The Nino File » politics

A Buckley For Obama? [Books]

ninophile — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:48:54 +0000

When I mentioned last week that I had recently read Christopher Buckley’s latest novel Supreme Courtship, Trench noted that C-SPAN had interviewed Buckley on its After Words program. That video is available online.

Of even more interest to me is the 5-part interview with Buckley on Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, which discusses the book, the rhetoric in the current presidential campaigns, the late WFB Jr., and Buckley’s support for Obama. That last bit hurts some, but I can see where he’s coming from.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

And don’t forget Tom Wolfe’s appearance on Uncommon Knowledge.

Et Tu, Dragon?: Political Endorsements [Me]

ninophile — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:18:25 +0000

I don’t write about politics often around here (this is the first post with a politics tag, in fact), because, well, it’s too much work to be funny. And I bring the funny without all the work. But this definitely caught my eye and made me a little sad:

(Copyright Erik Larsen)

Savage Dragon, a superhero and police officer whose adventures are published by Image Comics, is throwing his hat in the ring for Barack Obama. The news is blared across the cover of issue No. 137, with the green-skinned hero dressed up for the occasion in a black jacket, crisp white shirt and striped red tie.

You see some fifteen plus years ago (I can feel you doing the math; no, I wasn’t ten years old), Savage Dragon was one of the few comic books that I followed. I think I still have the first forty plus issues. And I might even have an action figure or two and maybe even a sculpture–you know, for the boy.

But I’m no Obama fan, so I’m inclined to break it off with the Dragon. Of course, my interest is piqued to hear the Dragon’s rationale (they are both Chicagoans (of a sort)); maybe I’ll pick up a copy before severing all ties (though I doubt I’ll give up the sculpture).

Super Endorsement | Savage Dragon Backs Obama – The Moment Blog – NYTimes.com

(H/T: The Weekly Standard)

D.C. Is Great, But I’m Not Having A Great Morning [Travel]

ninophile — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:10:24 +0000

So I flew into D.C. late last night to participate in a technology test for use when we go to trials. I’m staying at the Hyatt just a block from the Capitol Building, so I got up early this morning and walked over the western steps of the Capitol.
It’s a beautiful morning, so I had a wonderful view looking down the Mall to the Washington Monument and behind it the Lincoln Memorial. I did a little light reading and wrote a few notes in my Moleskine.

Pretty good morning, eh? Well, as I started to head back to the hotel, a U.S. Capitol policeman stopped me asking why I was taking notes so close to the Capitol. I let him read what I had written and explained what I was doing, and we explained pleasantries before I continued on my way. Now, I don’t claim to have had my civil liberties invaded in this situation. I’m glad that they are on the lookout for activities that might be viewed as suspicious (though aren’t you going to get a lot of milling about by tourists in D.C.?). But I kind of chuckled at the fact that at the exact moment the policeman was concerned about my activities, I was writing that the strip of land stretching from the Supreme Court and Library of Congress to the east of the Capitol that stretches west to the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite place of earth. Anyway, here’s hoping they keep it safe.

That encounter did nothing to prepare me for the next fifteen minutes. I walked back to my hotel, and as I entered the front door out came Dennis Kucinich. I almost said hello but didn’t as I feared I would refer to him a nutty, crazy, or something similar. As I proceeded into the lobby, I was suddenly surrounded by people with “Hillary for President” buttons only to learn that Hillary was (or would be) in the building for a “Hillary for President” fundraiser. I guess this stuff is commonplace in D.C., but they should really tell a guy stuff like this when he makes a reservation or, at a minimum, when he checks in. Someone’s going to get hurt.

To top it all off, I paid $10 for 4 AA batteries in the hotel gift shop. Hopefully, the day will make a turn for the better. Unless I get stuck in a conversation with Joe Biden, it’s got to go better, right?