And now for something different:

[skywaterblue]

I bust out laughing at this when it happened. "...but obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts. Like me."

In seriousness: I love that he's got a little placard that says "Office of the President-Elect" and the sheer chutzpah in holding a press conference and more or less saying he's going to fucking start working RIGHT NOW. Shadow government for the win. Normally I'd be opposed to such power grabbing, but to be honest, our current administration is so weak and ill-respected that I'm glad he's serious business about getting to work.

Comments

[powerof3.livejournal.com]

I laughed at the "mutt like me" comment, but I thought the "Nancy Reagan ... seance" thing was a bit tacky.

Ah well, you can't win them all.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

I thought it was pretty innocent, just... not funny. (Also, it's pretty obvious that he thinks about what he just said, realizes you could interpret it as talking to the dead, and then is like, er. Better fix that.)

[powerof3.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you could see him work it through in his head and look all, "Erm, oops." It really was not funny, though.

[grlnamedlucifer.livejournal.com]

Just jumping in the thread, apparently he didn't think so either and later called Nancy Reagan to apologize for it. Which I thought was pretty classy.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

Sometimes his awkward nerdiness makes it funnier.

Also: why is he so nice? He asked that reporter what happened to her arm today and look genuinely chagrined that anyone got hurt at his party.

[grlnamedlucifer.livejournal.com]

I know! That was so sweet. And as great as he handled all the economy stuff and real questions, he actually made a press conference fun to watch! I mean, the dog thing was a total softball question, but the way he answered is just one more push away from people thinking he's the scary secret muslim socialist. (Well. That might just be my wishful thinking there. But come on, who wouldn't find that adorable!)

Yeah, I'm totally cool with a shadow government this awesome.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

He's like the least scary person on the planet. I just don't get it.

[grlnamedlucifer.livejournal.com]

Seriously. All you have to do is listen to him for more than five minutes and you know he's just a total dork.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Every now and then, I check on the flist of the three right wing people I have on mine. It gives you the feeling of living in an alternate reality. Or that they do. Not to mention that every time someone says "Obama is a socialist" I want to force them to read Das Kapital because I don't think any of these people have the remotest idea of what a socialist is. Let alone a Communist.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking of unfriending my crazy right winger friend, because he really does sound increasingly deranged. Except that I guess the world they live in is vaguely familiar... I can distantly remember a couple of days ago when I may have lived there. *g*

He thinks that Obama is going to allow Israel to get blown up or something like that.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Because clearly, considering dialogue with nations like Iran means just that. (I can't get over the fact the Bush administration's top guy on Iran for three years wasn't allowed to talk to any Persian. I mean, what the hell?)

I wouldn't defriend, because it's good to have one's own convictions challenged now and then, and my three right wingers themselves are always polite. (Some people on their flist, otoh, break into crazy rants at the drop of a hat.)

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

We have lots of interests in common besides politics. Mainly science fiction. So I don't defriend, and he keeps me on my toes, and it's all good.

Because clearly, considering dialogue with nations like Iran means just that. (I can't get over the fact the Bush administration's top guy on Iran for three years wasn't allowed to talk to any Persian. I mean, what the hell?)

Obama already had my vote for a lot of reasons, but when he said this at the first debate with Clinton and everyone IMMEDIATELY SLAMMED ON HIM, that's when I knew he was the right guy for the job.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I know a Persian dissident, a journalist and writer who was in jail there and only got out (and to Germany, where he's currently part of the P.E.N.'s writers in exile program) because our goverment is in dialogue with Iran, which gave them some leverage. Dialogue doesn't mean you let crap like Ahmadinejad's Holocaust-denying or his general antisemitic rethoric slide, on the contrary. So yes, hearing early on that Obama understands this was very encouraging.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

It's mostly annoying because I know that if we were only friendlier towards Iran, we'd get a better response out of them. C'mon, America. The House of Saud doesn't even PRETEND to be a Democracy. At least Iran has different political parties which switch off on being elected President, and newspapers, and women that go to school and hold jobs. At least Iran HAS dissidents.

I'm really hoping that a vote for Obama means a lacuna period in which United States foreign policy isn't completely dictated by 'our man in x, right or wrong'.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Iran versus Saudi Arabia: quite. (But Saudi Arabia will never, ever be named a "rogue nation", or a member of the "axis of evil", even if, say, footage of every genuinenly influential prince in the House of Saud personally attending a stoning would be broadcast on CNN, and we all know why.)

The most famous example of "our man in x, right or wrong" would be Saddam Hussein, wouldn't it? I seem to recall our papers quoting Rumsfeld (back when he was in the Reagan administration) re: Saddam during the Iran/Iraq-War and the use of poison gas, "he may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch". (Though I've also seen that quote attributed to Alexander Hague about Noriega.)

On the brighter side: I really think there is a lot of potential for change here. Not overnight, but the fact that Americans would vote for a man who had a Muslim father, spent his first decade in a Muslim country like Indonesia and had "Hussein" as his middle name really left an impression, at least in the Turkish papers here in Germany (the Turks being our biggest Muslim minority) and in the Egyptian papers I've seen quoted from. It's a show, not tell way to prove that Americans as a people aren't the bigots they've been presented as by the local propaganda (which exists in additon to Republican realities). So there should be potentially more people ready to listen to what an Obama goverment has to say. (And perhaps, if we're lucky, less undecideds willing to be swayed to travel to Pakistan or Afghanistan and enlist with Al Quaida.)

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

Iran versus Saudi Arabia: quite. (But Saudi Arabia will never, ever be named a "rogue nation", or a member of the "axis of evil", even if, say, footage of every genuinenly influential prince in the House of Saud personally attending a stoning would be broadcast on CNN, and we all know why.)

Quite. The frustrating thing about it is that disentangling ourselves from the House of Saud is, I suspect, a very popular concept in the States. And had been for some time, but discussing it is under the code of Omerta. It's what 'ending our dependence on foreign oil' used to be code for at any rate. (Whereas remarkably, I think 'end our dependence on foreign oil' means just that now.)

The most famous example of "our man in x, right or wrong" would be Saddam Hussein, wouldn't it? I seem to recall our papers quoting Rumsfeld (back when he was in the Reagan administration) re: Saddam during the Iran/Iraq-War and the use of poison gas, "he may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch". (Though I've also seen that quote attributed to Alexander Hague about Noriega.)

That phrase goes back far in American history. I'd not be surprised to see it sourced back to Korea or Vietnam. But yes, yes he was. We're also somewhat responsible for the Taliban, having funded them via our client state Pakistan for at least a decade. (Bringing in the other thread, it was covered by Aaron Sorkin in 'Charlie Wilson's War', a film I thought quite good.)

On the brighter side: I really think there is a lot of potential for change here. Not overnight, but the fact that Americans would vote for a man who had a Muslim father, spent his first decade in a Muslim country like Indonesia and had "Hussein" as his middle name really left an impression [...]

I hope so. It goes to show you that the American dream is not dead. Let's not forget, there was a vigorous group of people who came to support Rep. Keith Ellison using Thomas Jefferson's Quran when he was sworn in. (Indiana elected Andre Carson to Congress last week, who is a convert, so as of January there will be a Muslim-American caucus of sorts. How about that?) Michigan also elected the first Muslim Woman (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iuocXjraXq3ogYlUpdrfygI-Kp_AD949OREG4) to serve in the State Legislature. And Colin Powell famously spoke up last week about Muslim-American servicemen -- the army is still the great equalizer for Americans.

I also think it does help that Obama is black, in regards to Islam. In America, at least until 9/11 sort of forced Middle America to pay attention, the most people knew about Islam came from black Americans who converted in the late 60s and 70s. At the very least, black Muslims are viewed as sort of quaint and homegrown and only threatening if you're still threatened by Malcolm X. Sort of like being named by hippies.

[powerof3.livejournal.com]

That was cool of him. Very classy indeed.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Thanks for linking! And yes, it's good to see he's starting right now. With both the US and the world being in the situation it is, i.e. five past twelve, it can't be soon enough.

Who are the people standing next to him?

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

Oh, I only linked to the funny part, but those people are his new crack economic team.

Link here to a list (http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/11/obamas_economic_team_has_clint.html)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Aha, thanks for linking! It's good to have some names and quick resumes.

Would you agree with this hits and flops list from the campaign, here?

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

These things are so subjective. He's got a lot of the 'worst moments' right but some of the bests I would disagree with. I think Obama's speech at the Iowa Jefferson-Jackson was important but if we're going to pick a critical speech /and/ dig back far enough that Hillary's war record is a critical factor, surely the speech that made him famous is the most important.

And I think Hillary's crying jag actually hurt her more in the end. For the same reason that Obama's 'You're likable enough, Hillary' isn't the worst thing he's ever said because it made a number of people laugh. (That clearly has to go to his very early 'cost of arugula' gaff which almost killed him in Iowa. Or maybe his snark about poor people in Pennsylvania, clinging to their guns and religion.)