These are good times for pessimists

Things could be much, much worse.  American Idol could be starting up again for the next season.

Oh wait...

Obama takes his oath of office next week.  That will undoubtedly cause you to smile, thus blowing your whole mope motif.

From an article by Christopher Hitchens :

"Why should anyone doubt, then, that in small matters as well as in large ones, the old slogan from the 1992 election still holds true? As Bill so touchingly put it that year, if you voted for him, you got "two for one." What the country—and the world—has since learned is a slight variation on that, which I would crudely phrase as "buy one, get one free.'"

Hitchens then goes on to detail some of the moral lapses of the Clintons in relation to their fund-raising in this article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2208425/ 

The article at this URL lays out some very good points made by Senator Dick Lugar (R) Indiana concerning disclosure of Billy Bob Clinton's shady finances.  They were made at today's hearings for Ms. Clinton's confirmation as Sec. of State:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090113/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/clinton_confirmation

{;-) Dan in Miami

 There's always the beatniks. (But that's another forum.)

Being able to laugh at yourself is a rare quality in a leader. It's one thing George W. Bush can do that Bill Clinton couldn't. Unfortunately, as we bid farewell to Bushisms, we must conclude that the joke was mainly on us.

1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004

2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000

3. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000

4. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."—Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004

5. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001

6. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''—Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

7. "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."—Washington, D.C., April 18, 2006

8. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."—Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

9. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."—discussing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as quoted by the Sun newspaper, June 27, 2007

10. "And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."—meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008

11. "We ought to make the pie higher."—South Carolina Republican debate, Feb. 15, 2000

12. "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

13. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."—speaking on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

14. "We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers."—Houston, Sept. 6, 2000

15. "It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000

16. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."—U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 3, 2000

17. "People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."—Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

18. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."—CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000

19. "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend."—on the prospect of visiting Denmark, Washington, D.C., June 29, 2005

20. "I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to—the beauty of playing baseball."—Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

22. "You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war president. No president wants to be a war president, but I am one."—Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006

23. "There's a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.' "—Boston, Oct. 3, 2000

24. "They misunderestimated me."—Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

25. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

Jacob Weisberg is chairman and editor-in-chief of the Slate Group and author of The Bush Tragedy.
 

Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2208132/

{;-) Dan (ready to party) in Miami

...although I can't say that I remember to many zingers about Ronald Regan, Bush Sr. and Clinton offered a lot of material not to mention having some pretty good parody actors from Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman. Then with the rise of the daily show, towards ther end of the clinton era, well...

Just quote him verbatim.

{;-) Dan in Miami

Still feeling woozy after 8 years of the Bush Administration?  This novel may be the cure. From a review at Amazon.com:

Insurgents within the White House secretly retain a uniquely gifted leadership psychologist to help United States President George W. Bush address a clandestine addiction to alcohol and reverse the course of the Iraq War. The assignment meets with astonishing success until foul forces come into play.
 

THE PRESIDENT'S THERAPIST is a brilliantly literate, profound and penetrating psychological thriller, destined to command a distinctive place among the upcoming analysis of the 43rd United States Presidency.

About the Author
 

JOHN WAREHAM is an eminent leadership consultant, lecturer, and writer. He has authored several bestsellers, including Secrets of a Corporate Headhunter, Anatomy of Great Executive, and the lifechanger, How to Break Out of Prison. His novel, Chancey On Top, was ranked in The New York Observer as among the best novels ever.

http://www.amazon.com/Presidents-Therapist-John-Wareham/dp/1566499542/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231939088&sr=1-1

{;-) Dan in Miami