some email tonight where people variously source this rumor: sometime in early October, Joe Biden will drop off the Dem ticket for "health reasons" and be replaced by woman named Clinton.
For what it's worth, I have no indication of whether it's a legit rumor. Let me give you two reasons why I wouldn't believe it:
1.) It's too easy to disprove. Biden can't just fake a cough like a guy playing hooky from work. It would take nothing less than a medically-verifiable diagnosis. Otherwise, it wouldn't fool anyone and instead would backfire on Obama's idealistic supporters as a crass trick. (Which it would be, right?)
2.) I still believe Hillary Clinton's happily following Plan B, which is to let Obama lose so she has an even stronger launching pad in 2012. If she couldn't win '08 herself, she will let him lose, and heroically joining the ticket now doesn't lead to that.
Bottom line: it's a good plot for a political thriller, but I can't believe these three would really try it...
How do you see it working out, or not?
SARAH PALIN BABY NAME GENERATOR
Trac, Bristol, Piper, Willow, Trig...if V.P. nominee Sarah Palin was your mommy, what would your name be?
Now you can
find out!
