A few thoughts on assorted subjects before tottering off to bed:

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Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama earlier today reminded me of an interview I did several years back with Kerry Livgren of Kansas fame (he wrote “Dust In The Wind” and “Carry On Wayward Son” among other classics).  The topic was the reaction to his conversion to Christianity while on tour to support the band’s Monolith album which came out in 1979.  He was talking about how the Christian music marketplace, which at the time was exclusively confined to Christian bookstores, reacted.  Livgren noted, “There was a lot of ‘oh look who we’ve got; we’ve got credibility now.’  As if you need me to bring credibility to Jesus Christ.”

Does Powell’s endorsement suddenly give Obama credibility he didn’t have before today?  No, not really.  Given how up until very recent times Powell was derided by the left as a warmonger who only gained partial respectability in their eyes when he resigned as Secretary of State and subsequently criticized the war in Iraq, to think that now his word is sacrosanct pushes the envelope of credibility more than a bit.  Had he not given an endorsement he would have been blasted for sitting on the fence, and had he endorsed McCain he would have been labeled an Uncle Tom among other snarky sentiments.  But since he endorsed the Chosen One he’s suddenly top of the pops?  Yeahrightsure.

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Life has a soundtrack: today’s song is “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke which as you may recall starts out with ‘don’t know much about history.’  Came to mind when reading a front page article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle about how leading economists on the left and right insist today’s economic crisis signals the end of the small government plus deregulation of business philosophy that Ronald Reagan ushered in during his presidency and how only increased government control of all things financial can lead us from ruin to riches.  But of course.  Look how well all of Franklin Roosevelt’s government work and welfare programs thwarted the Great Depression in the ’30s… oh, wait, that’s right, they didn’t.  It took the Second World War to end the depression.  Eh, don’t worry about it.  The government will get it right this time.  It’ll have Obama in charge!  It’s in the bag…

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Never ceases to amuse how many anti-McCain and/or Palin philippics fill my inbox.  Yet when I open the floor to “okay, tell me based on his merits and proposed policies why Obama is the greatest thing since Joey Logano” (ask a NASCAR fan) the cyberdust in said inbox goes undisturbed.  Hear the crickets chirp.