From Gonzo warning to the mainstream press gone wild for that maverick hero John McCain...

... A great review in a recent issue if the Cleveland Free times by Pam Zoslov (a tremendous writer on "the kultchuh" if ever there's been one) of the recent film about Hunter Thompson includes this quote:

“The most consistent and ultimately damaging failure of political journalism in America has its roots in the clubby/cocktail personal relationships that inevitably develop between politicians and journalists — in Washington or anywhere else where they meet on a day-to-day basis. When professional antagonists become after-hours drinking buddies, they are not likely to turn each other in.”

Check out the complete review at http://pamelazoslov.blogspot.com/

Which leads to this link this article by Eric Alterman & George Zornick titled "Loving John McCain" in the June 19th issue of The Nation: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080707/alterman

Which leads to the inevitable hopefulness that all of this crap with McCain as the impossible heir to the Bush Family/Neocon Debacle reign in American national politics will be moot if only Obama wins in November. But while I find my own hopes hopelessly rising like a schoolboy's crush throughout my naively willing to believe psyche I know that even an Obama victory will only be a small step toward what needs to be accompished for a legitimate new Progressive Renaissance to even be on the radar screen of what's possible.

So despite the fascination with the sporting event styled competition with its high profile jousting ad and spin campaigns I feel the need to do more than just join the pro or con side of either of the mainstream "bipartisan" choices.

Ultimately I may "work" for Obama in one or another of the door to door GOTV campaigns. I know he represents the best hope for the possibility of the needed progressive pendulum swing that is needed in American politics, economics, and throughout Society to finally counteract and roll back the horrific consequences of the 40-60 year right wing backlash that "has my head spinning," (see http://dialogdemocracy.org/what_and_whom_we_oppose.htm for more detailed commentary) just as deposed Nixon Attorny General John Mitchell supposedly said it would as he was leaving Washington in disgrace some 35 years ago.

So now John McCain starts to play the racist's cards the Repubes...

... Have been playing successfully at least since Ron Ray-Gun's successful stressing the coded language of "states rights" all through his presidential campaigning career throughout the south. Hell, it's the biggest reason for the biggest electoral shift in modern times: the Solid South going from solidly Democratic to for sure pure Republican. And every Republican candidate since has played the same race baiting tunes and now McCain tips his hand. Check out this article by Kevin (freaking) Freking of AP: http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/politics-16/1217163842282220.xml&storylist=president

Well well well. Good to be in the post racist era of the American experiment. And good, too, to be in the post surge stage of the Iraq debacle so the Republicans can go around the country demanding loyalty oaths to the "commanders on the ground" and testemonials to all the mission accomplished successes of the preemptive seizure of a resource rich trouble spot whose cooperative and complicit U.S. backed strongman had gotten a little too big for his britches.