RIP Walter Cronkite

I lived through the Vietnam War - saw boys I went to school with worrying about the draft. Many of those who were unlucky enough to be sent to the Vietnam War, died or were injured.

When I was a freshman in college, I attended anti-war protests. I believed then, as I do now, that the war was a mistake. It was a troubling time in the United States and the Vietnam War divided our country between those who saw the war as a mistake (mostly young people) and those who believed that our leaders were defendi8ng freedom and democracy (mostly the older generation). That was "the way it was" until that fateful day in 1968 when Walter Cronkite essentially told Americans that the war was a farce and we had no hope of winning.

My family watched Walter Cronkite that night, along with millions of Americans of all ages. His words changed hearts and minds, and even disamed President Lyndon Johnson. Some of Lyndon Johnson's aides have recalled that the president watched the broadcast and declared that he knew at that moment he would have to change course. A month later Johnson declined to run for reelection and announced that he was seeking a way out of the war; David Halberstam has written that "it was the first time in American history a war had been declared over by an anchorman."

WALTER CRONKITE'S "WE ARE MIRED IN STALEMATE" BROADCAST, FEBRUARY 27, 1968

"Tonight, back in more familiar surroundings in New York, we'd like to sum up our findings in Vietnam, an analysis that must be speculative, personal, subjective. Who won and who lost in the great Tet offensive against the cities? I'm not sure. The Vietcong did not win by a knockout, but neither did we. The referees of history may make it a draw.

Another standoff may be coming in the big battles expected south of the Demilitarized Zone. Khesanh could well fall, with a terrible loss in American lives, prestige and morale, and this is a tragedy of our stubbornness there; but the bastion no longer is a key to the rest of the northern regions, and it is doubtful that the American forces can be defeated across the breadth of the DMZ with any substantial loss of ground. Another standoff. On the political front, past performance gives no confidence that the Vietnamese government can cope with its problems, now compounded by the attack on the cities. It may not fall, it may hold on, but it probably won't show the dynamic qualities demanded of this young nation. Another standoff."

"We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders, both in Vietnam and Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds. They may be right, that Hanoi's winter-spring offensive has been forced by the Communist realization that they could not win the longer war of attrition, and that the Communists hope that any success in the offensive will improve their position for eventual negotiations. It would improve their position, and it would also require our realization, that we should have had all along, that any negotiations must be that -- negotiations, not the dictation of peace terms. For it seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. This summer's almost certain standoff will either end in real give-and-take negotiations or terrible escalation; and for every means we have to escalate, the enemy can match us, and that applies to invasion of the North, the use of nuclear weapons, or the mere commitment of one hundred, or two hundred, or three hundred thousand more American troops to the battle. And with each escalation, the world comes closer to the brink of cosmic disaster."

"To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy's intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."

"This is Walter Cronkite. Good night."

Mr. Cronkite anchored the “CBS Evening News” from 1962 to 1981, at a time when television became the dominant medium of the United States. He figuratively held the hand of the American public during the civil-rights movement, the space race, the Vietnam war and the impeachment of Richard Nixon. During his tenure, network newscasts were expanded to 30 minutes from 15.

For his exhaustive and enthusiastic coverage of NASA, Mr. Cronkite was sometimes called “the eighth astronaut.” During the first moon landing in 1969, Mr. Cronkite “was on the air for 27 of the 30 hours that Apollo 11 took to complete its mission,” the Museum of Broadcast Communications notes. Monday will mark the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

Obama Pulls Ahead in Missouri

From latest TIME/CNN state polls:

FLORIDA: Obama 51, McCain 47
MINNESOTA: Obama 54, McCain 43
MISSOURI: Obama 49, McCain 48
NEVADA: Obama 51, McCain 47
VIRGINIA: Obama 53, McCain 44

Dates conducted: Sept. 28-30. Error margin: Ranges from 3.5 to 4 points.

Amorphous Alarm

I...am confused.

It seems that with the shambles that the Bush administration has made of America; our economy in collapse, our reputation sullied around the globe, our military bogged down in an unnecessary war, and the civil liberties of our citizenry being trampled, that Barack Obama and the Democratic Party should be so far ahead that the dust would have settled behind them, and yet here, a month and a half before the election, the polls still show the race to be a dead heat.

How can this be?

Many blame racism, and I certainly think that there is a percentage of the population who simply will NOT vote for a black man. And for every one who admits openly to racist views, there are probably two who, when confronted with the choice in the privacy of the voting booth, may not be able to pull the lever for Obama.

But I think there is more to it. I think that many people are afraid of the changes they see in "their" America.

Since this country was founded, power has been held in the hands of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPS) {referring to being of European descent}.

Businesses, corporations and our government were controlled by WASPS, despite America being known as "the melting pot". Yes, many people from many nations came to the shores of this great land and many achieved "success". They started businesses, raised families and amassed wealth. BUT...they did not hold the reins of power. The largest corporations and for most of our nation's history, our government, has largely been run by white men. White people were the majority race in America so nobody saw this as a bad thing or even an inappropriate thing.

But the times, they are a-changin'. Data suggests that within a few generations, white people will no longer BE the majority. And I think it is THIS fear that hides itself in the subconscious of many white Americans. It isn't necessarily racism, but the uncomfortable sensation of losing the lead, no longer having the preponderance of numbers on their side, of in some sense, falling behind, being overtaken.

And Barack Obama personifies this shift.

The historical implications of electing a non-white as President of the United States are clear. But the emotional implications are more difficult to define, and are blanketed in fear amd denial. Many Americans who in no way consider themselves racist, are still probably feeling this uneasiness, this vague not-quite-able-to-put-their-finger-on-it anxiety. It isn't that they don't like Barack Obama, or don't think he is capable of being President, it is that he represents this sea-change shift. He puts a face to the wave that is coming. And the wave is scary.

It's a big change and change is frightening. Even when the place we are at stinks, the idea of changing is terrifying, especially when there is that subconscious concern that the tidal wave will drown you. That when things change, your life, or your children's lives, may be different in a not-so-pleasant way.

Now of course there is nothing to suggest that minorities are going to make life miserable for white folks when there are more of them than us. But it the uncertainly of that new world that is scary.

I don't justify this response, I'm just trying to wrap my head around why things are the way they are. I'm planning on voting for Obama because I believe in the future. Plus I've always been a risk-taker, so the uncertainty doesn't spook me as bad as it does others.

But I fear that the incertitude may cause many otherwise logical voters to pull the lever for the white guy, thinking perhaps, that it may be their last chance at maintaining the illusion that things are really not going to change.

Please....be brave, be bold, and vote for Barack Obama.

Wail Street

It's been a real roller-coaster on Wall Street this week, with the Dow having historic drops and recoveries on the news of the federal government having to bail out some of the oldest and largest American financial institutions.

Many are wailing in despair, wondering what will happen next. Politicians are all making promises, most of which are overly optimistic, and some of which are either outright lies or more signs that McCain "just doesn't get it".

John McCain (who has co-opted Obama's "change" message) said on Thursday that a top Bush administration official should be fired for failing to regulate Wall Street and allowing markets to be used as a casino. McCain's blunt call for the firing of Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox allowed him to try to separate himself further from President George W. Bush at a time when Democrats want to portray McCain as a clone of the unpopular Republican leader.

It was also a bid to seize the initiative on the top issue for voters after Democratic rival Barack Obama accused McCain of being out of touch when he said this week the fundamentals of the reeling U.S. economy are strong.

"The chairman of the SEC serves at the appointment of the president and in my view has betrayed the public's trust," McCain said. "If I were president today, I would fire him."

Problem is, Presidents do not have the authority to fire the SEC chairman.

The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys And The Shrub

I spent the last hour reading the words of a dead man.

It was a very moving experience.

The author was David Foster Wallace, who took his own life on Friday. What a tragedy, because this man really had a way with words.

The piece I read was written eight and a half years ago, as David followed John McCain during the 2000 election primaries. Despite the age of the piece, many of the points made about "going negative" in a campaign, and how voters are torn when trying to determine a candidate's authenticity, could have been written today.

The piece is so well written, that I was awed by his prowess with words and doubly saddened that this voice is now forever silent. And it made me wonder what has happened to the straight-talking man McCain was back then. Or if he even was, or was merely a good actor, putting on a show. And how applicable the lessons of that campaign are to 2008. How Americans say they hate negative advertising and yet are swayed by it. How dirty your opponent can get and lie their way out of. How complicit the media can be in giving us Spin.

So I ask you to please take the time to read this article, which was written for Rolling Stone. It won't make you vote one way or the other, but it will ask you to examine the way politics and the press are trying to manipulate you. Despite the positive way McCain is portrayed in the piece, I still plan to vote for Barack Obama, because I'm not sure McCain was ever that "authentic" and I certainly don't feel like he is now. I just enjoyed the magnificent writing so much, I wanted to share it with you.

PS, there's a glossary at the end explaining some of the abbreviations used in the piece.

The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys And The Shrub

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