This and That

Did you know that after Dick Cheney (!) the current Presidential succession consists of, in order, a sixtyish white woman, an aged Senator and an African-American with a strange first name? No, not Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama. How about (really) Nancy Pelosi, Robert Byrd (very aged) and Condoleezza Rice. If the latter three were the candidates, could it get any more depressing? The latest Democratic debate certainly was incisive and enlightening, wasn't it? Instead of the surrogates (Geraldine Ferraro, etc.) making the gaffes it's the contenders themselves. But do these offhand remarks really provide any evidence on fitness to lead the nation, which is rapidly becoming obsessed with sound bites instead of substance.

Just when the primary season might actually be winding down, last Fall's TV writers strike has inadvertently come to the rescue. Most of the scripted shows (Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, etc.) have been on hiatus, meaning reruns, but thankfully they're all returning. Their outrageous plots are certainly no more bizarre than today's headlines (e.g., pregnant man). And how about the polygamy sect in Texas? There was an HBO series last year called Big Love that might have been based on this real life drama. One of the wives, played by Chloe Sevigny, had a hairdo identical to the women in this sect. The next fashion craze?

Diehard baseball fans are breathlessly awaiting the return this season of three involuntarily retired superstars with lots of baggage--Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa. If none of them gets a contract offer, they'll all be first timers on the 2013 Hall of Fame ballot. Could be interesting.