Fashion shows, heavy losses and politics as usual

A 19th-century stone cherub and acanthus leaf enhances a building entranceway in Passy, Paris.

In Paris, the exuberant beauty and extravaganza that defines Fashion Week has been overshadowed by the shocking revelation of a rogue trader's 3.7 billion euro (about $7 billion) fraud at Societe Generale, France's second-largest bank. The fallout is just beginning!

A tragic loss

My husband was in Brussels yesterday, speaking at an European Parliament workshop. While he was on the train back to Paris, I turned on French television to find an unscheduled showing of Brokeback Mountain. Alas, I'd missed the first half, but I'd seen the film in the theatre in 2005. Watching last night I was reminded of what an extraordinarily-gifted actor Heath Ledger was. He should have won that Oscar! Ledger's death too young, too soon is of course heartbreaking for his family and friends. And his presence on our cinema screens will be missed by all who admired his amazing talent; his startling ability to virtually disappear into a role.

Politics as usual

You may have heard news from the McCain campaign in South Carolina that some voters were turned away when electronic voting machines failed and no paper ballots were available. With multiple failures of voting machines in recent elections, it appears paper ballots are the most fair and reliable. Sometimes simple is best.

Also, Rudy Guiliani's latest campaign ad really takes the biscuit, as the Brits say. The ad contains actual 9/11 footage.

I shudder to think of the despicable mud-slinging still ahead in the presidential campaign. Both Hillary and Bill Clinton have been playing old-style political games lately, forcing the issue of race and trying to distort and manipulate the truth about Barack Obama. They're resorting to the same dirty tricks and underhanded tactics they previously accused Republican opponents of using against them. One would think their time would be best spent extolling Hillary's plans for a better America, rather than wasting time and energy criticising an opponent. After all, the Clintons have made plenty of mistakes of their own.

It seems to me that Hillary - spurred on by Mark Penn, who runs her campaign by encouraging practiced statements, combined with deliberate Karl Rove-style attacks on her opponents - will do and say anything to get elected. Many Democrats, including Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, have criticised the Clintons' behaviour. Why doesn't Hillary just address the issues? She is losing my respect by playing fast and loose with the truth. Although I once was a Hillary fan, I voted for Edwards via absentee ballot in the California primary. And I'll be happy to vote for Obama, if he's the Democratic nominee in November.

Update Jan. 25 - Endorsing Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, the New York Times wrote: "As strongly as we back her candidacy, we urge Mrs. Clinton to take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign. It is not good for the country, the Democratic Party or for Mrs. Clinton, who is often tagged as divisive, in part because of bitter feeling about her husband’s administration and the so-called permanent campaign. (Indeed, Bill Clinton’s overheated comments are feeding those resentments, and could do long-term damage to her candidacy if he continues this way.)"

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the millions expended on political campaign advertising - largely designed to muddy the waters with misleading allegations - were instead spent on worthy causes? I've mentioned previously that French presidential campaigns are run with each candidate receiving equal air time. Television advertising is forbidden.

Of course in the US, the advertising agencies and television stations would be up in arms at the thought of losing all that revenue. Sad that in most countries, political candidates trying to campaign without numerous financial backers don't stand a chance. It all comes down to money, doesn't it?

Those 935 lies

The Bush administration's 935 lies leading into the Iraq war have been catalogued by the Center for Public Integrity and Fund for Independence in Journalism:

"President George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Nearly five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, an exhaustive examination of the record shows that the statements were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.

"On at least 532 separate occasions (in speeches, briefings, interviews, testimony and the like), Bush and these three key officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both. This concerted effort was the underpinning of the Bush administration's case for war."

The Associated Press reports that as of Jan. 23, 2008, at least 3,931 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget office said war funding cost American taxpayers about $93 billion a year from 2003 through 2005, rising to $120 billion in 2006 and $171 billion in 2007. President Bush has asked for $193 billion in 2008.

The Bush administration's deliberate duplicity - and sheer incompetence - is breathtaking.

Comments

[marita]

i think local press should focus on important issues (935 reasons) instead of taking part in a propaganda of pre-elections, twisting and turning around true items that people are interested in and concerned about.
until now i haven't heard any crucial subjects or changes from all candidates... business ase usual!

[Amber]

Tara, I answered you back on my blog re Guiliani. ;)

I know you couldn't see the debate, but what you say here about the money spent on this war...Ron Paul keeps making that same argument. And no one takes him seriously. And personally, I agree with him. It sucks that so much money is being spent like this, when it could go to other needed things, and then we wouldn't have to be talking about raising taxes to pay for them. But all the R's pretty much laugh at him for saying that. Too bad he hasn't got the money to stick around for much longer, if only to be a thorn in the sides. ;)

Kory and I argue about the lies.Kory, being ex-army, always stands by the President.(Stupidly). I feel pissed. I gave him my trust and believed the arguments. And most people did at the time, if we will remember. Now I am just so mad that my trust was stomped on like that and manipulated, and now we are in this mess! And that's not the only thing, either. For a fiscal conservative like me, the amount of SPENDING this Republican has done in office!! Holy shit. I mean, really. And we still have the same broken immnigration policy, too. People playing by the rules, waiting and waiting and waiting, being treated like total crap, meanwhile other people just come in like it's all a joke. And the state of our schools! *sigh* It just makes me so ill...

And Heath. He was very talented. More than many had realized until Brokeback.(I remember being blown away by his bit in Monsters Ball. Wow!)...It all hits me in a personal place, because of my sister...I just feel for his family. I understand how they feel. :(

:)

[Carla]

Have you read Naomi Wolf's book, "The End of America?" I just finished it. Very interesting and ties into a lot of what Bush has done during his term in office. Quite frightening actually.

[Valerie Mungia]

I too had forgotten what a moving performance Heath gave in Brokeback Mountain. His sad character in that movie broke my heart. What a terrible loss...

Some of my friends and family think that everything will be back to normal once Bush is out of office. Even the best case scenario in a candidate will have his/her work cut out for them once in office. What the Bush Admin destroyed will not be rebuilt overnight.

[Valerie]

I too had forgotten what a magnificent and touching performance Heath gave in Brokeback Mountain. His sad character in that movie broke my heart. What a loss...

Some of my friends and family think that everything will go back to normal once Bush is in office. Normal? I think some of us are expecting miracles from whoever is in office next. Even the best possible candidate will have his/her work cut out for them once elected. What the Bush admin destroyed will not be rebuilt overnight.

[tinker]

Though I am probably the last person to have not yet seen Brokeback Mountain, I did enjoy Heath Ledger's performances in Brothers Grimm and especially in Casanova. What a tragic ending for such a talented young man.

I think it would be wonderful to see America adopt such a fair policy as you mentioned - where each candidate receive equal air time - no matter which party they belong to, including those outside of the two major parties. As for the mudslinging(!), as my grandma would have said, it just gets both sides dirty. I can't believe politicians are still resorting to such immature, schoolyard tactics in this day and age. But apparently they are still stuck in the mindset of a bunch of gossiping teenagers - though I have to say, I've seen more fairplay in a race for junior high class president, than what's on display in our national politics. Is it any wonder then, why most politicians today are deemed untrustworthy?
Thanks for giving me somewhere to vent, Tara, lol~xo

[Tammy]

I have never respected HRC. A Obama/Edwards ticket would be my best case scenario.

Heath was a truly gifted actor and I have followed his career as a movie buff. A tragic loss.

Love the Bling above. ;)

XXOO

[Lynne Rutter]

thanks for this post, Tara.
i'm pretty disgusted with all of this, and wonder what happened to integrity as a value.

[apt. a {berriehead}]

They are all horrible. We're screwed.

[jzr]

The presidential race is mean and brutal and the damned media is doing a great job steering it along!! I will be away for our Primary here in Virginia and voted absentee today for John Edwards and will vote for Obama if he gets it. I'm hoping Hillary will be gone!!

[Pam Aries]

God..I hate politiking ! blech..they all have to be so shamefully ugly with each other. WHY?!.. AND another thing. It's all about getting out and voting, but they make it so damn difficult! arrrghhh. And the French Bank fraud ..Wow..that was something allright! Sounds like a scene right out of a movie. I felt so bad about Heath Ledger..such a nice guy. I think maybe it might have been too much for him. ps; yep..I have used the French Phone book!

[Jeanie]

Great post. Over here, we've been baffled at how a campaign that started out so chummy could get so mean-spirited. I can't believe we have months and months to go -- even if they can sort out the mechanics on Super Tuesday (dicey, but possible) it'll still be a long way to November 2008.

[Gillian @ Indigo Blue]

...the politics that is. Tea & politics. Can't wait for your book!

[Gillian @ Indigo Blue]

I'd love to sit with you over a hot cup of tea and pick your brain about it all. I love your insights.
Smart woman!!
Yes, sad about Heath, isn't that always the way with the young and the talented. Taken too soon.
xo
Gillian

[Elizabeth Wix]

So you can probably quite understand why we live in Marrakech.......
My husband is American. I'm English.
We really can't bear to be in the US right now.
Paris looks stunning from your photos...............

[judy wilkenfeld]

Heath - a great loss -unmistakable raw talent.
So sad how this sort of tragedy seem to becoming way too regular.

[rochambeau]

Can't add anything. Glad you are so upfront Tara. We can learn from how you because you organize your thoughts so concisely and clearly.

I hope I'm wrong, but unfortunately I agree with Corine's comment. I also worry the the voting machines or system is rigged too.
;-(...............

On a brighter note:
I'm sending you happy thoughts!!
xo
Constance

[Merisi's]

I feel really sad when a young promising life like Heath Ledger's is lost so soon.
And as far as Hillary Clinton or whoever is concerned, I am sorry, but I do not trust the media at all. Only yesterday I met a friend who told me about a "lecture" Helen Thomas held in Reston and the "war" stories she told there.

[Colette]

I'll quote Lou Dobbs on the billions being spent on campaigning: it's called "buying the presidency."

I also have to say that the media are helping to create the fiasco. In this day of video clips, where one can see for oneself, the headlines are outright lies. I watched a clip which was described as Clinton "snapping at a reporter". the clip showed Clinton replying to a reporter's question in his usual calm way. There was no snapping whatsoever.

I think America should switch to a parliamentary system: short election, no $millions needed. Heh!

[Brian]

From a purely political science point of view, this years campaign is the most fascinating ever. The candidates for both parties, the states moving the calendar around and the constant flip-flopping and name calling. When the dust settles, if it does, there is always Bloomberg lurking.

[kris]

The amount of money wasted is beyond what I can comprehend and the mismanagement of 911, the New Orleans disaster, Medicare etc…and he was re-elected. On the local level, also a disaster, I work for Medicaid. Our Medicaid population is composed, for the most part, of the blind, elderly, disabled and children and still the legislature wants cuts. To what? What group would they leave out? Of course they are careful not to say. Have the courage of their convictions? What courage, what convictions? I don’t think they know.

[corine @ hidden in france]

oh am I glad I read your post today. I agree on all fronts. You know what worries me terribly? I don't think either Hillary or Obama are electable. I'll vote for them, of course, but is America really ready to elect a woman or a black man?

[Di Overton]

What? Only 935 lies I thought there would be many more than that. Added together with Tony Blair's and it would be a huge amount.
By the way I have fixed the link over at my blog. Thanks for pointing it out - I'm going crazy :)

[stephanie]

Tara,
The amount of money we are spending on this war is mind boggling to me...I simply cannot wrap my head around it. Today on NPR I heard repeated statements from the Bush administration that we will have a permanent presence in Iraq.

I totally agree with your thoughts about the presidential campaigns, it is disheartening to think of the potential Hillary had, I believe she really is just one of the good old boys in the same old game.

and so so sad about Heath Ledger, what a beautiful young talent...

[Passementerie]

It is terrifying what happens in the US. Being outside it and not subject to a constant barrage of propaganda from the news channels it is possible for an expatriate American or a non-American to view it with a certain objectivity, but it seemed that so many Americans, even Democrats, fell for Bush's lies hook line and sinker - and they didn't even vote him in in the first place! It would be horrifying if similar election shenanigans further undermined the US's international reputation this time.

(On a lighter note, we must go for coffee very soon!)

[ally bean]

I've often thought the same thing about the money wasted on political campaigning that could go to help people. Seems very wrong to me.