I just don't see the appeal at all.

I would never deny that there are a number of legitimate reasons to not vote for Barack Obama. His clumsy selection of the man who would be his pastor is certainly one of them, but I don't see what's appealing about the Clintons at all. There was a time when I held some respect for our 42nd president. Unlike the two Bushes between whom he was sandwiched, at least he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He actually came from a modest upbringing to make something of himself. I pitied the way that his opponents would fabricate stories about him, from the saying that his was responsible for whacking Vince Foster, to even accusing him of rape. And as appalling as the Lewinsky affair was from the perspective of his wife and daughter, it doesn't reflect on his ability to govern. I wish in this country we could be more mature about these sorts of things. I will even give him credit for balancing the budget (he's much more conservative on this than those who claim to be conservative). However, somewhere along the line, he lost me.

I've made the point in this space before that there's something inherently wrong with turning the presidency into a family business. And, once you're in Washington long enough as an influential pariah, you start to acquire "people". I see this as being the two biggest liabilities of the current administration. How can you ponder the serious questions of our time and make rational decisions when you surround yourself with a bunch of "yesmen"?

When Bill was at his best, he was able to enrapture an audience. How then did he go from being so careful to completely tripping over the bullshit that falls out of his mouth? This address he gave yesterday concerning his wife's inexplicable exaggerations about her symbolic trip to Bosnia, was wrought with at least eight factual errors (article complete with citations). I think anyone who runs for political office (especially the presidency) has to be full of ego, but these two are so off the deep end it's scary. It gets to a point where they've convinced themselves of this reality that only exists in their heads that they lose track of where the exaggeration starts and where the real world ends.

And can we please put to rest this idea that the only reason why Obama has done well in red states with open primaries (where both registered Independents and Republicans can vote for a Democratic candidate) is because Republican voters are somehow involved in mischief and are voting for him because they think he's the weaker candidate and would prefer to see him as the nominee in the general election. As if it's not possible for these voters to simply vote for him because they actually do want to see him get elected.

This is just what's so incredibly lame about the Clinton campaign. When in doubt, blame the massive right wing conspiracy. It just reeks of the partisanship that kills our political discourse, and I want to get past this - as much of a challenge that's going to be.

The 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time

IFC has produced a list of the 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time. It definitely has a distinct British slant to it. The Four Yorkshiremen is brilliant and is about an accurate portrayal of my father as I could ever hope to come across on YouTube.

I am, though, disappointed by the paucity of Kids In The Hall sketches, especially since they pick the obvious Chicken Lady and Head Crusher routines. One of the under-rated aspects of that show was their ability to execute the darkest humor in the most absurd fashion. Here's one of my all-time favorites, Sausages.

Lets Go Fly-ers...

...on...Friday?

The regular season ended Sunday, and every other playoff series will have already had their first game (some will have even played their second) by the end of tonight. Why do I have to wait until Friday to catch the Flyers?

Are women funny?

I would have to say "yes" in answering that question, simply based on the fact that I know a few funny women. There are also a number of very talented female comedians. However, I do think a case can be made that as a whole men are definitely funnier. (Lets not confuse having a sense of humor with the ability to be funny.) I just read this piece in Vanity Fair laying out this argument which predominantly centers around the fact that, by looking through the lenses of natural selection, there is no real need for women to be funny to men. How many times do you hear a woman describing a man she likes by saying something like, "Oh, he's so funny."? Very common. Now, how often do you hear a man say the same thing about a woman? Much more infrequently. There's already enough things that a women possesses that that ability to be funny isn't necessarily one of them. On the other hand, in an effort to attract a mate, men are constantly under pressure to be funny.

Anyway, I think the argument is very interesting and you all can now start accusing me of being sexist.

What, what...

Maybe I'm not too up-to-speed on the latest YouTube sensations, but I really had no idea the above was a parody until afterwards. Oh, and it is also just about the gayest thing I've ever seen.

Locked Up Abroad

I'm really fascinated by this new show on the National Geographic HD Channel, called "Locked Up Abroad" that generally documents the misadventures of young people smuggling drugs through foreign airports and getting caught. What gets me about these episodes is the way that bad decision-making is juxtaposed against the world's silly drug laws. Now, why anyone would be so arrogant as to think they could get away with smuggling drugs is beyond me. However, penalties in (say, Mexico) for trafficking cocaine is a minimum of 10 years in prison (it's 25 in the USA). What a waste of a young life! Ten years! So someone gives you a suitcase full of coke and you spend ten years in jail! What's gained by keeping someone locked up for that long for such an offense? What victims are saved or future injustices prevented? Is someone who smuggles coke into Mexico really a threat to the world?

In short, if you're abroad and someone hands you a suitcase to take with you out of the country, you better fucking know what's in it, but drug laws are inherently asinine.