A Week Of Irony

As the week wound its messy way on, I couldn't help but be struck by the absolute irony present in three of its biggest stories.


1. War and Peace:


Andrew Sullivan's quotes about the ironic trip Obama found himself taking to Oslo...

"Last week, Obama's address on Afghanistan both escalated and promised an end to the war there. This week, Obama opened his Nobel Peace Price acceptance speech with a long disquisition on the nature of war and its necessity--complete with a brief survey of "just war" theory."

"Why is hope audacious?

Because the world is inherently tragic. Because, in Camus' words, men die and they are not happy. Because in Obama's words, "We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified... For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. " "








I fear what will come in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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2. Tiger Tale (Tail??)

Then there was the irony of the world's best known and best paid athlete. A man so used to not getting caught, he literally must have been bewildered about just how OVER it is for him, given the way the story took flight. How does a man this used to winning, schooled by his father, with all of the money and fame in the world do this?

I'm glad he decided to leave his message last night and let the world know he wasn't going to golf for awhile. After all of this smarmy coverage since Thanksgiving, I'm sure we all feel like we could use a shower. Porn stars, escorts and blondes, oh my.

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3. Pick Your Spots

And lastly, the irony of someone who could be a great and goofy entertainer, but fancies herself a world leader, courting scorn and embarrassment. Why? Pick your spots.


You're doing OK, Sarah. I can't stand you, but as a private citizen, you have the right to peddle your book all over the US of A. And it's going well for you. Stick with that. So, try to insure that you speak only of what you know something about. Trying to talk about stuff you don't know anything about got you in big trouble before (Russia, the powers of the Vice Presidency, what she will do about Wall St.). And if you take on anyone, try to make it someone that is of your stature on a topic you know something about. Here's what I mean:


Don't accuse this guy of stealing ideas from you for a speech on war and foreign policy. You know nothing about war or foreign policy :







"Following an interview with the former vice presidential candidate and fierce Obama critic on Thursday, USA Today reports that Palin "praised" him for his speech in Oslo, and "said the president's defense of war to combat evil could have been taken from the pages of her memoirs."



How could that be? He used words of more than one syllable!!!


AND


Don't start a war of words with this guy over the environment:

After spending the past few days slamming Gore and other proponents of climate change science, Palin back-pedaled when asked if she would debate the former vice president on the issue during a radio interview with conservative pundit Laura Ingraham.

"You know, it depends on what the venue would be, what the forum," Palin told Ingraham. "Because Laura, as you know, if it would be some kind of conventional, traditional debate with his friends setting it up or being the commentators, I'll get clobbered because, you know, they don't want to listen to the facts."


Ah, yes, the facts. The facts from a small town mayor who served for 6 years in a city the size of St. Cloud,Mn. Then as governor of the 49th state, she was determined to quit before her term was over, serving 2.5 years. A woman who has a bachelor's degree in journalism that she cobbled together from 5 different stints at western colleges. A failed Vice Presidential candidate who has co-written her autobiography.

Contrast that to a Harvard graduate, 16 year legislator, who served in the military for two years, went to Vietnam, and who served for 8 years as Vice President, won a Presidential election - but decided not to dispute that fact in our courts, due to the divisiveness it would cause. A man who has devoted the last 9 years to the environment, going back to his passion from the two energy and science committees he chaired in the Congress, winning an Academy award for a documentary he filmed with others and a Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental efforts. A man who is on the visiting faculty at 4 different universities in America.

And he routinely uses words with more than one syllable!!!

One of these two has a pretty good intersection with the facts on Climate Change. And one of them is on a book tour with a bus that has her face on it.

AND

But last night, Sarah Palin took on an opponent that she was a worthy adversary to. And she did a great job of it. It was entertaining. She has found her niche and it is television. Who was her opponent?

"Sarah Palin ruffled William Shatner's feathers a bit last night when she surprised the funnyman by showing up to The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The Star Trek vet has been on the late show multiple times, and usually makes it a point to mock the politician's tweets and speeches, and he took on her new book Going Rogue last night, according to NY Daily News. But, Palin came out on stage and got him back by reading lines of Captain Kirk's original autobiography from 2008. Take that! It was all in good fun though, as the two apparently left the stage holding hands -- after the funny business was over."

C'mon, you know they are equally "mavericky" and funny.

Sarah Palin takes on Captain Kirk. Awesome. Enjoy.