News Blackout

So I haven't been posting about politics much lately. Why (not)? Because I've just about had it with the inane discourse that passes for political commentary these days. Oh, I've been close to the tipping point for a long time. But with the new house, the baby, etc., i.e., better things to do, I've come to value my time. And it's too valuable to read the likes of Ignatius, Friedman, etc.

In all truth, the self-imposed news blackout put me in a better frame of mind, made me actually happier. But as with that original Eden, Satan always tempts us . . . Yesterday we tried to watch the Sunday shows for the first time since June, thinking, of course, that there might be some interesting commentary on the Biden pick. Wrong.

The political establishment, and in that group I include the elite pundit class (your Cokie, your Will, your Brokaw--OMG did you see his interview with Pelosi? very disrespectful), have seriously lost touch with reality. I'm serious. These days, being "strong on national defense" means being hawkish, not actually knowing anything about the subject. Because the resort to force (and "resort" may not be the right word when it's your first impulse) is always the best play, huh? There is talk that Obama may be too popular, too eloquent . . . these are essentially Karl Rove's talking points. But the elite pundits just repeat them, ad nauseum.

The same with the "success" of the surge. Pelosi was great on this yesterday. The surge has improved the security situation in Iraq, but that was not the main point of the thing--the main point was to give the Iraqis room to engineer political reconciliation. Which they have almost completely failed to do. Those provincial elections have been delayed so many times . . . no carbon law . . . Kirkuk . . . sure, the situation in Iraq is better than it was in 2006. But the idea that the surge has accomplished any of its actual goals is absurd.

Apparently, Tom Brokaw, the elder statesman of the commentariat, cannot understand this. And, sadly, no one else you will see commenting on politics on your teevee will, either.

Don't get me started on the transparent Nixonianism of Bill Kristol. Can anyone take that shill seriously? And yet, he has a NYT column. That is the world you live in!

If the convention wasn't starting today, I would reimpose the news blackout on myself. But now I have to watch the crap. Oh well. I don't have to like it.