WELL DONE AMERICA.

THAT IS ALL.

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means...


Watership Down is out on DVD! Again!

It's an interesting interpretation. Not exactly what I had in mind when I was first reading the book , but props for not holding back either. I rented it via Netflix a couple years back (and don't recall being terribly enamored of it), but I am a bit curious to see what they added to this release. It's one of those films I'd avoid without first reading the awesome book though.

( Oh, there was that debate too... )

This was going to be a comment on Accident's site, but his comment system also stopped working. XD

( Redacted! )

I'd like to think that certain issues, such as matters of civil rights, supersede personal beliefs and misgivings. I'd like to think that individuals can set aside their own agendas and do what's right for the greater good, not just what suits their own ambitions. On both accounts, I am idealistic, and more to the point, wrong.

The debates are what they are. I find them sustainably entertaining, if only because it represents the first meaningful message to come out of either platform. And I feel I now know enough about both platforms to choose the guy that sucks less.

Also Ron Paul is nuts. But not in a bad way. Only in the, 'he's way too liberal to ever make the ticket under a two-party system' sort of way.

Disclosure: I'm a registered independent American male of mixed racial descent. And as of tonite, I'm backing Obama. If any of that irks you, you'll want to skip this: maybe this'll help.

Going into this debate, the only preconception I had about either candidate was from sound bites and SNL skits; I wrote them both off as laughable and was looking forward to see who would break first.

I thought Palin started off very strong, and I'd go so far to say that she took command of the first part of the debate. But, dissenting evidently from the opinion of NBC analysts, by the time all was said and done, I thought she totally fell apart in contrast to her opponent.

Here's where it fell apart for me:
- I hated, hated her rhetoric. 'Maverick' my ass. Adopting 'change' as a party platform and criticizing Biden for calling out McCain's voting record as 'being stuck in the past'. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? How the hell are we supposed to know what you're actually going to do in office - by taking the words of a politician as gospel? Give me a break - it's the prelude.
- Foreign policy. She was great - her recitation of party lines, the war, and diplomacy efforts was fine. But it was painfully clear, particularly in contrast to Biden, that it was just that; recitation from a week of intense cramming. I've taped myself in speech classes - I know the look. When answering questions from the moderator, she made a succinct noncommittal answer and twisted it to suit her strengths - an excellent debate tactic, but not at all what I was looking for.
- Energy policy. I admire that she is wiling to disagree with the policy of her running mate - I truly do. I think a degree of diviseness is very healthy. But I was not aware that she was a proponent of drilling in ANWR - and as a quasi-conservationist, this is a total deal killer for me. McCain and Obama are both against drilling in ANWR - it's a stopgap solution at best with minimal returns and potential for the senseless obliteration of natural ecosystems - plain and simple, it's a money grab that does nothing to decrease our dependence on oil - it doesn't solve ANYTHING. Absolutely ridiculous. She's totally right too - global warming isn't entirely a manmade phenomena, but it's downright imbecillic to assert that ascertaining the source of the problem isn't part of the solution. Seriously?
- Same-sex couples (as a matter of civil rights). She dug herself a hole when it came to this topic (that Biden eventually pulled her out of), and it seemed to be the only real issue that she was not tirelessly drilled on. I don't care what she thinks about the issue, but the fact that she couldn't distance the issue from her own personal views has very troubling implications.

But moreso, I was very pleased to see Biden call her out on each of these issues, directly and succinctly - in my opinion, with more gravitas than either presidential candidate. Frankly, I was shocked. It was as though I was watching a presidential candidate debating a VP... oh wait. It's almost enough to make you miss Clap Clap Point Point herself.

I tuned into the debate knowing little about either candidate, not having heard either of them speak, and generally having low opinions of them both. I was not pining for Biden or hoping that Palin could hold her ground despite her sudden fast-track into the presidential ticket. But in the end, unlike the first presidential debate, I feel that this one had a decisive winner.

And I can't wait for Tuesday.

Yes, finally things get interesting...

Even the buzz on Twitter is entertaining.


update 8:10 MT:
The common refrains for the respective candidates seem to be variations of:

Obama: "Senator McCain is right..." / "that's not true"
McCain: "I don't think Senator Obama understands..."

McCain is a good aggressive speaker, but I'm really put off that he doesn't acknowledge - even look at - his opponent.

It seems like they're both playing their cards right so far... but I don't like it.

update 8:38:
Hold the presses: McCain was a POW? :p