MUCH CLEARER NOW

A recent email chain that I have to post -- I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight..... If you grow up in Hawaii, were raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.' but -- If you grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, this is a quintessential American story. If your name is Barack you're radical and unpatriotic, perhaps even Muslim. but -- If you name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're just a maverick. If you graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. but -- If you attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded. If you spend 3 years as a dedicated community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 3 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience. but -- If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive. If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two lovely daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian. but -- If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a real Christian. If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the very fiber of society. but -- If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're a responsible example for others. If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's. but -- If your husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable. OK, much clearer now!

TV RIDES THE RED-BLUE DIVIDE

My plan was to write a scathing, demeaning commentary on Brian Lowry's latest column. In which he quoted me out of context and labeled me the "inane broadside from the left". But after re-reading it a few times I have to admit, it's a smart article and pretty insightful. And if I get really honest -- his parenthetical assessment of a TV creator is pretty accurate. When you work your ass off on a project for over two years, put your heart, mind and creative guts on the line, you have NO perspective. The premier of a show is a one time shot. It's the hour you spend 90% of your advertising budget on, your talent does countless hours of interviews and press tours, the network endlessly finesses the right time and day, and you can NEVER get that 60 minutes back. I was quoting my wife's emotional response about how many people watched Sarah Palin the night SOA premiered. She said she felt like "we were 9-11'd". Meaning that people watched the RNC like disaster coverage. She was right, they did. And for the record, I don't think the other 240 million people who didn't watch my show were part of a right wing conspiracy to undermine my success. But I do stand behind my political assessment of Sarah I'm the what? Palin. McCain-Palin is a lazy ticket, playing to the dumbest common denominator. And if TV trends are any indication of the political acumen of this country, McCain will probably be our next lazy, dumb president. Anyway, it's a smart read. I'll get you next time Mr. Lowry...

I REMEMBER

Altered Flickr Photo -- bear_inters