Michael Steele, Can You Believe Him?

The Republicans might have gotten to the point where even my dad's old friend Nat, the most right-wing crazy, gun-toting, racist asshole I've ever met, would say: Huh? He was interviewed this morning on NPR, and he made no sense. While screaming that government shouldn't be in the business of health care, he was trying to protect Medicare. Medicare is government-run health care. Listen or read and tell me, does this make sense to you?

With Ted Kennedy dead, perhaps the Democrats might get their act together and pass health care reform just as the Civil Rights Act was passed in the wake of his brother JFK's death. Read Josh Marshall's post on talkingpointsmemo.com.

George Lakoff, the linguist who has been trying to get the Democrats to counter the language of the right, has an interesting article on how to frame health care on truthout.org.

On Ted Kennedy and the Pursuit of Character

For someone of my generation, there were always lingering doubts about the character of Ted Kennedy, because like other younger men from families of privilege, when confronted with his own stupidity, yes, another member of the Brotherhood of the Wandering Dick, he bolted. I'm talking about that incident back in 1969 in Chappaquiddick, when Mary Jo Kopechne, a young woman staffer for his brother, Bobby Kennedy, died. Here is the text of Kennedy's speech to the people of Massachusetts trying to explain his cowardice by leaving her to die in a car that had been drunkenly driven off of a bridge.

Leaving the scene of the car accident where Ms. Kopechne died, destroyed Ted Kennedy's presidential aspirations, although he did run for the Democratic nomination in its wake. How he repented was becoming one of the most effective legislators in recent American history. His lion voice, his determination to seek justice, his opposition to the Bush administration after being cajoled into co-sponsoring the No Child Left Behind debacle, his courageous votes all pointed to his maturation as a man, as a public figure, and as a scion worthy of our trust.

There are many beautiful obituaries, including this pictorial one in the Times and there will be many others because Ted Kennedy grew into his role as the liberal senator from Massachusetts after a disaster that blew holes in his arrogance. That he didn't make it to president is a good thing, because America should not be a place of dynasties, as we have witnessed most recently with the Bush family. We should be a meritocracy, which we aren't, and probably never will aspire to becoming, not with billionaire politicians, I don't care how smart they are, Mr. Bloomberg.

So let's take a moment to understand Ted Kennedy, the most flawed of the Kennedy brothers, but the only survivor, and the only one who has left his mark on the remarkable institution of the Senate. Thank you for your service to our country, and I am sorry for your suffering.

The Disappearance of the Hair Dryer in Iraq

Only Stephen Colbert would incorporate a hair dryer icon into the logo for his latest exploit, his USO tour in Iraq. Last night was hysterical: Colbert mocked the secrecy of the war, walked that amazing line that he broached at the White House Correspondents Dinner between humor and disrespect with approval from the audience of service men and women, and then (spoiler alert) brought on the commander in chief himself, President Obama, to order General Odiemo to cut his hair. Watch this episode of Operation Iraqi Stephen!

On a much more serious note, the Supreme Court yesterday refused to review the failed military policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," that forces military personnel to keep their sexual orientation a secret or risk dishonorable discharge if they come out. Although there is a bill pending in the House, Ted Kennedy is waiting for a Republican co-sponsor to introduce it into the Senate. We are losing good service people, it's a waste of talent, and it forces people to be unreal. Israel, England, Ireland--there is a long list of countries that allow open service by gays and lesbians. Read the facts about openly gay service.