Category: 1

It has been noted for some months now that President Obama tends to use the phrase “extremists” or at worst “violent extremists” rather than “terrorists.” This has been a sharp contrast to the Bushian “War on terror” mantra, and naturally been used as a slam against Obama, as if he were endeavoring either to ignore threats against America or–even better–placate America’s enemies.

Normally I’m not a big supporter of the watering down of our language. In this instance, though, it seems incredibly obvious to me why Obama has embraced this change in terminology: It’s because there’s no reason for him to do the job of America’s enemies for them.

Being a terrorist isn’t just about blowing stuff and people up. It’s about getting people to live in a state of constant fear and edginess. Bush thoroughly cooperated with this mindset, readily speaking the language of terror during every speech, every debate, every public appearance, keeping Americans in a constant state of unease and war footing so that…well, so that he could stay in office, I suppose. Just as Cheney and would-be GOP presidential candidates continue to remind Americans why they should be terrified, doubtlessly delighting bin Laden and his ilk in the process. “Extremists,” even “violent extremists,” is simply a less scary term. Obama appears to have made the conscious decision not to encourage Americans to be in a constant state of fear. At the very least, he doesn’t seem to want to contribute to it through word choice that emphasizes terror, terror, terror. I think he deserves praise for that, not condemnation.

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President Obama made repeated promises during the campaign about more transparency in government, including specifying that health care debates would be televised on C-Span. But now the Senate wants to have the final discussion behind closed doors, and for the sake of expediency, Obama is not opposing that. Of course, if he DID oppose it, then that opposition alone would probably result in weeks of arguments with Nancy Pelosi et al, which Obama might or might not win, and either way it guarantees that he won’t have a bill to sign by the State of the Union. So Obama renegs on the campaign promise and a field day ensues. Not only is he hearing it from the Usual Suspects, but even his most stalwart defenders are hard-pressed to find an upside to such a blatant disregard for his repeatedly given word.

Basically Obama has just gone all-in on this particular hand. If the result of this gambit is a health care reform bill that improves the life of American people overall, then this is going to be a blip on the radar and nothing more. If someone’s child can receive proper medical care without the family facing bankruptcy in 2011, they won’t give care a crap that C-Span was shut out in 2010. It puts Obama in a position of being able to say during his reelection run, “I regret that I had to go back on my promise, but the result was needed health care reform.” But if this thing falls apart and Obama has nothing to show for it, then this becomes his “Read my lips: No new taxes,” the oft-repeated broken pledge that helped to sink George H.W. Bush’s bid for a second term.

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With the incessant snow and the global-warming-defying cold snap across the country, it seems a good time for thoughts to turn to spring and baseball in as positive and uplifting a manner as only a Mets fan can summon.

So: Jason Bay. Just signed with the Mets. Thirty one years old. $66 million over four years. Three-time All Star. Right-handed pull hitter with thirty-plus home runs. Wants to try and make 2009 nothing more than a distant, bad memory.

Here’s the question: How long will it be until Bay winds up on the DL?

My instinct is that he’ll blow out a tricep waving to the crowd on opening day, but I’ll be generous and give him until May 15. I figure a blown hamstring from slipping on a banana peel dropped on the dugout steps. Kathleen gives him until Flag Day when one of the jets that typically does a flyover the field on that day has a piece break off and falls on him.

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“Nation X: X-Factor,” the one-shot that features our detective heroes showing up for a meet and greet on Utopia, is in the stores this week. Amazingly, they’ve also bothered to put out a few other books as well.

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This is for people who want to discuss the conclusion of David Tennant’s run as the Doctor.

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Fortunately enough for George W. Bush, when Richard Reid (the man who singlehandedly condemned all American travelers to have to remove their shoes to go through security) , tried to blow up an airplane using his sneakers, it was considered unpatriotic and borderline treasonous to lob any criticisms at the office of the President when it came to matters of home security. On vacation during the incident, Bush said nothing for six days and faced virtually no critiques or media scrutiny.

Thank God THAT’S over as GOP critics line up to try and do everything short of of accusing Barack Obama of actually putting Abdulbob Bombpants up to the challenge of trying to blow a plane out of the sky. Does ANYONE doubt at this point that if Gore had been in office during 9/11, the GOP–rather than asserting that the country should line up behind its president–would have been claiming that America was targeted because terrorists saw Gore as weak and would have been lobbying for investigations if not outright impeachment?

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The final adventure of David Tennant’s incarnation of the Doctor is nigh. To my mind, it’s pointless to discuss the first half of “The End of Time” because it’s mostly set-up for the meat of the story. So instead I’m going to put forward a challenge:

What do you think the Doctor’s last words will be? I’m betting they’ll be something reasonably memorable. If it were up to me, they would evoke his very first line of dialogue and he’d say, “Bûggër. I never DID get to see Barcelona.”

Anyone else?

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