Quote of the Day

Frank Rich, Freedom's Just Another Word: 

It’s a mystery why a candidate so attuned to the nation’s pulse, most especially on the matter of war, has grown tone deaf in office. On Tuesday, Obama asked the country to turn the page on Iraq as if that were as easy as, say, voting for him in 2008. His brief rhetorical pivot from the war to the economy only raised the question of why the crisis of joblessness has not merited a prime-time Oval Office speech of its own. 

I couldn't have said it any better. Obama's ineffectiveness on the economy is frustrating, and his position on the war is indistinguishable from his predecessor. I recently read a blog post in which the author accidentally wrote Bush instead of Obama. I couldn't help but laugh. I thought it was quite fitting.

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Netflix has been recommending that I watch The Men Who Stare At Goats for months now, so tonight I decided to give it a shot. It is based on a book by the same name and stars George Clooney (of course) and Ewan McGregor.

The basic premise is that a journalist whose life falls apart decides to go to Iraq in order to win his wife back. He meets a "super soldier jedi warrior" who was trained by the US military to have psychic and other paranormal powers. The point was to create a new military based on spreading 1960's style peace and love called the New Earth Army. As you can tell, the plot line is absolutely bizarre, even for George Clooney.

The movie claims that more of it is true that you would believe, which is incredibly creepy. It really is a very odd movie, mainly based on the commentary style, which I'm guessing is taken directly from the book. Despite its strangeness, the movie is still really funny. It also contains subtle commentary on the privatization of the Iraq war and the Bush administration's misguided Iraq policies. Overall it isn't for everyone, but for those with an open mind, I highly recommend it.