Sunday, September 16, 2007

I began hosting my live talk show The End Of The Week As We Know It about 4 years ago in New York. I did an opening monologue based on the week’s events, interviewed a guest(The Nation’s Eric Alterman and former Clinton press secretary Jake Siewert among others) and then hosted a roundtable of comedians and writers weighing in on the news of the week. I plan on doing a version of that show on stage and on the Web soon, but today I launch a weekly blog of my observations of the past week. I hope to add video soon.

The Beginning of the End

What provoked criticism this week from both Democrats and Republicans and was called “despicable”? You would think President Bush’s speech Thursday that called for the unjust, illegal war presented to the American people in a deceptive, manipulative way, to continue for many years into the future, would be the words to condemn. Instead, a pun in a MoveOn.org ad is apparently the height of evil and immorality. Using the words Petraeus and Betray Us in a headline, is going too far for Democrats and Republicans, but keeping a large number of American troops in Iraq indefinitely is prudent and acceptable. Once again, Democrats are letting Republicans frame the debate. Republicans shouldn’t be allowed to frame a poster, after years of lying and deceiving us about the Iraq War. Even today, on This Week with George Stephanopolous, Secretary of Defense Gates said the reason we had to invade Iraq was because Saddam Hussein was destabilizing the Middle East. You would think someone who was Secretary of Defense would have a working knowledge of American history from 4 years ago, but just like his predecessor, Gates, as well as the whole Bush administration says the polar opposite of the truth. Our invasion, causing the deaths of more than 3000 US troops and well over 100,000 Iraqi civilians, in addition to creating more than 4 million Iraqi refugees, destabilized the region. So anytime you hear a Bush official talk about Iraq, just realize that the truth is the opposite of what they say. And at this point they might as well say anything. If you’re going to make stuff up, why not go all the way? Tell us that Iraq is getting a National Hockey League franchise. Tell us that now’s the time to buy condos in Baghdad. Tell us that Iraq spelled backwards is September 11. If they brought back the game show To Tell The Truth, no member of the Bush Administration could be on it.

But on a happier note, Madonna met with Israeli President Shimon Peres. Who says there's no hope for peace in the Middle East? The only way to achieve peace is to talk to all the parties involved. Which begs the question- if Israel can talk to Madonna why not talk to Hamas too?

On Saturday, demonstrators marched on Washington to demand an end to the war. The turnout was estimated by organizers at 100,000. Fox News put the number at 12, and said they weren't protesting, they were waiting for the bus.

And President Bush is expected to name his nominee for Attorney General tomorrow. Alberto Gonzalez was asked today why he resigned, and he said he didn't recall resigning. The Bush Administration says it will be searching for a new Attorney General with the necessary qualities -incompetence, deception, willful ignorance and arrogance. So their choice will be someone already in the Bush administration.