Fifteen years

Bill Clinton gave a speech at Georgetown U. today, and almost nobody paid attention. That was the case 15 years ago as well, when he spoke at Georgetown and talked about a ‘new covenant.’ He was far down in the presidential preference polls at the time, and I was a 31-year-old reporter who had been in town for a year, and I thought he made a good speech but didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the Democratic presidential nomination. In fact, that speech was the beginning of the drive that would put Clinton in the White House.

People underestimate Clinton, just like they often do with George W. Bush, and I suppose today may be a landmark as well. We’re likely to find out over the next couple of years.

This Week in Corruption

It’s getting hard to stay on top of all of the developments. Just today:

From the AP via USA TODAY: “Former FDA chief Lester Crawford will plead guilty for failing to disclose a financial interest in companies his agency regulated, his lawyer said Monday.”

From the selfsame source: “The FBI raided the homes of Rep. Curt Weldon’s daughter and a close friend Monday as it investigates whether the congressman improperly helped the pair win lobbying and consulting contracts.”

And of course, let’s not forget Friday’s highlight, courtesy of The New York Times: “Representative Bob Ney, the first member of Congress to confess to crimes in dealings with the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pleaded guilty to corruption charges Friday but said he would not immediately resign.”

Notice that we haven’t even mentioned anybody named Foley yet?

That’s some wild stuff

I hereby declare a moratorium on comparing anything to the “wild” (or worse yet, “wild, wild”) West. No more! Drop it for a while! Examples:

Lowe likes wild, wild West
Stock option backdating is compared to you-know-what
The, ahem, ‘wild-wild’ West has invaded Lowell, Ark. (already the home of ‘wild-wild’ hillbillies)
“Google can kiss my ass. This is the wild, wild West.”
“I never want Manatee County to become the Wild, Wild West.” It’s in Florida. The West seems tame in comparison.

Enough! Drop it! DROP IT.

Through the first round

I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan. Some of my first memories are of listening to the 1964 World Series on the radio; I remember sneaking a transistor radio into school in 1968 to listen to the Cards lose to the Detroit Tigers; I attending my first (and only) World Series game in 1982, a 10-0 series-opening loss to  the then-American-League member Milwaukee Brewers; I subsequently remember jumping up and down in my tiny, tiny apartment later in that series when the Cards won it in seven. I went into a weeks-long funk in 2004 when the Cards played so awfully against the Boston Red Soxs. And I will always, always, always block Game Six of the 1985 Series against the Royals out of my mind. The names of my late parents are carved into a brick on a sidewalk outside of Busch Stadium. I’m not kidding about my fanboy-ness when it comes to this team.

Tonight, the Cards beat the San Diego Padres to go to the National League Championship Series for the third straight year. I give them virtually no chance against their opponent, the New York Mets, who are clearly the class of the National League. And if somehow the finger of God visits the Cards and gets them to the Series again, I can’t imagine how they could beat either the Tigers or the Oakland A’s, who are playing for the AL title. But a man can dream.