A College Gin Run

Leadership by example: how not to do it.

2008-07-10T23:02:00.003-04:00

"Vote your hopes, not your fears."

Yesterday's FISA vote was a perfect opportunity for Senator Obama to heed his own advice. Whether through his own initiative, or the whisperings of the Mark Penn wing of his clutch of advisers, he opted out.

For someone who's shown remarkable skill at political jujitsu, this was not a dodge. This was leaning into the left hook. It's been said before by others, but apparently not enough: You cannot preempt the GOP attack machine. If you're smart, which Obama clearly is, you can neutralize it.

But that left hook is gonna come, and you can either lean into it, or you can step aside and deliver a round kick to the glutes.

What Obama has done here, besides giving the attack machine the brass knuckles to pummel him with, is shown a remarkable failure of leadership. The immunity provision fix was in, sadly. Republicans, no matter what he does, are going to paint him as soft on terror. (Like Grant, they only know two tunes. One of 'em is "Dems are soft on terror", the other isn't.) He could have stood with Feingold, Dodd, Kerry, and the other brave souls who voted "no", and said "Vote your hopes, not your fears. Let me show you how."

But he didn't, and the damage is done.

The attacks are going to come, Senator, no matter how you vote. You might as well do the right thing. Hell, it might even pay off politically.

You want to be leader? You want us to vote our hopes? Start now. Show us how it's done.

Aussie bloggging.

2008-05-23T23:43:00.002-04:00

"throw the frisbee throw the frisbee throw the frisbee throw the frisbee throw the...."

Just for Southern Beale.

2008-05-04T22:50:00.003-04:00

Me and Future Mrs. Geor3ge.

[retreats back into obscurity...]

Offline

2008-01-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

For the three of you who still check in to this e-rag, I'll be offline for a little bit while the Future Mrs. and I pack up our belongings and get ready to move yet again. (The third time since '04 now.) Once we're settled I'll be starting my new life as a church music director and piano teacher in north Jersey, a prospect I relish after having had both feet in the corporate world since moving to Indiana. Once we're settled I may or may not resume normal blogging activities, or I'll scrap this one entirely and move to WordPress. Depends how I feel.

So, a happy new year to you all, and I'll meet you on the other side of the moving van.

Heh.

2007-12-17T17:52:00.001-05:00

Iz 4legs' birfday?

2007-10-01T23:24:00.001-04:00

For Rmj.

2007-09-13T17:22:00.000-04:00

Inspired by this post.

Update: okay, some heads are still scratching, and the link is atmittedly long. Here's the money quote:

He [Fraser] is embarrassed by “stupid” Christians thinking they know more
about the nature of the universe than clever atheists like Dawkins.

Ask him to prove that God exists – one of the subjects of his philosophy
lectures at Oxford – and he cheerfully admits that he can’t. He goes further:
“The so-called proofs of God’s existence are all rubbish.”

Ask him if the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened and he says:
“Umm . . . dunno . . . can’t prove it.”
Ask him about evangelical Christians and he snorts: “Evangelicals have misunderstood the Bible. They turn it into some bloody Ikea manual.”
Proofs of God's existence: well, I'm at risk of running that flat into the ground. Fraser is right: they are all rubbish. The more interesting question to me has become: why do we care about them? I have an answer or two; but I'm still knocking them into presentable form.The resurrection? I consider that a confessional topic. I can't prove it; but I don't need to. Whether or not you confess it (i.e., believe it) is irrelevant to me, if we're going to argue about it. I'm not an apologist for it. And as for evangelicals turning the Bible into an "IKEA manual," well that's just lovely. I'm keeping that.

More nephew blogging.

2007-09-04T17:20:00.000-04:00

Future Mrs. G and the boy. They're both pretty cute, no?

Nephew blogging.

2007-09-03T22:39:00.001-04:00

Future Mrs. Geor3ge is an aunt.

Help her welcome Nicholas Joseph Carlozzi to the world. He was born at 4:36 AM on September 2nd, weighing in at a whopping 7 lbs. 14 oz., 20 inches long.

Welcome aboard, little man.

Camera-phone Aussie Blogging.

2007-08-24T17:18:00.000-04:00

2007-08-09T12:13:00.001-04:00

For 4legs.

2007-08-03T11:08:00.000-04:00

Macro Marx

2007-07-25T10:46:00.001-04:00

Image by geor3ge via despair.com

Off again.

2007-07-18T08:44:00.000-04:00

Hitting the road tonight. I'll be off to the Adirondacks for a little R&R and a little wedding planning. So, here's your Friday Frank early. "Stairway to Heaven" (yes, that one) from 1988. Catch the horn section at the end recreating Jimmy Page's solo.

Peace.

Might one suggest a corrective?

2007-07-17T10:30:00.000-04:00

Bobo today (subscription req'd):

[Bush's] self-confidence survives because it flows from two sources. The first is his unconquerable faith in the rightness of his Big Idea. Bush is convinced that history is moving in the direction of democracy, or as he said Friday: “It’s more of a theological perspective. I do believe there is an Almighty, and I believe a gift of that Almighty to all is freedom. And I will tell you that is a principle that no one can convince me that doesn’t exist.”

Christians and peacemakers would do well to remember the warning of Bartolomé de Las Casas, Spanish missionary and arguably the great grandsire of liberation theology, whose death is remembered today:

Now Christ wanted his gospel to be preached with enticements, gentleness, and all meekness, and pagans to be led to the truth not by armed forces but by holy examples, Christian conduct, and the word of God, so that no opportunity would be offered for blaspheming the sacred name or hating the true religion because of the conduct of the preachers. For this is nothing else than making the coming and passion of Christ useless, as long as the truth of the gospel is hated before it is either understood or heard, or as long as innumerable human beings are slaughtered in a war waged on the pretext of preaching the gospel and speading religion.

His dated triumphalism aside, Las Casa understood the need for leadership by example, humility, and above all a respect for culture: characteristics noticeably lacking in our current band of occupants.

When Jesus said to make disciples of all nations, the unspoken subtext was not "by any means necessary."

(Cross-posted at Pax Americana.)

Friday Frank: Smokin' in the pygmy twilight . . .

2007-07-13T11:29:00.000-04:00

"Room Service". More from '74.

Out for the weekend, folks. Heading down to Evansville to meet up with Sinfonian in meatspace. Stay well.

For goodness sake, MP, put the poor dear out of its misery.

2007-07-09T12:02:00.000-04:00

The poetically named Mad Priest has a little too much fun toying with a Wingnut of the Anglo-sphere.

Friday Frank

2007-07-06T08:31:00.001-04:00

"Approximate", featuring the great 1974 band.

Enjoy.

In re: the previous post.

2007-07-05T14:57:00.000-04:00

I was thinking of stealing Atrios's meme and creating an Anglican "Wanker of the Day", but it would grow quickly dull just to blog on Archbishop Akinola.

Shorter Paul Valliere:

2007-07-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

"This would all go away if Teh Gay would stop rocking the boat."

Masterworks of the New Era

2007-06-25T14:27:00.000-04:00

Huge kudos to Wes of Walk In Brain for this coup.

LLS, brother.

Bless me father . . .

2007-06-23T11:12:00.000-04:00

. . . for I am about to undertake Hans Küng.

Please make Monkey Brain settle down.

(P.S. Don't ask me why Blogger posted wingdings earlier.)

My humble pre-caffeinated addition to Morning Prayer.

2007-06-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

"Create in me a clean heart, O God.
While you're at it, a clear head would be nice."

(I suspect TEC is not accepting submissions for revisions to the Book of Common Prayer.)

Memorial Day, Chicago. Part 1

2007-06-06T18:58:00.001-04:00

Other peoples' blogs.

2007-05-31T08:15:00.000-04:00

I've joined the author list at NTodd's new blog, Pax Americana.

Lots of excellent contributors there. Please go when you get the chance.