About a year ago, I was in a Starbucks in Beverly Hills (or as I like to call it, "America's Heartland"). You were directly behind me in line. While you fumbled around for one of those pre-packaged fruit and cheese plates, I handed the cashier my debit card and told her that I was buying whatever you were getting. You protested: "Aw, naw, man...c'mon." But I insisted. After all, it was an opportunity to do a stupid little something for a man who'd helped shape our country's future. You shook my hand (firmly yet delicately) and thanked me.
As we doctored our coffee side by side at the "Isle O'Fixins," you politely chatted me up about the Clinton fundraiser you'd just attended. You assured me (an ardent Hillary supporter at the time) that she'd have the "war chest" and the party support to win. After our brief encounter, I texted every like-minded Clinton-lover I could think of: "I just bought James Carville breakfast!" OK, a bit of a stretch -- but hyperbole is a natural byproduct of excitement.
For instance, when someone is all riled up and pissed off, he might -- oh, I don't know -- compare the governor of New Mexico to Judas Iscariot.
I didn't think anything of your comments over the weekend. Truth is, there's been so much bomb-throwing between the two Democrats that it's all started to sound like that tinny, temporary deafness Tom Hanks gets in Saving Private Ryan.
But on Monday's Situation Room, after you'd had the whole weekend to cool down, you sat in front of Wolf Blitzer's Wall from the Future and refused to back off the analogy. That's fine. Those are your principles. So let's have a discussion based on those principles:
You're sore at Mr. Richardson because he didn't sew his chevrons back on and "fall in line" (your words) like other Clinton apostles have. Is that really your position? That loyalty should trump judgment? Hmmm...loyalty trumping judgment. I know I've heard that somewh -- oh, that's right! Every day for the last seven years!
Is that really what the Clinton campaign has come to? "You owe us?" Is Hillary going to unveil her new "Shut Up and Pull the Lever" spots in Pennsylvania?
You also likened this primary season to a "forty-minute game" that was unfairly cut down to thirty-six minutes, since the delegates from Michigan and Florida aren't being counted. But there's one itsy bitsy flaw in that logic...
Your candidate agreed to a thirty-six minute game.
All of the democratic candidates did. They agreed that Michigan and Florida's delegates wouldn't be seated, since those states had violated party rules. No campaigning was supposed take place there. Senator Obama didn't even put his name on the ballot in Michigan. He followed the rules. If we're to run with your "forty-minute game" example, Hillary's now trying to get the commissioner to change the rules because she doesn't like the score in the forth quarter.
Sticking to your word is also a principle.
You're a brilliant man, Mr. Carville -- and in my own experience, a kind one. I admire the fact that you've chosen to sew those chevrons back on and defend the Clinton bunker to the last. But don't expect the rest of us to fall in lock step just because they used to be people we worked for or admired. Things change. Judgment trumps loyalty.
Next time, breakfast is on you.
"Carville told her he had some inside news. The Kerry campaign was going to challenge the provisional ballots in Ohio--perhaps up to 250,000 of them. "I don't agree with it," Carville said. "I'm just telling you that's what they're talking about.""
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/did-carville-and-mccurry-_b_31333.html
You remember those good old days after the 1994 elections. The Clintons were in the White House. Newt Gingrich was just starting his reign as Speaker. Trent Lott was Majority Leader. Democratic Governors and state legislators were being considered for inclusion on the endangered species list. And, James Carville was a highly paid consultant to the Democratic National Committee.
Oh, if we could just put James back to work, the party would be just . . . . oh, nevermind.
Where was that loyalty back in 2004, on the night of the general election? Carville and his fellow Clinton loyalist Mike McCurry were feeding inside information (from the John Kerry campaign, where they were employed) to Mary Matalin (Carville's wife and senior aide to Dick Cheney) inside the White House?
"State of War," by Bob Woodward, pp. 344-347.
Democrats at all levels should have drummed both of these guys out of party politics.
It seems to be all about them now...and it saddens this two-time Clinton voter. How did it come to this?
The game's 40 minutes my friend, 40 minutes! Sen. Obama wants to knock off 3 minutes and you've just cut off one more minute. (36 + 3 = 39 not 40 my friend) That one minute makes a world of a difference and my canidate Sen. Clinton can turn this game around with a few more minutes. So, don't you dare short her one more minute.
Next time you're in Washington give me a call.
Sincerely,
The Raging Cajun
And in your case, the consumption of all available media bandwidth and thus effectively killing the Wright the story.
http://strictlyanecdotal.com