As I am perpetually two years behind whatever is cool and zeitgeisty on the teevee, I’ve not been watching this new Netflix joint, “House Of Cards.” Which is probably to my detriment. Our own Howard Fineman has been watching the show, and he describes an artful and innovative depiction of “the competition for power for its own sake.” And just this weekend, I was at a party where an old friend of mine spoke thrillingly of byzantine plots and cagey backstabbing — Washington as the setting for the polite bloodlust of brilliant political chess masters.
Which must be why so many people in Washington are into this show: For the escapist fantasy!
In reality, we have the House of Senate, and there’s no way of describing those people’s machinations without briefly wondering if the word “moron” is strong enough. They are on recess now, having ended their current session by simultaneously refusing to appoint former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to the position of secretary of defense and making it clear that Hagel is definitely going to be appointed to the post. The senators who oppose him, Republicans all, simply want to leave town and have themselves a good, long tantrum for 10 days or so, because that’s what actually passes for political genius these days.
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