Honesty is the best policy?

Honesty is rarely the best policy in politics as John McCain's aide found out much to his chagrin and perhaps to the detriment of his future employment opportunities.

In a refreshingly candid interview with Fortune Magazine good old Chuck revealed that while the assassination of Benazir Bhutto was an 'unfortunate event' it helped McCain's primary campaign and musing that another attack on American soil would 'be an advantage' to McCain.

Hmmm....

Things not to say in the national media? Perhaps Chuck missed the memo.

Interestingly it seems he has not been kicked to the curb in record time, apparently casting national disaster as positive political strategy in public is just not cricket, but not as bad as calling HRC a monster or being an outspoken (black?) man of god...


What I love though is this article in the Washington Post, where both Chuck and a campaign spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker repeat exactly the same phrase:

'Charlie deeply regrets his comments. They were inappropriate and he recognizes that the candidate we work for has devoted his entire adult life to putting protecting his country and placing its security before every other consideration," said Campaign Spokeswoman Jill
Hazelbaker. Black told reporters in California exactly the same thing, according to the Associated Press: "I deeply regret the comments. They were inappropriate. I recognize that John McCain has devoted his entire adult life to protecting his country and placing its security before every other consideration."'

I love the smell of sincerity in the morning.

No... really?!

I read in the SMH today that the ANU has completed a study on voting trends over the ten years between 1997 and 2007...

I particularly enjoyed this little gem:

"The coalition would still have lost the election, even if Mr Costello had
replaced John Howard as Liberal leader, the study's co-author Professor
Ian McAllister said."

Ya think?

And...Didn't we all know that last November?

It does seem however that Costello may be able to save the Liberals now... With Tony Abbott
revealing that Dr No Mates is skating on thin ice (surprised? I know I am!) since even two out of three Coalition Voters prefer K-Rudd as PM!

I must say I do find that surprising, who knew that some Coalition voters could be so discriminating?

Apparently now though the super smug wet Lib from Victoria may be able to ride to the rescue... Costello seems to be the preferred choice for libs outstripping even the great white hope Malcolm Turnbull.

Personally I think Bish is tilting for it... not to lead the country but perhaps, just perhaps, she has her eyes on the WA prize and you have to admit, Premier Bishop does have a nice ring to it (and by nice I mean terrifying). On the plus side, she'd be isolated by the entire continent and there's nothing more than a chair-sniffer in her way out there.

A Victory for Decency?

Hah!

The thought police have got their comeuppance as Henson's 'controversial' images are cleared for general release by the classification board. And this despite that great art critic K-Rudd declaring them "absolutely revolting".

Good then... a strike for the good guys.

The problem is now that every man and his dog feels compelled to comment on it... and yes kids I am aware of the irony as I too spill virtual ink over this issue.

Paul Sheehan recently wrote in the SMH what amounted to a somewhat backhanded defense of Henson, given the title, Artists Crying Out for Martyrdom. It was a more condemnation of the police action than support of the artist.

At its heart Sheehan is running the line if you play with fire you expect to get burnt.

Fair enough. Except that in Australia we don't burn people at the stake. Good art should create debate and should make us ask questions... that is part of the function of art and part of our responsibility as audiences.

But we proved yet again are seemingly endless capacity for moral panic and in our timidity tattled and ran to the cops.

Shame!

But in a victory for decency those of us who a re not degenerates and who can distinguish between art and porn will be able to see Henson's pictures on display. All of them.

Finally in Sheehan's article he wrote this:

Why? Because pederasts and child sexploiters have had a dream run in our
society. A subculture of pedophilia among gays, an epidemic of child sexual
abuse in the Aboriginal community, and a multimillion-dollar porn industry
on the internet have all been protected variously by privacy laws, artistic
licence, freedom of expression, and Aboriginal rights. What these rights have
done is mask, exacerbate or even rationalise a significant and growing problem.

For real...

Apparently even when you are defending art you can still get a dig in at gays and blackfellas... and God knows we have to take every opportunity!