Thursday, May 12, 2005

What wine goes with Rodent?


A little BoBolais Nouveau perhaps?

I love me some internets, both snap-bean fresh off the vine and the stuff that’s been aging in oak casks for, say, six years.

First we sample a few sips of the BoBolais Nouveau, from today's NYT.
Practically still warm from the sun…

Turning Tide for Bolton By DAVID BROOKS

…over the past two weeks John Bolton's confirmation prospects have gotten stronger. What happened?
On April 19, Bolton's nomination was knocked off-track by Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing. They made powerful presentations against Bolton, which clearly spooked several Republicans. So investigators were dispatched to interview dozens of Bolton's colleagues to get a deeper view of his conduct.
The interview transcripts suggest that Bolton could behave in a "fairly blunt manner" and that some people felt "undue pressure" to conform to his views, as John Wolf, a former assistant secretary of state, testified.
But they also reveal that Bolton has a professional sense of limits. He'd push his views, and push hard.

The speeches he gave on controversial subjects were generally cleared. Nobody was fired because of him. Nobody's career was damaged.

So when he challenged Bolton, Bolton would bend on most matters, but not on policy.

That's because Bolton's job was to stand up for the president's policies.
The momentum has shifted on the Bolton nomination because John Bolton turns out to be a more complicated figure than earlier portrayed. It's become clear that earlier tales of him chasing women down hallways are unreliable. It's become clear that while he's abrasive, he is professional. If Senator George Voinovich reads these transcripts before he votes, I'm sure Bolton will be confirmed.


Before we commence to eatin', let's state for the record that nobody is ever going to knock Bill Clinton for being weak on policy matters. In addition to being many other things, he was, hands-down The Uber Wonk when it came to such things. He knew what he wanted in detail to ten significant digits and in Washington rumors are still whispered about “grown men pullin’ their own heads off” in fear of having to go down into the “conversation pit” and talk policy with Big Dog.

Also, no one can argue that –- six years ago -– the public had any taste for Impeachment whatsoever. After seven-years and seventy-million dollars spent on the relentless, obsessive Republican Ahab-ing of Bill Clinton (to the point where, for example, even whispering that we maybe should kinda go after Osama Bin Laden, caused the entire Right Wing Political and Media Chorus to bury any consideration under the deafening shrieks of “No War For Monica!” and “Wag The Dog!”) everyone was finally, heartily sick of it…except the Right Wing who had become so deeply invested in and unhinged by hatred that ever more their rhetoric began sounding like the ranting of Lucifer swearing eternal War on Heaven.

Or if you prefer, Ricardo Montalban dining on the scenery at the end of "Star Trek II":
“From hells heart I spit at thee. For hates sake I spit my last breath at thee.”

And for you youngsters out there just joining the party, no, this is not an exaggeration. The leaders of the Republican Lynch Mob were just exactly that fucking nuts. And, no, they never recovered. In fact rather than sober up and get over it, they’ve spent the last six years steeping in the Crazy Juice.

So impeachment was not about policy. And as was also the case with Clinton, as BoBo says about Bolton, “Nobody was fired because of him. Nobody's career was damaged” and no one can argue that Clinton did not have “a professional sense of limits.”

So these are BoBo’s simpering but pretty unambiguous tenets:

1. Personal matters (say, how you treat women) and ogerish behavior are irrelevant, and that if Bob “Grabbyhands” Crane were still alive and still a pervert and beat his underlings like rented mules…it would not matter as long as he lined up with the President’s policy.

2. Even if the way you go about pimping policy (especially in a professional capacity where diplomatic skills are, um, the whole fucking job description) are as ruinous and simplistic as “Hulk! SMASH!”, the President should always be deferred to.

Always. Always. Always.

I mean, the election is over, right? The people have spoken and alla that good stuff, right?

So, we’re all clear on where BoBo stands on these issues. I mean, after all, I gotta think that he wouldn’t go printing such stuff on the good, gray pages of the New York Times if he didn’t feel pretty strongly about them.

And given his clarity of principle, how do you think BoBo was feeling about William Jefferson Clinton on the days leading up to the Impeachment vote? Do you think maybe he was outraged by this nakedly partisan congressional intrusion into a matter as settled as the outcome of the 1996 Presidential elections? Did he awake from his Quisling stupor and leap voluably into the fray against those who wanted to topple a President over what were essentially personal matters between consenting adults?

Or was he the ever-reliable, ever-bonelessly-malleable stooge for the Ultra Right Wing…desperately trying to re-frame the argument around Culture Issues so that with any luck you wouldn’t notice the Coup d'Etat taking place inches from your nose?

Hey, why not pile into the Way-Back machine and actually find out? Put down the BoBolais Nouveau and sample a little of the vintage wine.

Let’s see…what goes well with rodent?

Something darker, perhaps? A deep red, with top notes of wingnut apologist, ass-smooching fundy Secret Santa, water-bearer…and not a hint of journalism.

Set the dial for 1999. The date is February 8th. The place is “The News Hour.” The emphsis…added by me.


“…I'm not sure the votes matter, whether it's 48 or 49, but the spin matters. You know, we had an event that happened, you know, two years ago in the White House. And there's been a pile of discourse put on top of it and then discourse, and discourse, and discourse, and a big ball of discourse, of which today is the last. But what we're fighting about are fundamental issues about America, fundamental issues about how women are treated in the workplace, fundamental issues of what we expect from our politicians, his personal, the political. These are the issues which are the core of the so-called culture war that has taken place since the 1960s."


In other words, BoBo believes that Impeachment was really an honorable fight over the very issues that BoBo now courageously urges us to ignore.

David Brooks:
Craven Accommodation Then.
Craven Accommodation Now.
Craven Accommodation Forever.

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm thinkin' if BoBo was a wine, he'd be a bottle of Two-Buck Upchuck.

Anonymous said...

"...they've spent the last six years steeping in the crazy-juice..." :)

Drift, you da dawg!

If I was a good songwriter/poet, I could come up with some Cole-Porter-type lyrics to post at you..."Icing on the cake...not on the take..."...whatever...

Instead, did you know that they mentioned you in the Bhagavad Gittem?

They sure did!

"I am become Driftglass; puree-er of wingnut testacles..."

Anonymous said...

I love me some internets too but you won't catch me drinking BoBolais Nouveau casually. Why? Take a good gander at that label: Owsley Vinyards.

…over the past two weeks John Bolton's confirmation prospects have gotten stronger.

Krauthammer was tippling some of that vintage just the other week when he wrote: Having lured the president out onto a far limb on Social Security, the Democrats have begun sawing.

Maybe we can lure some of these hacks to some NYC penthouse party: "No, really, it's true, you really can fly."

Brooks continues:

The speeches he gave on controversial subjects were generally cleared.

A lie as Steve Clemons has well-documented. If I were feeling charitable I'd point out that the word "generally" hides a seminary full of sins.

Nobody was fired because of him. Nobody's career was damaged.

Well duh, this is the Bush administration. Firing's for the peons in the private sector.

-Barry Freed

"Splunge" indeed.

Anonymous said...

Clinton Administration: White is black.

Bush II Administration: Black is white.

Yeah, I think that by now we've pretty much nailed that pattern.

One thing you can confidently say about BoBo and his masters: They're consistently inconsistent. Or rather, their single consistency is the willingness to do or say (and truly, truly believe) whatever it takes to secure unlimited power. A bit of mental re-editing is a small price to pay -- literally, when you take the cranial capacity of this bunch into account.

The pity of it is, no one who might rub BoBo's face in his manifest hypocrisy -- and especially no one who could do it with the devastating wit and style of driftglass -- will ever be allowed within a thousand miles of his Eminence.

Btw, I loved the Piranha Bros. ref. applied to the BD.

Vercotti:

"He used... sarcasm. He knew all the tricks, dramatic irony, metaphor, bathos, puns, parody, litotes and... satire. He was vicious."

I think I'd probably pull my own head off, too, rather than face a verbal knouting from our host.

Anonymous said...

Your page loaded really quick for all the content and images I'm impressed

Anonymous said...

Man there is alot of comment spam I have noticed. Is there any way to remove it from the blogs?

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading some of your posts driftglass. I was looking for female hair loss related information and found your blog. I have a female hair loss site. You can find everything about hair styles as well as information on hair bows, color, extensions, and wigs. Come and check it out if you get time :-)

Anonymous said...

good info

Anonymous said...

Happy to have found your blog. I was in the mood for a instant car loan related site, but not a bad find.

Anonymous said...

Apprezzo l'occasione lasciare un alberino del nose job before after pictures.Salaam, Shawn nose job before after pictures

Anonymous said...

The first five times I heard about nose job cost, I really didn't listen too good.Genuinely, Francisco nose job cost

Anonymous said...

Dank voor het hebben van een blog die dit omvat.Genuinely, Kristina salinas cosmetic surgery

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading some of your posts driftglass. I was looking for female hair loss related information and found your blog. I have a female hair loss site. You can find everything about hair styles as well as information on hair bows, color, extensions, and wigs. Come and check it out if you get time :-)
If you have a site similar to mine and would like to exchange links, please contact me through my website.

Stan said...

Thanks for taking a few minutes to read this letter - If you
have ever wanted to learn how to make your own delicious
wine & spirits (or discover the exact secrets to do it right)
then this is one of the most rewarding letters you
will ever read. You see, this eBook is simply the ultimate
resource for anyone who wants to learn how to make outstanding
wines & spirits from their very own home - whether they are a
complete newbie or already an experienced wine maker.

http://yourebooksuperstore.com/wine/wineas.html

Anonymous said...

Shop online today. Forget driving to the mall when you can just click the mouse and order from your favorite store. No traffic to deal with

Anonymous said...

Great blog. In case you care to know, I was searching for benifits of low carb diet and your blog came up. I am glad I found it though.

Very nice.

Anonymous said...

Great blog. In case you care to know, I was searching for low-carb success photos and your blog came up. I am glad I found it though.

Very nice.

Anonymous said...

Its something how there is all this face lift pennsylvania stuff available.With Compliments, Arica face lift pennsylvania

Anonymous said...

I was searching blogs,and I found your site.Please,
accept my congratulations for your excellent work!
If you have a moment, please visit my site:
consolidation debt lendercom loan mortgage
It pretty much covers consolidation debt lendercom loan mortgage related issues.
Have a good day!

Anonymous said...

good info

Anonymous said...

Hello driftglass,

After reading your blog "this post", I believe you will find my site on hair sedu style to be very helpful.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm taking a sports related degree at university and doing a study on various topics around Running & Joggine such as 'jogging'. I need joggers from around the world to participate in the study. I use this (jogging) site to find potential contributors, do you know of any other ways I could get input.
Regards

Anonymous said...

Hello,

The last time I saw anything like this was a documentary on TV but the detail on this site has been worthwhile waiting for. The TV programme hardly mentioned any of the staff that you have included in your website. Thanks for making it possible for me to access this information.

Regards,
comfortable

Anonymous said...

This is a excellent blog. Keep it going. If you have a mortgage issue, I'm sure you'd be interested in Los Angeles mortgages New Information revealed! http://thehomemortgageguide.com

Anonymous said...

Tell me more about that last remark. I am not sure I fully understand.Ok now back to looking up debt consolidation service 1.Thanks for your time,debt consolidation service 1.

Anonymous said...

Hey driftglass,

Your blog "this post", leads me to believe you will find my information on ceramic iron sedu to be very beneficial.

Anonymous said...

Hey this is great do you get many people read this blog. I will share this with my work friends. Maybe you will want to take a look at my web site and let me know what you think. smoking cessation advice

Anonymous said...

Good comments. But, I do not agree with most of them. People sure have a lot of time on their hands.

Anonymous said...

Your blog is great, Here's the secrets a lot of people are searching for; mortgage after bankruptcy Bad Credit? http://thehomemortgageguide.com

Anonymous said...

The Housing Bubble has popped in Florida. What does it mean? Either prices plummet and buyers rush in, or sellers take their homes off the market, or it's going to take a lot longer to sell a home. Read more ....

Anonymous said...

Hey this is great do you get many people read this blog. I will share this with my work friends. Maybe you will want to take a look at my web site and let me know what you think. breast augmentation

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for creating your blog. It's interesting how people are so different in their interests.

Thank You again,

certificate health international pet

Anonymous said...

Hello driftglass,

After reading your blog "this post", I believe you will find my site on hilary duff sedu hair style to be very helpful.

Anonymous said...

Nice input and I agree too.Back to researching debt consolidation service 1.Just starting out,debt consolidation service 1.

Anonymous said...

Debt Consolidation Debt Consolidation Quote can help you reduce your interest burden by charging an interest rate lower than the rate on your existing loans. Debt consolidation loan can also allow you to make small monthly payments by extending the loan period

Anonymous said...

Debt Consolidation Debt Consolidation Quote can help you reduce your interest burden by charging an interest rate lower than the rate on your existing loans. Debt consolidation loan can also allow you to make small monthly payments by extending the loan period

Anonymous said...

Hi driftglass, today I¹m surfing for
a good blog experience on buy online wine
and I found your great site. Well
this post wasn¹t exactly what I was
looking for it did receive my
attention and interest. I see now
why I found your resourceful
web-site when I was searching for
buy online wine related information
and I am glad I found your site
even though its not an exact find.
Let me contribute to this site by
leaving you with my favorite
wine quote from Thomas Jefferson!
- "No nation is drunken where wine
is cheap, and none sober where
the dearness of wine substitutes
ardent spirits as the common
beverage" ---Jefferson, Thomas---

Anonymous said...

Hi there driftglass, I¹m out surfing for
the latest information on gift baskets and
found your great site. Although
this post wasn¹t exactly what I
was looking for it certainly peaked
my interest. Now I see why I found your
page when I was looking for gift baskets
related information and I¹m happy I
found your wine blog even though this
isn¹t a perfect match. Great Post,
thanks for the read, I will leave you
with one of my favorite wine quotes from
Julia Childs: "Wine is a living liquid
containing no preservatives. Its
life cycle comprises youth, maturity,
old age, and death. When not treated
with reasonable respect it will
sicken and die." - Julia Child

Anonymous said...

I have been following a site now for almost 2 years and I have found it to be both reliable and profitable. They post daily and their stock trades have been beating
the indexes easily.

Take a look at Wallstreetwinnersonline.com

RickJ

Anonymous said...

Debt
Debt can help you reduce your interest burden by charging an interest rate lower than the rate on your existing loans. Debt consolidation loan can also allow you to make small monthly payments by extending the loan period
http://www.debt1consolidation.com

Anonymous said...

I was searching blogs,and I found yours.Please,
accept my congratulations for your excellent work!
If you have a moment, please visit my unique truck accessories dog box site.
Have a good day!

Anonymous said...

Hey, you have a great blog here! I'm definitely going to bookmark you!
I have a tru blue pet products site.
Come and check it out if you get time :-)
Greetings.

Anonymous said...

Hi Fellow! I was just searching blogs,and I found yours! I like it!
If you have a moment, please visit my auto amortization calculator site.
Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Cool Blog! If you get a chance I would like to invite you to visit the following accessories blog, it is cool to!

Anonymous said...

Hey Fellow, you have a top-notch blog here!
If you have a moment, please have a look at my bad credit california home loans site.
Good luck!

Anonymous said...

A fantastic blog yours. Keep it up.
If you have a moment, please visit my bad credit florida mortgage ocala site.
I send you warm regards and wish you continued success.

Anonymous said...

Hi there Blogger, a real useful blog.Keep with the good work.
If you have a moment, please visit my bad credit florida jacksonville mortgage site.
I send you warm regards and wishes of continued success.

Anonymous said...

Hello Friend! I just came across your blog and wanted to
drop you a note telling you how impressed I was with
the information you have posted here.
Keep up the great work, you are providing a great resource on the Internet here!
If you have a moment, please make a visit to my bad credit loan personal student site.
Good luck in your endeavors!

Anonymous said...

Debt Consolidation
Debt Help Home Loans Student Loan Consolidation can help you reduce your interest burden by charging an interest rate lower than the rate on your existing loans. Debt consolidation loan can also allow you to make small monthly payments......
http://www.debt-consolidation.com
Debt Consolidation
Debt Help Home Loans Student Loan Consolidation can help you reduce your interest burden by charging an interest rate lower than the rate on your existing loans. Debt consolidation loan can also allow you to make small monthly payments......
http://www.debt-consolidation.com