Proud to be an American (U)

My wife, son and I were among the 6,000 jammed into Bender Arena at American University to hear the Kennedys and Barack Obama speak on Monday. The hours of icy standing in line were well worth it. I've seen endorsements before, but never in person, and there have seldom been endorsements of this significance. The Kennedys didn't just endorse, they passed the torch, their own Camelot torch, to Barack Obama, with the 6,000 witnesses in person and a few million more on TV.

The Obama campaign does a lot of little things right -- the music ("Graceland," the fusion of black and white, of old and new), the slogans, the campaign-created handmade billboards designed to look spontaneously homemade, and the Kennedy appeal to older folks via TV while filling the room with college students to generate that crazy enthusiasm that, well, only college students can produce.

I feel lucky to work at American U. and to have been part of this historic, made for TV art happening. I actually haven't decided who to support in the election, but being in Obama's presence does help one understand the appeal...

And then there's farce, Mittens-style

The GOP nomination battle is tragedy turning into farce. The tragedy is what GOP control has done to the country in 8 short (long?) years; the farce is this campaign. So Mitt Romney has won Michigan. We have a Mormon multi-state panderer, a formerly truth-telling Vietnam veteran war hawk, and a preacher-turned-politican who can play the bass and joke with Letterman while saying evolution isn't true.

Mr. President???

Not far behind are a washed up actor, an endearing but nutty Libertarian, and a self-parodying, philandering, scandal-ridden ex-mayor.

It's a tossup! No, it's a sitcom!

Too bad John Cleese as Basil Fawlty isn't an American citizen. He could run for President and bring art and politics together at last.

Where are the adults?