Friday August 06, 2004 at  5:32 PM

See Also, v2

Appearing in  Seen Elsewhere

With the week now basically a matter of historical record, I find myself with neither the time nor the energy to offer up my desired 800 words of original thought. Not wanting to stay silent for the week however, I take refuge in the blogger’s substitute: links, quotes, and comments.

Although the memory of the Democratic National Convention was unfortunately if not intentionally eclipsed by a rather specific, glaring, and suspicious terrorist threat warning, the Bash In Boston featured a number of moments worth remembering. In case you forgot to set your TiVO, here are a few places where you can still read, hear, and watch the more inspiring speeches:

• Bill Clinton :: text
• Barack Obama :: video :: text
• Al Sharpton :: video :: text
• John Edward’s Acceptance :: text
• John Kerry’s Acceptance :: text

And while we’re on the subject of speeches, check out the huge archive at American Rhetoric. Or if you’re pressed for time, just check out these:

• President John F. Kennedy :: 1960 Inaugural Address
• Mario Cuomo :: 1984 address to the DNC
• Malcom X :: The Ballot or the Bullet

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From links to quotes… While the early part of the week saw Tom Ridge trying to explain both the timing and nature of Monday’s terror alert, many of us couldn’t help but wonder whether this Administration still had any hope at all of doing their job with a credibility rating crashing faster than the NASDAQ in 2000. This excerpt from Scott Rosenberg’s blog over at Salon sums up the sentiment:

“At a time when more than anything else we need to be able to trust our government, our government has tossed that trust away for a mess of political pottage. Beyond his economy-choking, job-limiting economic policies and his deceptively justified, incompetently executed ‘war of choice’ in Iraq, President Bush has lost credibility in the most basic realm of defense against another 9/11. Which is why throwing this administration out on its ears is a necessary prerequisite to restoring Americans’ safety. A government whose word we doubt is a government that can’t protect us.”

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And lest you think I really have lost my sense of humor, here are three of the Web finest comedic moments. ** A word of caution to those of you at work, you might want to put on some headphones first.

• Eric Idle presents :: The FCC Song
• JibJab’s amazingly famous parody :: “This Land”
• Odd Todd’s classic tale :: “Laid Off: Help Wanted”

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Finally, I’ll end with this quote from Bob Herbert writing in today’s New York Times. It pretty much speaks for itself.

The pressure may be getting to Mr. Bush. He came up with a gem of a Freudian slip yesterday. At a signing ceremony for a $417 billion military spending bill, the president said: “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.

Bob Herbert
Failure of Leadership
NYTimes, August 6, 2004

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