- more day to day observations against the back drop of the Palin fandango and the Bush administration 'bail out'. Went downtown to sup with the Handrew on heirloom tomatoes. This was our final taste bud hurrah to the last fresh food from the summer. After all, we have just had an equinox. What Andrew said about Bush's speech last night was spot on (of course). All the major network channels give him the prime time spot, because they have to, because he asked for it. Though I don't mean to be sarke, when I say the speech can't have come even close to the anticipation of 'Project Runway'. Perhaps telly watchers across the states are so used to his sub-par performance, they've given up. Bush plays political theatre in a way that would make Elizabeth Ist blush for shame, Russian tsars titter and emperors weep. 'Project Runway' reports on ambition, love and loss in a consumer world with frankly far superior production, research, and aplomb. It's no good blaming the 'celebrity culture' around American politicians. They have simply slid closer towards more classic images of monarchy, commonly associated with latterday Europe. Elizabeth Ist (though I can't vouch this applies to the 2nd), again, positively cultivated the monarch\idol attitude towards the governing body. While contemporary theatre (which is some of the best available in the Western world), certainly jibed, heckled and hissed at her performance, there was never a sense that it was inappropriate for the two to be intertwined. Perhaps Bush should invite 'Project Runway' to his 'court', in a belated attempt to engage with the peoples over which he rules. At the very least, his television team might get some better speech tips.
Many fairly, nay practically all, calm headed financial commentators are saying the state of America's fiscal affairs are as bad as it's been not simply in the 80s, but the 20s: all ye mark how the bell tolls, recession on that scale is imminent. Despite this somewhat tangible climate, Bush took only 15 mins to address the nation on the matter. He looked terrified: apparantley as frightened as he looked just after 9\11. (Incidently, yesterday was one of those '9\11' days when the light is so shockingly beautiful, with a breeze light and crisp, and a cloudless baby blue sky: perfect temperature, iconic 'New York in the Fall' weather. But of course now such a sensation is charged with weary tension. Something you couldn't even dream up, like a plane crashing into a skyscraper, happened on a day just like it. So hence, '9\11 weather'. The perfect irony being how pretty it is.) You could even hear a tremor of the voice as he paused for breath. He's the leader of the western world, and he's terrified.
I think that was most clearly expressed by the television. Afterwards, barely anyone on the telly spent any time reviewing the speech at all. Perhaps there was nothing else you could say. Of course his message was fairly clear: it's fucked. it's over. Yet what signalled this more than anything Bush's nerves betrayed, was his impotency to pack a punch over American primetime. Wait - I'm forgetting myself: Fox News spend a considerable ammount of time talking about how McCain was right to suspend his campain in the light of the 'bail out'. As a strategy which screems nothing but weakness and selfish stupidity, they only vindicated how dreadfully incompetent the McCain jambouree really is. As always, they used phrases which don't actually mean anything. It seems more fun trying to import semantic sense onto Fox News than admit the general moral tragedy that is what they are actually trying to say. The faces on this channel consisted of two types of commentator: stupid, arrogant old men and stupid, arrogant young broads. Just like the republican party presidential candidates. Some of them spoke so badly I doubt they'd qualify for sports commentary let alone 'live' analysis of the american election.
Before the speech came on, we watched a repeat of the daily show, which had a fantastic skit about the current debacle. Running on the lines of 'is there anything left that this administration can de-achieve'. The punchline was superb. "George doesn't want to be the worst president [beat] but the last"
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