Distraction. God damn the grinning kings, God damn the kaiser and the czar.
Carl Sandburg
The sitting President of the
on a sleazy game show, then the next morning his wife
hosts the Today Show, sharing the spotlight with Barbara
and Jenna. Jenna will be walking down the aisle soon,
Barbara will be her maid-of-honor, so there was conversation
about separation with an expert on twin behavior.
It feels like another run for office, even though his eight
years are up. Analysts tell us his points are low, citizens
are suffering from war fatigue, gas-price gouging fatigue,
the earth is melting fatigue, so what we need is a distraction,
something electric or digital, instantly satisfying, like a virtual
tour of Federal Theme Parks, a glut of Happy Strangers
Waving.
This should keep us distracted long enough that we forget about
the sham we call Foreign Aid, the face of
we call American Education, children entering school through
metal detectors, the sham we call Health Care, veterans
at the Plexiglas window, turned away. As long as news
can be spun into entertainment, we will swallow what we hear.
As long as George refuses to reconsider his peeling, faded policies,
we will remain mired in muck and conspiracy.
Is it me, or does anyone else think this is immoral, unconscionable,
damnable, this Public Relations Blitz when boys in uniforms
are dying on wind-swept sand dunes, and grandmothers in
have to choose between paying the rent and paying for groceries.
We have been bamboozled.
The electronic image of the sitting President of the
flickers on my screen, slick and steamy. He encourages an Iraqi vet,
who is surrounded by scantily-clad models, to go for the jackpot.
Meanwhile, Laura, her smile pasted on her face, gives us a tour
of the ranch while his daughters sit in front of the camera, legs
crossed, showing just a smidgen of thigh.
Is it me, or are you too outraged? Because it looks like he's
going to get away with it, not held accountable, not George or
Dick or Condy or Don. I blame the media, I blame the Republicans,
I blame the Democrats, I blame the Pentagon, I'm even blaming
the Pope, just because I'm pissed as hell with him, too.
I'm spitting these words as fast as I can type,
I'm pissed, I'm pissed, I'm pissed
because there's not one damned thing I can do about it.
By the way, tomorrow night the President will be hosting
Wheel of Fortune. There's nothing Pat Sajak can do about it,
and I hear he's pissed as Hell.
Mimi Moriarty
15/May/08
1 comment:
Mimi, I feel the same way about these TV appearances. I was surprised at the first one, but have become inured to it. Anyway, I always switch channels immediately when I see his smarmy face in any capacity. It makes me nauseous.
Barbara
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