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The Silly Season Comes Early
Those of us who have lived in Washington for many years generally consider that August
will be the annual silly season. This year it came early. The silly season is partly caused by the weather -hot
and humid. It is partly caused by vacations. Folks just aren't around. But mostly it is caused by idle and bored
reporters who sit around and invent things to fill up their time and eat up space. Add to that those reporters
with an agenda, a flock of lack- luster presidential candidates (Dr. Mean and the eight enigmas) a new poll showing
that the Republicans are supported by 42 percent of the electorate and so are the Democrats, leaving the 16 percent
independents to determine the next election and it is no wonder that silliness, desperation and blunders have started
early this year.
Leaving any serious discussion of the visit and Congressional address by Tony Blair until next week, here is a
collection of Washington and the media at their summer best.
Hunting for Bambi. Las Vegas promoter Mike Burdick has developed a new sport. Men who pay fees of $5,000-10,000
may travel to his preserve and, using paint ball guns, hunt women clad only in sneakers. (Details at www.huntingforbambi.com.)
All three cable networks featured video from his safari and actual feminist groups came on the air to debate whether
or not Burdick should be allowed to continue and what the hunters did with the prey after the shoot. The National
Organization for Women has spoken out against the practice as anti-feminist but Burdick has countered that he doesn't
care whether or not the prey and hunters are men or women in whatever combination suits them.
Princess Di as Wonder Woman. Recently caste as a comic book super heroine, the late Princess Diana's memory
now has to endure a British television documentary called "Confessions of a Cad," by her former lover,
James Hewitt. He purports to regain his British reputation as a "love rat, cad and bounder" by proving
that the princess was, contrary to some opinion, a good lover and that he was not the sire of Prince Harry. (Since
he didn't meet Diana until after Harry was born.) In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, ex-cavalry officer Hewitt
said that he no longer received hate mail and threats and that he'd rather people didn't think of him as an unsavory
character. The documentary traces Hewitt's efforts to sell Diana's love letters.
Mr. Justice Mfume. Until quite recently, the idea of a Democrat missing the NAACP convention would not be
thought possible. The rise of the Hispanic population changes that. Kweisi Mfume had to arm-twist two reluctant
participants and three others didn't bother to show. Mfume put empty chairs on the stage last Sunday. Labeled President
Bush, Sen. Lieberman, Rep. Gephardt and Rep. Kucinich, the chairs were spoken to harshly. "You have now become
persona non grata," Mfume scolded the chairs, "Your political capital is the equivalent of Confederate
dollars." All three Democratic candidates did make it to apologize in person before the convention closed.
Lieberman, who had skipped Sunday to tape an interview with Fox Network's Bill O'Reilly, apologized by suggesting
that Mfume, who has not been to law school, would make a good Supreme Court justice. Candidate Al Sharpton pointed
out to the crowd that he was the only candidate that had spent time in jail. John Kerry countered that he had been
in jail overnight once as a Vietnam protestor and that he had a black friend when he was in the service. Sen. Bob
Graham offered this criticism about Bush's State of the Union address: "I would not use the three-letter word.
I would use the five-letter word: deceit."
Springer Files for Senate. Liberal Democrat and talk show host Jerry Springer officially filed papers to
run for the U.S. Senate from Ohio. His primary opponent will be State Sen. Eric Fingerhut. The seat is currently
held by former-Governor George Voinovich who won in 1998 with 57 percent of the vote and who already has a $3.4
million war chest. A fund-raising infomercial for Springer's campaign will run in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis,
New Orleans, San Antonio and New York but not in Ohio.
Soft Money and Hard Times. The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act court challenges will be heard by the
Supreme Court on September 8th. Democrats generally supported the ban on soft money in McCain-Feingold and Republicans
did not. The latest figures from the Federal Election Commission show that the now banned soft money was the only
thing keeping the Democrats competitive. The Bush campaign, having raised $34 million in hard money donations,
has more resources that all nine democratic contenders combined. The lack of funds shows up in the poll numbers.
This week's polling indicates that 73 percent of Americans cannot name a Democratic candidate that they agree with.
Asked if they could name a candidate that would do a better job, respondents favored Bush 58-22. On the downtrodden
economy, eight percent of the public said Howard Dean might do better. He was followed by Hillary Clinton and Al
Gore at seven percent each. PS. Freedom Socialist Party candidate for the Seattle City Council, Linda Averill,
is seeking an exemption from FEC donor disclosure rules on the grounds that her ideas are so unpopular that she
doesn't want anyone to know who her supporters are.
One Serious Moment. It would not be right to let this week go by without sharing one excerpt from Tony Blair's
speech. . Standing in the well of the House of Representatives, he said.
- We are fighting for the inalienable right of humankind - black or white; Christian or not; left, right or merely
indifferent - to be free- free to raise a family in love and hope; free to earn a living and be rewarded for your
own efforts; free not to bend your knee to any man in fear; free to be you, so long as being you does not impair
the freedom of others. … The spread of freedom is the best security for the free. It is our last line of defense
and our first line of attack. And just as the terrorist seeks to divide humanity in hate, so we have to unify around
an idea. And that idea is liberty. …
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