A sleek web-slacker with a chef's background. One finger on the pulse in every pie. I know know that life before this was preposterous. I know that life since is still to be decided...
So, Garry was right. Doonesbury retains its credibility. The United States of America has a new president (or will have in a few months - Obama's President-Elect til then). The world feels a swell of hope.
Hyperbole? Over-egging the presidential pudding? Take a look at Obama's victory speech on BBC News and tell me it isn't an exciting prospect to have a lucid, literate, charismatic leader in the White House. A man for whom 210 years of history has particular resonance as he stands at the podium tracing the immense arch of the USA's democratic history of civil wars, slavery and oppression, all the while able to press his palm against the recurrent keystones of hope, progress and change and feel its strength, feel its bold and noble foundations, and take that palm and press it then to his own chest and speak sincerely and passionately of a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
The hope and the promise will doubtless subside and be subsumed into the reality of politics and compromise, but today, if no other day, just for today - whatever you do - do it better. The world deserves it; you deserve it. Do it better.
Garry Trudeau, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist / author of the Doonesbury strips has submitted his strip for Wednesday 5th November 2008, the contents of which depict a scene in Iraq as soldiers witness and celebrate an Obama victory. Today's strip 4th November 2008 - a prelude - resides below:
This potential hubris in the face of the Fates has some of the strips syndicated newspapers (of which Doonesbury features in hundreds worldwide) understandably jittery. Afterall it could look a tad out of touch come 5th November if John McCain has taken the vote. But Trudeau says that "From a risk-assessment viewpoint, I felt comfortable with the odds."
A McCain camp spokesman has reportedly said that the strip proves to be as 'predictive as it is consistently lame.' Ouch! Scratch your eyes out!
In more measured retorts, McCainers point to an amusing precedent for early editions famously calling victory and falling flat on their faces - siting the Chicago Tribune's ill-fated 1948 headline 'Dewey defeats Truman'. See below a victorious President-elect Truman crowing some over said headline.
Which way is it going to go? I don't know. Is Doonesbury's calling for Obama a jinx or is it Fox News calling for George W Bush; Warner calling for Blu-ray; Oprah calling for the Kindle (another blog to follow on that one)...?
Either way, in about 24 hours or so, we'll know. And those cartoon soldiers sitting round the TV in Iraq shouting "Son of a gun! What a great day! We did it!" will either represent a precient, poignant echo of a worldwide sense of something phenominal occuring, or will just be another bitter little pill amidst a debris of ugly medicine many folks have to take that day.
So, by now, unless you're busy and have a life, you'll have seen or at least heard about the John Cleese Seesmic interview clip in which he trashes Sarah Palin as being a parrot who has been taught to say all the right speeches, but without any comprehension of their actual meaning. He finishes up with a nice nod to Michael Palin (fellow Monty Python alumni) saying "Sorry, Michael, but you're not the funniest Palin any more."
Of course this is burning monitors and mobiles on the Twitter, but ultimately it's much the same as The Guardian running their ill-advised campaign in the last US elections, or even Matt Damon letting the world know he doesn't much rate Palin (Sarah, that is - EVERYBODY rates Michael - he'd make a great vice-President) - it's candy to the converted, nothing but smoke rings from the asses of celebrities to Republican America. Look at some of the tweets: justsayNObama
WTF is all this with John Cleese on Palin? Who made him the oracle of the left? He's just a tired old liberal UK has been comedian.
bbw4palin
@skinner I've never heard of John Cleese until today lol! Sarah Palin is much more real to this American gal!
To be expected. 2.0 changed the web, not politics nor people.
But, then it occurs to me - perhaps this is no mere 'off-hand comment'. Perhaps it's a call to action!
John Cleese clearly refers to Palin (Sarah, not Michael - John, only human afterall, loves Michael as much as the rest of us) as a parrot. Several times: he in fact parrots it: "she's a parrot, she's a parrot, she's a parrot!" AND is it not the villainous Cleese (and Monty Python) who created 'The Dead Parrot Sketch'???
So you see. I need say no more. It's obvious.
What?
It's not, you say... Sigh.
Obviously - it can be interpreted as a call to action by the villainous Cleese to assassinate Sarah Palin. Yes - you heard me. All makes sense now I've explained it, doesn't it? Mmmm.
Comedy genius and political seer, John Cleese, knowing that which shall come to pass, creates a codified Kill Order televised in 1969. Some 39 years later, Cleese issues the sleeper instructions - 'Sarah Palin is a Parrot'. Thereafterwards a generation of alternative comedy-lovers are roused to mania and murder like so many Monty Python Manchurian Candidates and attempt to kill Sarah Palin.
The villainous John Cleese's vision is realised. The villainous John Cleese laughs. The villainous Cleese writes new film. The villainous public think its not as good as Fish Called Wanda and stay away in droves. The villainous John Cleese takes advertising gig. Life goes on. For all but Palin (Sarah, not Michael - Michael lives on and will live on forever as the spirit of laughter and travelogue in all our hearts).
The Parrot Sketch is the villainous John Cleese's 'Helterskelter'! Save yourselves from becoming automated assassination machines - burn all your Monty Python DVDs now! Watch something soothing like Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days and forget your Python-inspired political killings.
Here endeth the truthness, my friends. Do with it what you will.
Article Dan
(Disclaimer: the views expressed here are entirely fictional, nonsense and to be ignored by everyone who reads them; except Michael Palin, who, if he's reading, should get a real boost out of this little rant. Go, Michael, go, Michael!)
US Presidential candidate John McCain has just joined Twitter. http://twitter.com/JohnMcCain Having joined on 19 September 08 he (I say 'he', I mean some advisor or sophmore rebublican runner) has posted a giddying total of five updates.
McCain has (as of 27 Sept 08 11.19 GMT) 1,050 followers and follows 1,031. Among those he follows are Barack NObama (see what he did there?) and Fake Barrack Obama BUT he does not follow his actual competitor's Twitter stream. I mean you wouldn't want to know what your opponent was doing would you?
So - compare this to the competition: Mr Barack Obama. He has 80,000+ followers and follows more than 90,000 people. (Presumably before the 2K cap imposed by Twitter). He (again - 'he' - some clued-up stooge more likely) has posted 206 updates.
McCain has stated that he doesn't even use email so this is all of little surprise really.
But is this genius? McCain is so behind the curve he almosts reverses around the circle entirely and ends up back AHEAD of the curve again! I love it!
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