I'll love you tooth for tooth and eye for eye.

[raybear]

sebastian6 posted this youtube clip that was a spliced together montage of FOX news and CNN reporting on all the talking points ad nauseum regarding the Scott McClellan book, and then I got all stupidly excited about reading the book, and went to the Chicago public library site which has an updated section where you can log in and monitor your account, find out when books are due, if you have late fees and how much, and now you can place books on hold electronically. So, I went to see if the book was on the shelf at any branch first (I did this yesterday and found the James Frey new novel at a library branch 2 miles away I didn't even know existed, because the only thing better than going to the library is going to an unvisited library!!) and apparently Scott's book isn't in the system. I googled around and most places said released on May 28, but Amazon says June 29 and I'm about to wonder if there's some intentional campaign around it all, when I suddenly realized, wait, I don't really need to read this book. I was reading all the investigative reporting at the time (like, the real kind) and listening to Randi Rhodes a lot, so there's nothing he'll say I won't know, I'm betting, its just that there's the "legitimacy" of him saying it. So add that book to the list of "Texts I'm Glad Exist in the World as Part of the Discourse But I Don't Need to Read for My Personal Journey". I know there are others on this list, but now I'm blanking. Probably a lot of LGBT memoirs.

Speaking of politics, Senator Clinton is going to 'give a major speech' tonight and I hope its the speech that needs to happen, the one I had in mind when I recently wished that close friends of hers would lock her in a room with a pad of paper and some pencils and tell her to make it happen. I have to say, I'm hopeful in my heart, but I wouldn't necessarily bet on it with my wallet. I've always been one who is carefully aware of not staying too long at a gathering/event/party/conversation, I avoid trying to drag things out and force moments to go longer than they realistically are. I'm much better about this in social capacities, or seeing it in other people -- I'm less good at it about important real decisions in my personal life (when to quit jobs, when to end relationships, when to move houses, etc. though I do still say that even staying too late is obviously the lesson I"m supposed to learn), so I actually have lots of empathy for her staying on so long because she obviously wanted this real badly. Which is why I feel strangely loving while also desperately annoyed that its still going on at all. Its vacation time, we want a break from homework. Congress goes into recession like 5 times a year. Why can't the campaigns do it too? Its summer reruns season, leave us alone.

Comments

this is unscrambled. uh, ranting.

[(Anonymous)]

Shit, people could read Bob Woodward's book instead. McClellan said on Sunday morning old people TV that this is the thing that inspired his whole book.

I mean, I'm glad the guy is getting paid and all, but I found myself agreeing with David Brooks (is it a cold day in hell?) when he said:

1. McClellan is more of the problem than the solution. The Bush White House has some smart people in it, but is 80% staffed with mooks (yes, he actually said mooks) who don't argue or disagree with anything the president says except when their careers are safe.

2. There's nothing new in this book that hasn't been (better) said by others (Tenent, Woodward) anyway.

AND, let me also say, WTF was McClellan supposed to do? It's his fcking job to lie. Was he supposed to say "uh, Mr. Rumsfeld, I'm the press guy, but I really think your military decision making is really off, and this whole Iraq thing is a mess?" Come the fck on. His ass would have been shown the door and he'd never be able to get a job again, and it is clear that he cares about being able to lie for a living.

In fact, I think McClellan is just trying to save his career and his ass. If he wanted to be ethical, he could have left. But he didn't.

FCKERS!

Ahem.

I think I need to start blogging again, as I clearly have a lot to let out.

Re: this is unscrambled. uh, ranting.

[crafting-change.livejournal.com]

Or read Richard Clark's writing.
There are plenty of folks who have thankfully (or not) worked in that office and protested and explained the song and dance they had been asked to do.

Re: this is unscrambled. uh, ranting.

[unscrambled.livejournal.com]

Exactly.