The Hillary Step

Sir Edmund Hillary. One of the greatest explorers of all time. A giant among men. A winner and a hero.


The Hillary Step is an area about halfway between the South Summit and the Main Summit of Mt. Everest. It is a make or break point. It is, by some measure, a "point-of-no-return" if you want to get to the top.


Sir Edmund and Tenzing Norgay made it to the top. The "first" to do so, although some unrecognized Sherpa probably did it 1000 years prior.


A truly awesome accomplishment. A world record.


Now let's turn our gaze to another Hillary Step. Or should we say "two step." A pause on the way to the "top?"


Why do we have to withstand four to eight more years of this woman? I grant that she is smarter than smart and accomplished in her own right. She came from modest, middle class roots and elevated herself to within a whisker (plucked I am sure) of The White House as its' landlady, not just its' tenant.


But please...can't we get a break from these people? All we hear about is Bill this and Bill that and Hillary said this and Hillary wants that and dynasty and Chelsea is so pretty now and in 20 years will be the next Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and on and on and on...!


What is it with Obama and his penchant for nominating questionable cabinet secretaries?

Holder, Richardson, Geithner, Clinton...? Who's next?


Hillary Clinton probably would (or still might) make a good president. Qualified, informed, articulate, charming. But the idea that Bill's adventures in globetrotting and "interesting" fund raising on behalf of his foundations won't have an impact on Hillary's ability to succeed at State is naive by half.


Bill made disclosures and "was happy to do so."


Yeah, right.


Bill was a great president. He's a great ambassador. He's a great, soon-to-be, elder statesman. W. can only dream of approaching a fraction of Bill's achievements in or out of office. Or of any of the other former presidents, including Herbert Hoover, for that matter.


But Hillary will travel around the world with him on her shoulder (not literally as they seem to live very separate lives.) She has always lived in his shadow. He was the Governor... she was the First Lady. He was the President... she was the First Lady. She was elected to the Senate, in part, because he is her husband. She was taken seriously as a presidential candidate, in part, because of her relationship to him and his administration.


And now she's been nominated, in part, because "you keep your enemies closer..."


I wish she were different. I wish I actually believed the things she said. I really wish I felt that the two of them had the best interests of the country at heart and not just their own self interests as it seems to be.


But I guess we'll just have to pause a minute at this Hillary Step, gather our wits, and forge ahead to the summit regardless.

I guess we'll have to wait and see who the next heroes will be. So far it doesn't look so good.

Maxims

"A stitch in time saves nine."

"Smooth seas make poor sailors."

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

Maxims.

What would we do without them?

The horse one is a special favorite. My father would use it sometimes to describe me. Opportunity after opportunity...squandered in "pursuit of happiness." Oh well...

What was wrong with me? And all of the other maxims that litter our lives. We hear them all of the time, especially when we don't want to be reminded of their inherent value in the moment.

Except for "All work and no play makes Jack (Jill...don't want to be accused of being sexist) a dull boy (girl)."

That one was always good as a prelude to a break in the action. Raking, washing, studying...whatever...don't want to be a dull person...thanks...

But all of the others..."Light a cigarette and the bus comes"...what do they mean to us?

If I light a cigarette will the bus really come? What if I don't smoke? What if I wouldn't take a bus to the corner even if I were on fire? Do I really have that much control? Could I have used it to make my 9th grade study hall proctor disappear? Could I...

I digress...

I know. It means that the minute you make a decision in the opposite direction of your initial impulse or plan, the original scenario presents itself and you are saved.

From what? From making the original decision? What if the original decision was flawed? What if the absence of the bus gave you an opportunity to rethink your original decision and, by waiting, you end up making a better decision?

Maybe by not lighting the cigarette you save yourself untold aggravation and despair not to mention lung cancer, which I understand is no walk in the park. And what about second hand smoke? It opens a whole political and environmental can of worms.

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

Why? Sometimes cursing, even the darkness, is a way of letting off steam and releasing stress. I mean real, George Carlin, Denis Leary, Richard Pryor cursing. Not politically correct, PG, Dan Quayle cursing..."Goll darn it to heck...! You're a friggin' doo-doo head!"

That full throated U.S. Navy kind of cursing could be good in a situation where, by waiting those few extra minutes to yell at someone, you might avoid a black eye or a divorce or the unemployment line. The other kind of cursing releases nothing but gas into the already polluted atmosphere and it doesn't make you feel any better...it actually makes you feel worse because you have to hear those words...phooey on that!

And never mind the added pollution by lighting the candle and putting that little smelly puff of smoke in the atmosphere. Or the unnecessary use of natural resources by using the match, regardless of whether it is made of cardboard or wood, which is ultimately the same resource.

Curse away!

So, to hell with maxims...they are no good (clever maybe...) and don't work and are a waste of time and just make us think about what we're doing and feel guilty about our decisions.

But long live Maxim's...a great restaurant with great ambience, food and service. The one in Paris though, not New York.

New York has the Rainbow Room...at least for another few minutes so hurry down (or up to be literal.)

Tempus fugit so...

Carpe Diem...!

Thank you, Pete Townshend

If I were pretentious I'd be outraged. It would be a scandal. I would quote Churchill or Lincoln or Shakespeare.

But since I don't think of myself as pretentious I'm just plain old ordinary, garden variety aggravated....not angry, yet...but irritated beyond measure.

Obama hasn't even taken the oath of office yet (although everybody, including W., is acting like it) and already he's giving Bush/Cheney a pass.

Even Henry Waxman seems to be cahoots. Only Frank Rich of the Times appears to be saying that the administration should be held accountable for what he calls "malfeasance."

I call it "highway robbery." And a lot of other "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Let's review: Iraq (war and reconstruction...hello Amb. Bremer, how's your Medal of Freedom?), Katrina, Wall Street, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, Wiretaps, Prosecutorgate...did I say Iraq...?

There are so many instances in which it seems like the administration acted as a rogue government, completely disregarding the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Now maybe they didn't. Maybe everything really does have to do with 9-11.

Maybe the President did act with the national interest in mind.

Maybe the Vice President did subordinate his own desires to those of his Commander in Chief.

Maybe the meltdown on Wall Street is a result of market forces and policies set in place long ago.
Maybe the Geneva Conventions really don't apply.

Maybe there's a Santa Claus (unemployed but there just the same)

I'm willing to extend anybody the benefit of the doubt...even this bunch.

But where is the outcry (that's the other word I was looking for at the beginning...not "scandal"...scratch "scandal"...insert "There would be an outcry")?

Where is the public indignation (another good word..."where have you gone William Safire...?") at the fact that the incoming administration isn't even going to look at the possibility that there were crimes committed let alone prosecute...?

Was there a quid pro quo? Was there an agreement with somebody in a trench coat in a parking garage late at night? Maybe the Republicans threw the election and one of the provisos was a lack of investigations after the fact. How else can you explain the silence on the issue? How else can you explain Obama's remarks? How else can you explain Sarah Palin?

Maybe Bush/Cheney, et al, did nothing immoral or illegal during the past 8 years.

But wouldn't it be nice to know that? Wouldn't their collective legacy benefit? Wouldn't the country and its' reputation be served by a comprehensive investigation by an impartial group?

And to hell with the idea that an investigation would be seen as too partisan. Maybe that's the point. Maybe an investigation would reveal that the Republicans did get it all wrong. Maybe an investigation would demonstrate that there is a better, more moral way to conduct our national affairs than the way they've been doing it in Washington over the past 8 years. Maybe the Democrats are on to something.

Looks like we'll never know. Business as usual. "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss."

Come to think of it, maybe I am outraged...!

What are they thinking...?

Republicans.

"You can't live with 'em. You can't live without 'em."

And that's the problem. Why can't we just live "without 'em" for a while?

You would think, that after the past 8 years and the defeats of 'o6 and '08, the Grand Old Party would begin to get the message. But NOOO!!

What is it that they don't seem to understand. We are in two endless wars (3 if you count the "War on Terror") The economy is on life-support. Our healthcare system is neither healthy nor caring. Our kids can't read (English, let alone Chinese) Our air is gray, our water is brown and our roads have more holes than Albert Hall.

And so much of the current mess is attributable to Republican decisions. The gated mentality of "I've got mine and screw you" has provided us with legislation, or a lack thereof, that has frustrated the better intentions of the bright minds that have an insight into the solutions we so desperately need.

Now, let's stipulate that the Democrats are no angels either. They've enjoyed their moments in the sun. We can thank them for Viet Nam even though Johnson and Nixon get the blame (Eisenhower, Schmeisenhower)

We can thank them for the nightmare "13 days in October" that almost made the whole conversation about the future moot. Not to mention Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

We can thank them for Chicago '68.

But PLEASE!!

The transgresions of the the modern GOP, run by Rove and fronted by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Delay and many other lesser players (Thank you Ann Coulter...no Rush Limbaugh..no Sean Hannity...no Dennis [How can HE be a Republican...Saturday Night Live?] Miller) are far worse because they seem to nurture the worst in us.

Greed. Cruelty. Dispassion. Ignorance.

What has happened to the "Party of Lincoln", by the way, a man who revered education and fairness...let's review, the EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION ANYONE?!!

No, we get Bridges to Nowhere and gazillion dollar wars and bailouts and torture and poverty and whatever else you can imagine in describing the inner fires of Hell.

Please just stop. Heven't you done enough? Don't you have enough pearls and diamonds and caviar and Mercedes and speedboats?

Can't you just admit that we live in a diverse and complicated society no longer easily categorized by Kings and Queens (ok, a few queens...) and peasants.

We all count. We all deserve to live in peace and harmony and an environment of well being.

To paraphrase Lee Iacocca, but leaving off the "leading" part because enough already,

"....., follow or get out of the way"

Just get out of the way so the best and the brightest can fix what you've done for so long now.

To quote another great American,

"It ain't over 'til it's over"

But it's damn close....damn close!

To Be Perfectly Clear

"Let me make myself perfectly clear..."

So said Richard Nixon. So say I.

I am very happy that Barack Obama has been elected president. I admire John McCain and think he is a man of good judgement (never mind the Palin thing), honor (never mind the Keating thing...) and integrity. He would have been adequate.

But after the past 8 long years we need something else. Mickey Mouse might have been better (never mind the Disney thing) but we need much more than a rodent in the White House.

I never cared that Obama was "inexperienced." I never cared that he's half black (or half white...) I never cared that he didn't wear a flag pin in his lapel.

I only cared that he was smart (very smart) and willing to listen (seemingly)

The problems that we face as a nation are so vast and complicated that we need someone in the Oval Office who is willing to talk about the issues from a national perspective...what's good for the country, as a whole...not just what's good for the party or oneself.

It remains to be seen how much Obama will transcend politics as usual and restore intelligence and humility to the executive branch. I hope he delivers on the promises of change. I hope he listens to his inner voice that says, "Make it better. Make it work right again."

Too many people all over the country and the world are waiting to see what he'll do. People are encouraged by his mere presence and are feeling better about the possibilities for the future even before he has been sworn in.

My great fear is that he is not what he says he is. That he is a snake oil salesman and that he has capitalized on a moment of national vulnerability to ride the palpable discontent with W. into the White House. My fear is that he'll succumb to the same temptations that have sunk so many other presidents. That he'll think he's bigger than the office. We just came off of 8 years of unbridled arrogance. We really can't afford another 4.

And I'm afraid that Obama will get whacked (not literally, Godforbid) by the realities of Washington. The back room, old boy, lobby driven environment that makes governing and legislating so difficult.

We are a country of tiny little constituencies and voter blocs, each bent on securing from the Feds their own little piece of the pie (the former Sen. Ted Stevens comes to mind...)

Obama will disappoint people who don't agree with his choices. He'll anger people who feel that they have been disenfranchised by the desicisons he makes against their narrow interests. He will be fighting with Congress on a daily basis trying to get his bills passed.

It will be uphill all the way.

Is he up to it? Does he have what it takes? Is he the real thing?

We'll see.

But let me be perfectly clear. I want him to succeed. I think he can. "The question is, and this is the only question..." (Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Departed"),

...will we let him...?

Enough!

Ok, so the Jews have been persecuted for centuries. And we will never forget The Holocaust.

Never.

But what is going on in Gaza? Civilians? Schoolchildren? What...?

Here's what. The Israelis are trying to rid themselves of the terrorist threats and actions that effect their country. The Palestinians are trying to assert themselves in a situation in which they feel powerless. After years of suicide bombs, threats, war and occupations, first Hezbollah and now Hamas is being treated to the retaliation of the Israeli military.

But at what cost to Israel? The Arab world and other more Jewish-friendly people are crying out for the war to stop in Gaza. The condemnations of Israel are loud and furious.

But Israel will continue until they have made their point. Which is...

Well, maybe that they are powerful. Or that they won't be intimidated. Or that they will be acknowledged as a legitimate member of the community of nations.

It's been over 60 years since the creation of Israel. Wars have been fought and many people on both sides of the conflict have suffered and died. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do at the time.
Maybe it was wonderful. Whatever. But that was then and this is right now.

And maybe it's time for the Palestinians to realize that Israel will never go away and for the Israelis to understand that the Palestinians deserve to live in peace and dignity.

The moderate and peace-loving people of the Arab world must rise up and say enough. They will never forget what has happened to their people over the years but they must advocate for peace.

And the Israelis must demand of their leaders that a durable peace is negotiated just as they memorialize the sacrifices and efforts of their ancestors. They must settle only for peace as well.

But how many people will have to die before the leaders decide to co-exist in harmony.

How many more children will have to grow up as orphans, if they grow up at all, before the killing stops. On both sides. Perpetrated by both sides. Stoppable onlyby both sides.

Enough is very much enough. Just stop. Cut your losses. Leave each other alone and get on with the healing. It will take generations but you have to start.

"A journey of many miles begins with a single step..."

Enough!

Lighten Up...!

#1...

Picture a tired looking guy in a tweed coat with elbow patches and a beard...hair somewhat messy...obviously an intellectual. Picture him in a grocery store and the sign above his head says, "Aisle 7...Milk, Eggs, Dairy"

Then imagine a caption to the scene...

"Dr. Arthurman spent many years in Eggs Aisle"

#2...

What are you doing if you drive past a car in Prague full of criminals?

You are passing bad Czechs...

#3...

Too bad about Bill Richardson...and too bad for Obama...not an auspicious start.

First Blagojevich, now this. What does this say about his judgment? What does this portend for the future of his nascent administration?

Well, I would posit, that he'll be fine. Well, at least until the glow subsides and the novelty wears off and he settles in to the hardscrabble game of Washington politics.

It'll be business as usual...lobbyists, Georgetown parties, cronyism. But it will be with all new faces.

Does Obama have a mandate? Maybe...simply to not be George Bush (careful... Poppy's talkin' Jeb up for '12...no beating around the bush there...)

But when he gets into negotiations with Congress he'll piss a few voters off by not offering what they want or by cutting some prized program or by staying in Iraq or by going into Iran or by bad-mouthing Israel about Gaza.

Whatever, he'll get into trouble and we'll be back in the soup. But we'll only have to wait until '10 and the start of the '12 campaign and then the GOP will have something to talk about. Palin and Jeb and Coleman and Jindal. (Go Al...255 is a victory nonetheless...!)

And Obama will start to run the Oval Office as a campaign office and will have his bright eyes on the '12 election, incumbent or not.

I wish him well...God knows we need him to succeed what with Wall Street and Detroit and the Middle East and Global Warming. But can he succeed in the current climate in which no one is willing to accept responsibility for anything? It's always someone else's fault, someone else is to blame.

Never me , no not me...never!

So here we go...a few weeks until the most anticipated Inauguration ever. Bush rambling on about his legacy, Cheney rambling on about his and Obama hoping, against hope, to actually turn this lunacy around before we go over the edge...like Wile E. Coyote...spinning his wheels and hovering until he looks down and then.....a small cloud of smoke at the bottom of the canyon...and the end.

But...hey...lighten up...

#4...

Knock, knock...!