Frontline “The Choice 2008″
The new season of Frontline opened last night with an in depth look at the careers of Barack Obama and John McCain. There were surprises and insights about both of them that I didn’t fully expect. Obama is tougher, and more underhanded than one might think, and John McCain might actually be (or was) honorable. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that both of them are ridiculously ambitious.
As Douglas Adams said:
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Watch it on the Frontline website here.
Watch it on youtube here
Tags: 2008, Barack Obama, democracy, douglas adams, election, frontline, John McCain
October 15th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Boy, watching this I’m really reminded of how much McCain fucked up picking Palin as his running mate.
I’ll be very interested in the story behind this decision as it becomes known after this election.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Yeah. They seem to make the argument that McCain had little choice. The base wasn’t excited and he can’t win without them. But Picking her to make them happy pretty much ensured that the undecided voters wouldn’t vote for him. It looks like he’s been in a no win situation for some time.
I also don’t think there’s anyway he’d have won if he’d picked Joe “droopy Dog” Leiberman.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Absolutely, any of his choices were troubling, but he somehow managed to pick the most troubling of all of his choices.
Speaking only for myself, my enthusiasm for Obama was only first ignited after the DNC and then was galvanized to agressive vocal and financial support after McCain picked Palin. For as much as I was and am excited about Obama I am three times terrified and furious about Palin and what she represents in this country.
October 15th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
There were several Bible bangers he could have picked without resorting to Palin. I think Palin was pushed on him because she would be completely controllable by a racist, warmongering, and overtly theocratic right-wing agenda. The other Bible bangers McCain could have chosen, Huckabee for example, actually think for themselves on occasion. On occasion, i said.
As terrible as Bush was, he never promoted radical anti-abortion policies, and repeatedly said he didn’t have a problem with gay civil unions. Also note that Bush had lots of minorities in his cabinet and staff, which was definitely a fly in the soup for some deeply racist rightwingers. So in order to please the Christian Taliban, McCain had to choose someone who they could trust to wholeheartedly support their agenda.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Alex:
I agree with you on Lieberman…he has gone so completely to the warmongers i doubt he’d have any more “bi-partisan” appeal than McCain himself. Which isn’t much, anymore.