Author: Dick

The other day I said I didn’t want to hear any more in the media about swimming champ Michael Phelps being pictured on an English tabloid cover sucking a bong that allegedly contains marijuana. But for the great quote in this story we at EFD will make an exception.

The Detroit Free Press sports column by Mike Brudenell details the hubub surrounding the photo and how even a good ol’ boy sheriff in South Carolina — where they photo was taken — is looking at arresting Phelps despite the fact that he is shown smoking a bong and the swimming champ may well have smoked up the evidence.

But while the story gives the opinion of one columnist who describes his as a “swimming family” and the impact this revelation that Phelps is human after all has on his kids’ hero worship, it also give clear perspective about what this saga is really about. The words I found so delightful and apt in the Free Press article come from Tunku Varadarajan, a professor at the Stern Business School at New York University and opinions editor at www.forbes.com. Said Varadarajan:

“In the hierarchy of life forms on this, our earth, the British tabloid journalist lies somewhere between the hagfish and the dung beetle: However, a story Sunday in the News of the World (proprietor: Keith Rupert Murdoch) has made me scratch my chin and wonder whether we are,in fact, being a tad unkind to the dung beetle.

“The paper’s great coup was to lay its grubby, Little-England hands on a photograph of (Michael) Phelps with his mouth pressed firmly into a glass pipe, or ‘bong.’ The story’s pseudo-declamatory opening line (a tabloid art form, in itself) was: ‘This is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history.’ Given that Michael Phelps’ career would have remained blissfully undestroyed had the paper chosen not to publish the photograph, one has to marvel at the amoral audacity of the News of the World: in purporting to ‘report’ on the potential harm to Phelps’ image and career from having smoked cannabis, the newspaper was, in fact, ‘perpetrating’ that very harm.”

Oh sure, everyone can rationalize their actions even Uncle Joe Stalin and the Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz. But knocking down a giant who did nothing more egregious than smoke pot yet whose deeds during the Olympics gave hope and inspiration to millions worldwicde is something weasels do and do so well.

Everyone needs to get over the tabloid picture. It is what it is. And Michael, go and sin no more or at least be damn discrete about it.

Tom Daschle dropped out. Nancy Killefer dropped out. Bill Richardson dropped out. Timothy Geithner stayed, but many wondered if he would drop out. All these presidential political appointee nominations made by Barack Obama have made for a rocky start by young No. 44. I imagine some of the right-wing noise and hate machine are doing a little Hitler jig over the problems which have arisen early in Obama’s administration.

But the road to presidential tenure is littered with the names of nominees — from both Republican and Democratic parties — who faltered because of some skeleton in the closet. Some were early nominees such as Zoe Baird. Others were well on in the administration such as Douglas Ginsburg.

Disheartening as it may be for Obama supporters, the failed nominees who are exposed for their human frailties which are rightfully trumpeted by an alert media are nothing new. Such problems will continue to exist as long as human beings commit indiscretions in their past that they would rather not bring up but eventually emerge as the proverbial chicken coming home to roost. Such early stumbling, of course, is not good for 44 because he campaigned for a more ethical government.(His applications for political appointees convinced me at first glance that I didn’t want to unearth any possible can of worms from my past that I may have conveniently forgotten.) But so it goes.

What is heartening is that the folks we are talking about who dropped out, did so before taking office. I feel Bill Richardson is a very interesting and very astute politician, but I don’t know what all is in his past. If it turns out he is a crook, which I hopefully doubt, then it will be good rather than bad that he dropped out rather than he was busted for something ill while serving as the head of a major U.S. government department.

If one thinks about all the stinkers presidents have picked in our short time as a nation then we should feel ecstatic that a few bad apples were picked and thrown out into the great political s**t pile. Think of these names: Burr and Agnew, both picked by presidents as running mates. What about “Heck of a Job Brownie,”, the whole Watergate saga, A. Mitchell Palmer, Albert Fall, Donald Rumsfeld, and, of course, Alberto “VO5” Gonzales?”

It would have been better for the fledgling Obama administration if the mostly tax problems which dogged his appointees, due to whatever human shortfalls were caused by politicians who probably paid their price with a black hole for a legacy, happened. But they happened. Even better, they never had the chance to screw up once in office had they reached office and had they screwed up.

What is even better, no less than the president of the United States with less than a month into his administration, took responsibility for his having “messed up.” How refreshing is that? The buck stops here.

One would hope 44 doesn’t make a ship load more of major mistakes during however long he ultimately spends in that big white house across from Lafayette Park in “The District.” But friends and neighbors, I would bet you a dollar to a doughnut or, adjusted for inflation, $20 to a doughnut, that Obama will make another mistake during his first term.

Let us just hope that mistake isn’t that serious and let us hope he continues to be a man and admits to his mistakes, much unlike his predecessor.

Frankly, I am tired of reading, seeing and hearing stories about:

Rush Limbaugh

Sarah Palin

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich talking about Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin

Michael Phelps smoking pot

JessicaBritneyBrangeliaJenJLoAmyWinehouseParisHilton’shoohahAnycelebrity’slatestarrestFindingaratheadinacanofvegetables

So there.

Barack N’ Roll. It appears President Obama likes to party every now and then. He had a midweek cocktail party which was bipartisan. He is having a Super Bowl party which will likewise be attended by those from both parties.

I think it’s high time the White House loosen up a little bit. I bet Gee Dubya was a funny drunk when he drank. Then he probably got more obnoxious the drunker he got. So, it was probably a good deal that he quit drinking. But he lacked the fine edge.

If Obama can throw a party and get a few folks from both parties to attend those parties, then maybe he can get something done. Or, that is, get something positive done. Just don’t let things get out of hand. You know, like letting some of his drunken guests get on the red phone to Moscow and ask the Russian leaders if they’ve got Prince Albert in a can.

Prince who??