Something is Happening in the World

...And you don't know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?

In supporting GWB in 2004 and HRC in 2008, Texas and Ohio have shown that they make poor decisions, and both states should be remanded into custody posthaste. (My friend Bayard points out that even if both states are judged to be mentally retarded, they can both still be executed according to Texas law.)

What bugs me most about yesterday's returns is the apparent success of Hilary's 3 a.m. ads, which for my taste too closely resembled W's "wolf in the woods" ads from the 2004 election. This kind of fear-mongering is something I'd expect from Karl Rove or Guiliani or even McCain, but it's most disheartening coming from within our own tent. When congratulating herself and her supporters, Hilary showed her determination to continue this same line of attack: "When that call comes at 3 a.m., " she said, "there's no time for speeches or on-the-job training."

Aside from being lamentable politics of fear, this is also the same sort of campaign that the McCain folks are going to start up later this summer, no matter whether our candidate is Obama or Clinton. And while Hilary can suggest with some authority that she's more adept at handling middle-of-the-night phone calls than Barrack, won't McCain (now with all-new Bush endorsement!) be able to do the same against Hilary?

If we make this election about security and experience again, we lose.

The "something" that's happening in the world -- or so I hope -- is movement toward brother- and sisterhood, towards a more open and honest form of democracy, and towards shedding light on these recent dark ages. I'm a cynical guy, but I'm legitimately jazzed with the prospect of doing 1968 all over again but getting it right this time. (Let the sun shine in.) This is what Obama supporters feel -- the water's fine, by the way -- and why Clinton's current direction (if not her candidacy) could potentially spell disaster.