GOP: When did Thinking go out of Fashion?

One of our chief forms of entertainment over here in Iraq has been watching the circus otherwise known as
the GOP.  Our biggest regret:  The debates are too late for us to watch.  Our biggest thrill:  SNL recaps on them.

My personal favorite was clearly the SNL take on Perry's "oops" moment.  Wow.  And it has certainly been a toss up for the last several months over who is going to say THE dumbest thing on TV or to the press today: Cain or Perry?  It's so delicious - a bigger guilty pleasure than People and US Weekly combined.   My greatest wish was that Sarah Pallin would be in the race so that Tina Fey would return.

(bonus: Link to John Stewart's take on the oops moment.)

In all the entertainment and spectacle, there is a nagging concern.  Yes, one thing troubles me.  The fact that GOP voters would find any, and I mean any acceptable candidate over Romney.  I understand why - people can't connect to him emotionally.  He is stiff and cool and lacks any appearance of human warmth.  It's hard to rally around a person with low to zero charisma.  I also understand that some in the religious right would rather vote for Hitler than a Mormon.  Fine.  But when you look at the opposition, isn't that rather shocking?

Two points that bother me:

1.  Cain was kicked out of the race for being a POSSIBLE (probable) adulterer and sexual harasser.  I think the guy is an idiot and am just as happy he's gone (except for the future SNL shows he's ruining for me) but I find it ironic that he is being kicked out on moral grounds and so the front runner becomes Gingrich.  A moral black hole.  Several affairs and wives later we find our moral compass and replacement for Cain.  Does anyone else see irony?
Note of interest: Romney is a family man, one wife, no tawdry affairs, generally moral and upstanding, but rejected.

Leading to point number 2.

2.  Romney flip flops.  Pause.  Think.
AND GINGRICH DOESN'T??  I don't care if you vote for Romney, Gingrich, or Obama, but please use some logic.  You can't put one candidate over another when he does the same thing.  Vote for Ron Paul if this is your argument, he doesn't flip flop, and while he also is largely not Republican at least I would get the logic in your choice.  Use your noggins GOP.  For the love.

And another thought on flip-flopping...so what?  Who CARES?  Every politician has changed his or her mind at some point.  Every HUMAN has changed their mind.  And in the case of Romney, here's how I see it:  He voted liberal when he represented liberals in a liberal state.  He is now voting conservative and looking to represent conservatives in the nation.  Isn't that his J.O.B.?  To not vote for his own opinion, but for that of We the People who he represents?  Shouldn't we be grateful he is open and flexible and will represent the voters who elect him? 
(And fyi:  Obama is like this and crosses lines and it's why I voted for him in the last election.)

One more thought.  Isn't this election about our failed economy?  Really, isn't it?  Hm.

Excuse the rant, but please.  I'm not political, but I am annoyed by stupidity.
God gave us our brains, shouldn't we use 'em?  If you can make a good case for any other candidate and why they are better, I'm all ears.  Not why Romney is worse, mind you, why THEY are better.  Because this campaign seems to be all about why people can't pick Romney instead of focusing on why they are picking anyone else.  And close scrutiny on any candidate other than him has only lead to one implosion after another.  

I don't care if you vote Democrat or Republican,  but I do care that you pick a GOP candidate that makes any sense at all.  Just try to stop making Republicans look so bad.  I don't want to be embarrassed if
I decide to vote that way.

Visits Cloaked in Darkness

This week the embassy got a bit chaotic as we prepared for a super secret visit from Vice President Joe Biden.  We weren't allowed to speak his name until the moment he arrived so there was a really interesting array of code words used to talk about and plan for this visit.  Of course the complete irony of all our secrecy is that the Iraqi press was printing stories the week before he came about his upcoming visit. 

I was assigned the job of "minder" for the NBC crew and Ann Curry.  My favorite line from all of her shoots here was to VP Biden when she asked him about the administration's claim that the country was "normalizing" and when it would be normalized enough that his visits could stop being "cloaked in secrecy and darkness."  Poetic.  And apt for the visit of the VIP who could not be named.

I really enjoyed spending time with the guys crewing NBC, as well as Ann and her producer Zoe.  I think Ann is a clever, high energy, driven, professional and kind person.  What I didn't enjoy so much was the 2:30 am live feeds for Nightline and the set ups that started at 11:30pm in 30 degree weather. 

I did get to stand in for Ann during set up and get a small glimpse of how it would feel to be a reporter for CNN.  I had the IFB in my ear and got to count down with NBC in New York to make sure the timing wasn't too delayed.  I'm pretty sure I counted so well and looked so hot at 2am in my 12 layers of James' clothing, that they were ready to ask me to stay and Ann to go.  Just see that sexy hat and red nose.

To see Ann's version of this shot you can click on this link.  Also, you'll get a glimpse of the DFAC where we eat during her walk and talk.

I think the highlight of the week was meeting Biden.  On  Thursday morning we set up for an interview for the Today Show in the Ambassador's residence.  Ann had 15 minutes with him and I was really impressed with the way he answered/handled her questions.  I was especially touched when he started to cry at the end as he spoke about the fallen soldiers and his son Bo who is in the military and served in Iraq.

See interview here: Today Show Link.

As soon as the interview finished the secret service was rushing everyone out of the residence.  I thought VP Biden was gone as well.  I went in to the living room and chatted with the NBC crew as they packed up.  One of the SS guys came by and I started talking with him in the door to the living room when I saw Biden enter the foyer.  Turns out the VIPs were waiting until the press left in their convoy and then following behind. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Biden notice us in the doorway, pass the Ambassador and General Austin, and wander over.  He said hello to Dave and I, and wandered in.  I told him that I was very impressed with his interview and touched.  He commented that he was embarrassed for getting so emotional.  I countered that it was the emotion he showed that most impacted me and allowed me to feel his authenticity.  He seemed to be happy about that and then he spent the next 10 minutes telling me and the 4 guys from the NBC crew stories about soldiers he met in Iraq and Afghanistan and some really touching moments with them. 

At one point he was telling a story about a night hike with some soldiers and to illustrate what happened he grabbed me by the arm and then started pushing me from behind up an imaginary hill.  It took me by surprise, but I did tell him I like to move at my own pace when hiking.

I found him to be engaging, authentic and sincere.  I can see now why the face to face meetings are so important on the campaign trail.  I don't think I would have ever considered voting for Biden himself (and I did vote for the Obama/Biden ticket) but after getting to know him on a more personal level he became a real person to me that I like.  And the interesting thing is, that without knowing anything about his politics (well very little) he became a front runner for me just because I like him. 

After very little sleep for two nights in a row, James found me on the couch at 6pm when he got home from work in a sleep drugged state.  Slurring my words and unable to fully open my eyes.  Yes, I am old....and ready for a long winters nap.

 

Baa Bye Ba'athist.

 I don't know how closely you all follow Iraq shenanigans, but recently there was a little drama over a government decision to round up some wild and crazy "Ba'athists."  Lest you think that is someone saying Baptist with a lisp, it is NOT.  I may or may not have thought that before I learned it was the party Sadaam Hussein belonged to.  Apparently, that wasn't on E News.

Anywho, it was a little, how you say, scary and big brother-ish the way the government suddenly started a roundup and people weren't happy.  There was some protesting in the streets and some angry mobs who somehow didn't think it was very democratic and neighborly to just bust up in people's houses and take them because of their religion or political preferences.  Crazy.

There was a news bulletin that came across my computer screen a few days back with bullets from a talk given by Prime Minister Maliki to soothe some nerves.  I'm not sure if that worked, but I will say I find some of these bullets amusing....if I'm honest, more because of the way they are written and because everytime I read Ba'ath or Ba'athist I say it in my head like a sheep would.  Whatcha think?  I'll put in parenthesis the thoughts I had as I read this.  Lucky. You.

Ba’athist Plot: (Assumption:  there IS in fact a Ba'athist plot)

• We detained 615 Ba’athists so far.

• The Ba’ath party is politically banned by the Constitution.  (Can you do that??Let's ban the tea party!  We the people believe...)

• We are not indiscriminately arresting Ba’athists.  We have retained a number of former Ba’athists who gave up their “bad Ba’ath ideologies” and are still occupying very sensitive position in the government. There is a difference between those “good” Ba’athists and other Saddamist Ba’athists who are plotting against the country by collaborating with al-Qaida and conducting bombings and assassinations.  (This is the best one...goooood ba'athist...baaaaadddd Ba'athist.  Rooststers, you know what I'm talking about.  They gave up their "bad Ba'athist ideologies??"  awesome.)

• Some of these “Saddamist Ba’athists” are plotting a coup, thinking there will be a security void after the withdrawal of U.S. forces, but they are mistaken as we [the GOI] are already responsible for security even with the presence of U.S. troops.  (uh-huh, big mistake to think the GOI can't handle security, I mean they've only had their security bombed and killed like every day last week by terrorists.  Yeah, they got this one.)

• The detentions have no relation with sectarianism, it is the Ba’athists who believe and think in a sectarian way.  (It's YOU, not me.)

•  There is no harm if we tighten the grip on all political, security and economic situations in accordance with the Constitution.  (It's a slippery slope Sada...um, Maliki.  Just a LITTLE tightening can't hurt.)

• There are some countries that support Ba’athists, but I will [wait] and disclose their names in the “proper time.”  (OK, wait THIS one is the best--is this third grade?  i will wait and disclose their names at the proper time??? when? when?  who could these countries be--no ONE knows.....ira..no one.)