The Coen brother's first film Blood Simple (1984)
is a remarkable example of story telling economy. Every word of
dialog, and every frame of film advances the story. No
fluff whatever. So too this Asia Time's article How Obama lost the election, written by their nom de plumed columnist, "Spengler." I could easily excerpt every sentence, but then ... . I'll settle for these 'zamples.
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Speaking to Obama supporters on the periphery of the big event, I was startled
by the rapturous devotion elicited by the junior senator from Illinois. He is
no symbol for identity politics, no sacrifice on the altar of white guilt, but
the most gifted persuader of individuals that I have encountered in any
country's politics, as well as a powerful orator on the grand stage. This is
not a crowd phenomenon nor a fad, but the response of hundreds of people to an
individual.
I sat in on a session with three leaders of Veterans for Obama, a group of
retired young officers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, courtesy of the
New Republic's writer on the scene, David Samuels. With passion and enthusiasm,
these young people spoke of their hopes for nation-building in Iraq. The George
W Bush administration should have put twice the resources into the beleaguered
country, they harangued me - not just soldiers, but agronomists, traffic cops,
lawyers, judges, and physicians. The Department of Agriculture should have
mobilized, along with the Department of Justice.
Nation-building? Doubling down on the US commitment to Iraq? Isn't that trying
to out-Bush the Bush administration, while Obama campaigned on getting out of
Iraq and spending the money on programs at home? Unblinking, one of the
soldiers said, "That's what we think Barack will do." They believed in a more
expensive version of the administration's program, and faulted Bush for half
measures - and somehow they believed that Obama really agreed with them, all
the public evidence to the contrary. And they believed in Barack with perfect
faith.
It is
conceivable that Barack Obama, if elected, will destroy himself before he
destroys the country. Hatred is a toxic diet even for someone with as strong a
stomach as Obama ... Both Obama and the American public should be very careful
of what they wish for. As the horrible example of Obama's father shows, there
is nothing worse for an embittered outsider manipulating the system from within
than to achieve his goals.
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