Tag: bill_clinton

I have to confess I was a little uncomfortable with the ad from team Obama on Bin Laden, from the perspective of these types of attacks (Mitt Romney might not have made the same decision to send Navy SEALs into Pakistan) are best left historically to surrogates. Like the President did do with Vice President Joe Biden, "Bin Laden is dead, General Motors is alive," and former President Bill Clinton from the actual commercial.

Just recently I had lunch with former Mayor Ed Koch, and I have to say it was a very pleasurable experience.

Some politicians just have “It.” Charisma, personality, charm, the ability to connect with people. Koch has always been one of them.

For 25 years, Koch and I have always had a traditional Newsmaker/Journalistic relationship. I’ve known him as the city’s personable and witty three term mayor, but this time over lunch was different. He was again literally standing as tall as he did when he was mayor. He’s a man in his 80’s, who has had heart problems, but on this day Koch was in his prime. Every weekend, he dines for the most part, with former members of his administration, and it was remarkable to watch Koch hold court without missing a beat. In all these years, I had never seen the private Ed Koch. But this time I did.

In July of last year, in my finale of the three-part series on Barack Obama, I made a few predictions about the presidential race. One of those predictions upset many of my friends. It was the one where I said that Barack Obama will be president of the United States of America, unless a couple things happen: one of which was “an assassination”. I have never retracted this. In fact I wrote later in the year that the Secret Service needed to step up their detail, and protect this man at the highest level ever afforded a presidential candidate. I also berated Barack (slightly) for his cavalier attitude towards the fears of many many black people. I wasn’t kidding. I have met him on three different occasions and I didn’t like what I saw as the security arrangements around him.

For the past six months, mainstream media has been playing catch-up with me. Their talking heads have proven over and again, that their analysis fits in precisely with their agenda of pseudo sensationalism: for attention and profits no doubt. This counterfeit sensationalism has thrived because of one simple rule: in US politics most folks refuse to do the heavy thinking. Thus mainstream media will stir up the pot more times than a witch stirring a burning cauldron. And like the witches of Macbeth: mischief is their only brew. This supposedly unending presidential primary between Barack and Hillary has been over since Super Tuesday, last February 5th, 2008; somebody wake up the mainstream media please.

When Hillary Clinton was a teenager in the nineteen-sixties, a young black boxer named Cassius Clay was streaking undefeated towards the heavyweight crown. This young man later changed his name to Muhammad Ali, on his way to becoming the most popular international sports-figure in history. Next Monday (25th) will be the forty-fourth year anniversary of one of the greatest challenges Ali ever faced. It was the first title fight between the mean and surly champion named Sonny Liston and the charismatic Ali himself. It was the first of two meetings between these boxers. The Liston v. Clay saga is being re-played today folks; right before our very eyes; only the names have changed.

I didn’t want to do a pre-Super Tuesday column; I really didn’t. I am so tired of all the bullshit on these blogs, coming from anonymous attackers not wanting intelligent discourse- but just wanting to get their rocks off (and aimed at me of course)- that I thought about taking a pass. However, I have had so many requests for such a column, that I couldn’t wait till next week (to do my now deliberate: one a week column); so here I am; a few days early.

One hundred and ninety three years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte of France fought a battle against the British, and lost at Waterloo; this signaled the beginning of the end of Napoleon’s colorful reign. On Super Tuesday, Bill and Hillary Clinton will meet their Waterloo, when they go into political battle with Barack Hussein Obama in about two dozen varied states. At the end of the night, it will be clear to near everyone (bar the die-hard Clinton-fanatics) that the Clinton dynasty is coming to an end.