Okay, Hillary, Enough

I'll admit it, I am among the moderate Democrats who have supported Hillary since Day One of the very long primary season, the one that's lasted since 2005. I voted for her in the California primary, I was pleased when she made her comeback in New Hampshire (my relief came as a surprise to me), and I still think she is the smartest candidate for President in a long time, at least since Carter.

But you may see where I'm going with this. Carter was not a very successful president despite his IQ. And while pro-Hillary pundits can more easily liken Obama to Carter insofar as their presumed Washington "inexperience," the arguments Hillary is spouting now to try to overcome her imposing deficit are becoming increasingly strident and lame. I just absolutely hate her campaign, whoever is trying to direct it, Grunwald or Penn. All the misquotes, the subtle and not-so-subtle digs at her rival, do little to reinforce my admiration for her. A campaign that began with presumptive victory is now stumbling into historical irrelevancy.

Sure Hillary owes a lot to her supporters and to her gender, but cognitive dissonance is carrying her momentum now rather than realism. The pundits now suggest that only a kneecapping, Tonya Harding style, can wrest the nomination from Obama. But should that happen, the injury would be grievous not just to Barack but to Hillary herself, and to the Democratic Party.

It seems that in every election we've come to expect the Dems to produce some disastrous misstep to hand over the election to whatever clueless dolt the Republicans put forward. From Dukakis's strapped helmet to Gore's sigh to Kerry's smug arrogance, it's been a tragedy of errors. Male Clinton only won because of Perot's third-party surge (and the elder Bush's glance at his watch during one debate). This year the clumsy McCain is giving the Dems a lot of leeway, coming up with clunkers every day, though the press has been unbelievably forgiving to him. I cringe to anticipate what kind of damage Hillary might do before the election sides are actually set.

There comes a point when clearheadedness must prevail. Hillary is smart and realistic and must know what her odds are. She can only steal this thing now, through devious means that would almost certainly alienate enough voters, Dems and Reps and independents, to keep us in Iraq for 100 years. There comes a time when surrender and retreat helps all hands. If she were to step down before a damaging convention, the act would be considered heroic. She would still have a major role to play in the party's future, and should Obama lose in November, would be a shoo-in for the next round in 2012.

When Gore held on stubbornly--and rightfully--in 2000, even he knew when the jig was up, and managed to concede with as much graciousness as possible. Good will that emerged from that helped promote his image to the point that millions would likely have swept him into office this year. Hillary should take note of that, and bow to the trend of history that Barack represents. It's not that she hasn't been in the White House for two terms anyway.

TO JOSIE

Thank you, Terry, not just for sticking with me through my exile, but for your suggestion in your comment about posting a picture of my dog. This is Josie, who passed away on November 4th of last year. Three days later I had her remains interred in a classy L.A. Pet Cemetery near the resting place of Roy Rogers' wonder horse, Trigger. I delivered a short eulogy to my friends in attendance, and then buried a copy of the eulogy in her casket. But it makes sense that Josie does deserve a eulogy in the more everlasting Cyberspace.

This is part of what I said:

For someone who made his living selling his writing I find it incredibly hard to form words sufficient to convey the depth of affection and gratitude I have for this wonderful being. And it's not just because I'm supposed to be on strike. I've been considering what to say to honor her, and know I will fall short as the depth of emotion is beyond language.

I preferred to give Josie an eternal burial place rather than more economical means of disposal, even to keeping her remains with me. This is a result of my upbringing, I suppose. In these days of Green power it's not fashionable to take up space in the earth. but for Josie I feel it's essential. I've selected a non-biodegradable casket that will last far beyond any of us. My fantasy is that someday some future archaeologist will stumble upon these remains. and derive some appreciation of the bond I had with her, evidenced by the memorabilia interred with her. any photos that survive, a copy of this, and of course, the inscription on her marker.

Besides, Josie is part-terrier, a "dog of the earth," whose nose was always sniffing under the surface. It seems fitting and proper that she get her own piece of ground.

Objectively speaking, Josie was not a remarkable pooch, not very talented, not a keen learner. She only knew one trick, which was to fetch when I asked her to "Bring me the toy." She was a glutton, ultimately eating far too much rich food for her own good. That I considered her clearly the Best Dog in the World is purely subjective. But she truly was a fine representative of a wonderful species, and in honoring her here I'm also saluting all those dogs who've come into our lives and given us so much comfort. I am not a spiritual person, and will not blame or thank a deity for the experiences I have had with her. But I must acknowledge the absolute beautiful relationship Nature has somehow constructed--or evolved--between our two species. And it's that bond I emphasize here, one I share with all those others who've festooned this cemetery with their own tributes.

Spring Ahead

Hey gang, we've gone past the Infernal Equinox and with the end of Daylight Wasting Time we've vaulted into the sunlight of midyear. That means several things; there's a whiff of jasmine in the air, the evening is late in coming and the baseball season is practically upon us.

It all begins on Tuesday when the Red Sox face the Oakland As in Japan. Boston, aside form losing asshole Curt Schilling to an injury, is at least as strong a team this year as last. Only a spate of injuries to such mainstays as Manny and Beckett will prevent them from another play-off run.  Hopefully the time shifts and jet lags implicit in an Asian opener can disorient them and help the Yanks get a foothold in that division.  As for the As, they traded away their best pitcher from last year, Dan Haren, and don't have much to show for it. Billy Beane may have some miracles up his sleeve, but the As look to fall far behind the Angels and Mariners in their division.

I'll leave other prognostication to later.  I'm fully involved now in the scouting and research activities requisite for a sensible Fantasy Baseball auction, which is also due early this year, on March 30.  I'm also considering logging onto an on-line auction for an alternative league, lest my picks with the Cheers do badly.  That decision will depend on whether I can expect my Internet connection not to die on me throughout the duration of the auction, which can take several hours.

In other competitions, I will have a lot more to say on the Hillary-Barack fisticuffs; suffice it to say now that my allegiances are slowly migrating from one of the candidates to the other, as, like other Democrats, I'm worried about electability, and would prefer a nominee who is not instantly hated (for no good reason, but still) by half the American population.

I'm sorry I've been such a laggard in this pursuit, and have lost all of my audience, but at least I still have a platform on which to practice my more elegant literary style.  I'm also composing this on an alternative platform provided by "Windows Live Writer," an outgrowth of Vista's messenger service.  After I'm done with this essay I will check on how accessible these contents are; given that it took me six months after a computer crash to relocate my blog, I don't suppose this set-up will do me any worse.  However, it is Vista, so Murphy's Law probably applies.

Only Echoes

I can't believe it. I'm back.

None of my readers will still be here, Terry surely is gone, foresaken me. Phil will be back. Hi, Phil!

It took this long to decipher how to get back onto Blogger after my computer crashed in October. With its replacement I lost the cookie necessary to sign back onto Blogger, and then I couldn't make the blogspot site recognize my password. And I'm a pretty smart guy. Has this been one elongaed blonde moment or am I corrct in assuming that sometimes the web of internet security designb is simply too complex?

Anyhow, this is my first entry since October, and a lot has happened, much of it sad. But no one will hear my plaint because no one will be looking for poor Ric's Bronx Cheers. This will be like the proverbial tree falling in the woods. No one will hear it, there may only be echoes.

The computer failing was one in a series of local calamities that rendered me a lightweight version of Egypt under the Plagues. Everything in my domicile started to putter out. Eventually came the true tragedy, the demise of my dog, which was gut-wrneching, especially as I became just another tormented dog owner who has to put his poor canine out of misery.

Then after I recovered from that--and the convalesence is not over yet--I took on a home renovation project, comical for a Jew, but worthwhile anyway, as I rebuilt my kitchen. I got to discover Home Depot and Lowe's and learn All About Granite. It's been a time.

This is liberating because I can get to exercise my public voice again in the blogosphere, even if I don't have much more to add about the very interesting political climate than one can with a single vote. Unless perchance the Huffington blog could pick me up.

For the record, I voted for Hillary in the Claifornia primary, but admire Obama , at least as a political Superstar, and can accept his greenness over McCain's acrid personality and defense of Iraq. Right now I wish that Hillary lost one or two of the upcoming primaries to help consolidate the party behind Obama. He may not be the best choice, but if he continues to pull in 60 percent of the Democratic vote, there is no question that he should be the candidate. Let the rest of history fall as it will.