As Yang Liwei recuperates from his historic mission, China readies for the moon.
Category: World at Large
Old South Pandering.
A week after sidestepping Sharpton’s anti-black attack (one that could have been directed at many of the major candidates), Howard Dean stumbles into a Confederate controversy. I’ve already written about my thoughts on this snafu at length over at Value Judgment, but to summarize: Somebody needs to tell Dean, if he doesn’t know himself, that (a) the Stars-‘n’-Bars is not a symbol to be thrown around lightly, and (b) most Southerners (and even the truck-drivers) do not endorse the flag or the racist sentiments that brought it back into Southern life (and the ones who do aren’t going to like Dean anyway.) Dean’s still in the lead for my vote, but, frankly, this is just dunderheaded, if not offensive, in its ignorance of both the South and the racial politics surrounding the flag.
In the Cut.
Via a friend of mine in the dept., who enjoyed Kill Bill only slightly more than I did, Quentin Tarantino lists his homages to Japanese cinema in the movie. An intriguing article, both for the film knowledge and massive ego on display.
The Trials of St. Veronica.
Caught Veronica Guerin over the weekend, and, well, frankly, don’t bother. I had hoped Cate Blanchett might make this project interesting, but this by-the-numbers Joel Schumacher schmaltzfest never rises above the level of a Lifetime channel movie of the week. It breezes through scene after scene of Guerin’s tough-as-nails-with-a-heart-of-gold interview style and the obligatory home v. work domestic squabbles like Scriptwriting 101, and never gives us a very interesting portrait of its protagonist, other than to cast her as some neglected patron saint of journalism. Similarly, the bad guys have become really bad — While the real Guerin took on a cannabis cartel, this film’s gangsters are trafficking in heroin, resulting in grim visions of needle parks, toddlers playing with syringes, strung-out teenagers prostituting themselves, and sundry other shocking evils that have little basis in Guerin’s real story. If anything, the film’s dependence on so many standard cinematic cliches is a disservice to the real Veronica Guerin, who was murdered by Dublin’s criminal element for exposing the truth to the light of day. Why obscure her tale and besmirch her ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty by stripping it of the character nuances and human complexities that separate the real world from dramatic convention? A sadly mechanical genre exercise devoid of anything but formula, Veronica Guerin is a missed opportunity and a shame.
Pillars of Fire.
ABT and Gill‘s City Center season opens to grand reviews: “Gillian Murphy as Hagar, the repressed heroine, knew that a Tudor dancer emotes through movement, not the face, and much of her impact came through sheer muscular power, especially in her space-devouring leaps…The beauty of Ms. Murphy’s performance was in its contrast, between her dazed outcast and a desperate but not hysterical woman whose emotions visibly surge through her body.” Also in dance news, the Globe profiles Ethan Stiefel, my sister’s boyfriend.
Fox in the Henhouse?
Ashcroft gets the inside word on the FBI’s Plamegate investigation. Well, on one hand he is the Attorney General. But, c’mon now – the smart thing to do would be to recuse himself from this case, particularly given his close ties to Rove. As I’ve said before in other contexts, if we were talking about Janet Reno here, Dan Burton would already have fired up the investigation train.
Anger Abroad.
From across the pond in London, my friend Luke starts up a new Expats Against Bush weblog. It’s still in its very early stages, but expect it to grow in the near future.
Second Thoughts.
Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, generally a straight shooter (despite being on the wrong side of campaign finance), calls out Congress for abdicating to Dubya’s foreign policy. “We probably have given this president more flexibility, more latitude, more range, unquestioned, than any president since Franklin Roosevelt — probably too much. The Congress, in my opinion, really abrogated much of its responsibility.” Well said, Chuck…now when is your buddy John McCain going to say the same?
Patriot Act?
As the WP delves into the leadership qualities of Wesley Clark, Rick Perlstein wonders aloud about the opportunities for leadership missed — or avoided — during the General’s war correspondent days. If Clark’s going to emerge from the Democratic primary, he really needs to develop an answer to his Iraq position that doesn’t sound evasive or needlessly complicated. He’s not there yet.
A Line (and Figure) in the Sand.
By respective votes of 303-125 and 87-12, the Iraq funding bill passes the House and Senate. (In terms of the Dem contenders, Lieberman and Gephardt voted in favor of the bill, while Kerry, Kucinich, and Edwards did not.) So Dubya got his money this time…let’s hope it’s enough to get the job done. Perhaps it’s time for Congress to reconsider the Biden Amendment?