Mixed Feelings

So, Captain Brylcreem (nod to Mass Marrier) does have a future after all, as a pundit!

Apart from Mitt saying it's so, the best part of the Hilary candidacy is its very early peak. Yes, here's another chink in my liberal credentials. For one thing, Hilary strikes me as clumsy where Bill was slick. Democrats really don't need another presidential candidate with two left feet.

Far more important, to me, is a bit of heritage. When my family came to the US, it was in response to being shafted by the government of a constitutional monarchy. For the past several years, we've been getting an excellent lesson why hereditary (or familial) rule is a bad idea. You may draw three or four kings, or a king and a queen, but sooner or later you're gonna get a joker. I think we've had quite enough of this. Political re-runs are just as bad, and also a failure to think outside the box.

Now, credit where it is due. The British royal family has done a fair job of keeping the jokers out of the deck, or at least out of the top job, since George IV . They've also acquired the habit of putting their blood on the line when someone decides to have a war. That may be why Britons cling to the monarchy long after common sense says it's time to quit. The Royal family can be absurd and very expensive, but when circumstances require it, they can show some stones.

Shrub should take a long look at Prince Harry and consider if maybe that is why boozing one's way through the Texas Air Guard doesn't quite count.