One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

This day has been dreadful. The bailout deal collapsed, the market plummeted, tensions rose and, perhaps worst of all, all the people in charge checked out of reality and into a parallel loony-tunes universe - all but one, that is.

Since the Blame-Game is all the rage, I'm going to test my luck. Like the leading politicians of the day, I too shall whimsically frolic down the path of good intentions, join the chastising chorus, blame everyman and his dog and get high off my own indignation. So merry are we who shrug-off our burdens like they were sprinkles on a doughnut.

I have plenty to sing about on this night. I suppose it's only a matter of making my thoughts scathingly coherent.

First and foremost, George W. Bush was and remains an absurd failure. I cannot fathom how his approval rating remains in double-digits. It's astounding how ignorant or intellectually-inept some people are. Alas, such is the way of the world. But after this recent crisis, those who remain loyal to this incompetent cheerleader-turned-cowboy are beyond hopeless. I admit, eight years ago I was rather taken with his Southern swagger, beady eyes and "compassionate conservative" rhetoric. You know the story: He was a macho, lassoing Texan, and I, a young, reckless romantic. Sparks were flying!

At this stage, there is no point chastising Bush for his numerous mistakes, abuses and crimes. There is a time and place for everything. However, as this recent financial crisis has shown, his reign continues to wreak havoc upon America and world. He is still "the Decider," after all, and thus has a significant share in this stock market fiasco. Two weeks ago, I could not imagine Bush leaving office on a more "thank god he's outta here" note. He never seems to challenge reason, does he?

Of course, President Bush twiddled his thumbs for a week before doing anything remotely productive and, when he did, he sent out his ghoulish Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, to do his bidding. After days of strenuous negotiations, the Bush-Paulson gruesome-twosome had finally reached a deal with Congressional leaders - or so they thought. Naturally, their much-hyped plan failed to pass in the House, after two-thirds of Republicans - Mr. Bush's ilk - rejected the proposal. Stupid, crazy.

The Republican Congressional gang, lead by that charisma-deprived cracker John Boehner, explained that they would have supported the bailout, if not for a preceding speech by Democratic House Speaker "Nasty" Nancy Pelosi. No, seriously, that's their excuse. It was too partisan, screeched Republican Roy Blunt,to reporters, as he stood in front of a festering mob of Reaganomic geniuses. If this is true, then the big and bad Republicans are stating - on the freakin' record - that choice words from a sixty-eight year old grandmother hurt their feelings, causing them to sulk-it-out and go home. Jesus. Really, that's all you got? What despicable foolery. It's a lie, naturally, but such a pathetic, feeble one that it boggles the mind. Moronic, crazy.

I have both read and listened to Pelosi's incendiary diatribe. I must say, I was quite taken-aback by her venomous sermon. Any god-fearing Republican would likewise share my thoughts of horror and shock - shock I say - upon this poisonous proclamation:

It is a number that is staggering, but tells us only the costs of the Bush Administration’s failed economic policies—policies built on budgetary recklessness, on an anything goes mentality, with no regulation, no supervision, and no discipline in the system.

Democrats believe in the free market, which can and does create jobs, wealth, and capital, but left to its own devices it has created chaos.

It continues on, and on, with Pelosi suggesting that the Republican faith in a totally lassaiez-faire economy was somewhat misguided. OK, totally stupid. Regardless, the vast majority of the speech was forgettable populist nonsense. Now, should she have bashed Bush? No. Should she have ever-so-subtly demeaned conservative principles? Probably not. Still, the speech was fairly innocuous, and further, pretty on-the-money. That's not to say Pelosi and the Democrats are blameless, since 94 (!) of their rank-and-file voted "nay" for the bill. Unbelievable. Or is it? I, personally, find it rather curious that just enough Democrats opposed the legislation to make the Republicans - and thus John McCain - seem culpable for the mess. Regardless, by deception or disorganization, the Democratic Party must be held accountable for such silliness. Incessant, crazy.

Last, but certainly not least, we have our Presidential candidates.

After his cringe-inducing campaign "suspension," irritated debate performance, and failed White-Knight moment, you'd think John McCain would, you know, learn to shut up and act with a shred of humility and prudence. Not so, because all weekend long his slithery surrogates boasted endlessly about McCain's heroic handling of the crisis. It was a dubious charade. To Team McCain, however, so deluded and desperate by now, it was an inspiring fantasy. Oh, it was to be a blissful hour when the bailout passed, so we, the simple, one-house owning downtrodden mortals, could worship the fearless maverick and usher him into the White House.

Well, uh, that didn't go as planned! Oopsie. But instead of conceding defeat, John McCain did what any low-life would do, he blamed someone else, unfailry:

"Now is not the time to fix the blame. It's time to fix the problem," McCain says, not long after his campaign blamed Obama and Pelosi for killing the bill.
Then he blames Obama and the Democrats: "Sen. Obama and his allies in Congress infused unnecessary partisanship into the process."

Grim. What a confused man. I take back not a single word I have spoken or written about this shameless charlatan. Deranged, horrible, snide, temperamental, repulsive, crazy.

So Barack, it's your turn to crank up the crazy. Surely, this crisis would ensure that a man with the most sagacious of minds become frantic. Given the mood of the day, Obama would naturally succumb to partisan impulses and long-winding chicanery. I mean, such a volatile climate would make even Apollo sputter garbled nonsense and mutter foreboding tales of doom. Ah, but not so fast, assures Obama:

And today, Democrats and Republicans in Washington have a responsibility to make sure that an emergency rescue package is put forward that can at least stop the immediate problems we have so we can begin to plan for the future. As I said, this is a hard thing to do. And right now Democratic and Republican leaders have agreed but members have not yet agreed.

There are going to be some bumps and trials and tribulations and ups and down before we get this rescue package done. It is important for the American public and for the markets to say calm because things are never smooth in congress and to understand that it will get done. That we are going to make sure an emergency package is put together because it is required for us to stabilize the markets and to make sure that when a small business-person wakes up tomorrow morning, he will be able to make payroll.

We are not going to lose jobs at an even faster clip than we are doing right now. I am confident we are going to get there but it’s going to be sort of rocky. It’s sort of like flying into Denver. You know you’re going to land but it’s not always fun going over those mountains.

That's why Obama matters. Sane...and soaring, right over the cuckoo's nest.