Laughing Maniacally On The Inside

Whenever I read Chris Floyd, I feel relief and guilt. I'm relieved that someone is cataloging the crimes of empire, covering places that few people seriously consider, like Somalia. I'm guilty because I don't do enough of this myself. I used to, or at least tried to, especially in my early online days. But after four years of fairly steady blogging, I simply don't feel it anymore. It's not that I don't care or had my outrage gland removed. My teeth remain on edge for many of my waking hours. I merely wonder what's the point of it all.

I suppose my recent malaise stems from the general liberal refusal to engage me over the Dem war machine, people who I know have read "Savage Mules," but want nothing to do with it or me. I'd hoped to engage as many prominent libs as possible, clearing the ground, in a sense, for the next phase of Dem governance. The excuses I received from those few who replied to my queries were naturally Obama-centric, the great mission of making him president more important than my little tome or petty arguments about business-as-usual. I accepted this for a time; but now that Obama's going the way a handful of us predicted, you'd think that this would be a perfect moment to begin debating the approaching era.

Ha. According to "pragmatic" liberals, most noxiously Tim Wise, it's much too soon to pick at the Anointed One. Sure, he's loading his cabinet with well-known commodities like Hillary Clinton, while retaining the services of Robert Gates; but who knows what behind-the-scenes magic Obama is fomenting. It could all be a clever ruse, a necessary cover for whatever progressive moves the Savior-elect has in mind.

Yes, there are actual adults who seem to believe this scenario, or at least want those who remain skeptical to buy it, so debating these fantasymongers would be a waste of time -- assuming they were keen to debate. Most that I know of don't want to hear anything negative about Obama, and I seriously doubt this will CHANGE three months, eight months, two years into his administration, much less when his re-election campaign cranks up. Based on available evidence, the most critical these people will get will be some resigned sighs, shrugged shoulders, and bleats about working within the system, taking what you can get, etc.

In other words, either get with the winning team or shut the fuck up.

But this is all down the road. For now, Obama supporters have the luxury of dreaming about What Might Be. They sure as hell don't want their pink clouds darkened with bad vibes. That turn in the weather is fast approaching as it is.

If the above rambling sounds contradictory, muddled or confused, well, that's pretty much where my head is politically. Some of you feel this is how I am anyway, and you may be right. All the more reason to read Chris Floyd, John Caruso and Bernard Chazelle (both of whom appear regularly at Jon Schwarz's joint), my smirking buddy IOZ, among others. Their tolerance for this bullshit easily surpasses mine, at least for the time being. Maybe I'll get back in the swing once The O Show debuts in late January. Until then, be ready for anything in this space, or nothing at all. He who knows doesn't speak, and he who speaks is usually an asshole -- hopefully waxed and bleached for public consumption.

LINGERING MULE EFFECT: Tom Watson wrote a generous review of my book recently, as did Steven Poole in the London Guardian. A photo of LBJ conducting a staff meeting while taking a dump will be sent to both as a form of thanks.