The Front
Page of the New York Times provides a microcosm of why I read the paper. Better to be informed about the world. I get it delivered and consider myself lucky
to have a paper that has an actual interest in the world, not just the latest
word on the scandal of the day. (Aside –
Remember when it was Scandal of the Week or Month. The Good Old Days before 24 Hour “News”…)
.
Then there
are things that drive me crazy. And it
is right there, called out in small print on Page One. “David Brooks on The Big Burn”.
.
My blood
pressure will tell you that David Brooks isn’t good for me. And, true to form, the rusty jackanape has a
half-baked attack piece dress up as Serious Thought. He talks about the Iraq civil war, but can’t wait
to attack Barack Obama for it. Here is
the first mention of Obama , “We’ll never know if all this effort and progress could
have led to a self-sustaining, stable Iraq. Before the country was close to
ready, the Obama administration took off the training wheels by not seriously
negotiating the NATO status of forces agreement that would have maintained some
smaller American presence.”
.
Good
grief.
.
Well Lucy,
here is the truth. President Obama tried
to re-negotiate the treaty that GEORGE W. BUSH made to pull out our troops by
the end of 2011. Given the United States’
stellar reputation in destroying their country, the Iraqi Administration said Thanks,
but No Thanks. So President Obama
followed George W. Bush’s treaty. In a
totally damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t way, what would Brooksy have
him do? Stay as an invading power? (Actually he wanted us to invade Iran since
our troops are right there, but whatever…)
.
Then there
is this jewel. “This slide toward civil war was predicted, not only by Senators
John McCain and Lindsey Graham and writers like Max Boot, but also within the
military.”
.
John McCain
and Lindsey Graham, two men who never saw a war they didn’t want somebody
else’s sons to fight. If we did
everything John McCain wanted we would have invaded Iran in 2009 (remember when
he sang, on the campaign trail, Bomb,
Bomb, Bomb Iran – to the tune of Barbara Ann?). We would have military in the ground in the
middle of civil wars in Libya, Syria, Iraq, the South China Sea, Iran, Georgia
(the one of the Black Sea, not the one just north of Florida) and Ukraine. And kids that is just the ones I remember without
googling! There isn’t a conflict
anywhere that John McCain doesn’t fault Obama for not sending the troops into.
.
Saying John
McCain warned Obama to send troops is like saying gays think Cristian Renaldo
is cute. Always correct and nearly
always beside the point.
.
So, I
stopped reading David Brooks – because the Col Krusty sits in his comfortable
office chair and is always sad more young Americans aren’t being killed in a
war we can stop – and I turn to the Arts Section (no stop at Sports since Game
Five is on tonight and UCLA is on summer break) and I stumble on A.O. Scott
reviewing a new Guy Pierce movie. It is
clear from the get go that he hates it, but is going to have fun with the
review. Listen to this opening… “The
Rover,” David Michôd’s new film, takes place in Australia 10 years after an
unspecified event called the Collapse, which has left everyone in a bad mood
and catastrophically short of shaving supplies.
.
Ahhh. Scott is going to have fun with this (A.O.
Scott, but me too). He discusses
Robert Patterson’s role of “Rey” thusly
- Rey’s presence situates “The Rover” awkwardly between fable and buddy
picture. He may not be as dumb as he at first appears, but at the same time,
it’s hard to tell much about him, given Mr. Pattinson’s curious accent
(Kentucky? Cajun? Tongue-tied vampire?) and his incessant twitching. Mr.
Pearce, in contrast, is all stoical stillness, and watching his actions turns
the movie into a not entirely unengaging guessing game.
.
I now have a
desire to see it, and a desire not to see it. Because it cannot be as humorous
as Mr. Scott’s review.
