All's Fair in Love and Uproar...

Wes Clark must be looking to be nominated...to the group of people who must go away for awhile. You know this group, the Don Imuses, Geraldine Ferraros, Trent Lotts, and Bill Mahers of the world. What do all these people have in common? They said something that, while awkward and politically incorrect, wasn't really thaaaaaaat bad.

There's a definite pattern to how these things work. The pressure begins to build. First, the evil-doer goes on CNN to defend his/her comments. Usually, they are pissed that the comments even drew criticism in the first place. They go on the record saying they absolutely will not take back the comments in question. But then the media picks up on something in their CNN Exclusive, and then the shit storm really starts, "Jimmy Badcomment in more hot water now..." is often how it sounds once it gets to the local news.

At this point, the offender gets backed into a corner. His/her most loyal associates have already condemned their comments, and most likely refuse to be photographed with the accused. Now the only route to go is to finally give in and apologize.

There's a weird double standard that comes into play that keeps me at a loss. Sometimes the little rapscallion will get away with the remarks based on past screwups. For example, Mike Tyson can get away with saying he is going to eat Lennox Lewis' children, but Bill Maher can be booted off of ABC because he questions the president's capability to handle crises. Jesse Jackson can call New York 'hymie-town', but Don Imus gets fired for saying the Rutger's Womens Basketball team was filled with nappy-headed hoes.

As a quick aside, what the hell were those girls thinking when they decided to sue claiming extreme emotional harm? What a bunch of na............yeah right, like I'm gonna ruin my career before it even gets started.

Back to the point, though. I think what happens is that public persons have a certain level of credibility that is given to them by the public. Depending on how shocking of a comment they make, they lose a reciprocal amount of the respect they've garnered. Once that person sinks below the point of treading water, the public essentially gives up on the guy/girl, and they become a sideshow. Think of Dick Cheney talking shit about West Virginia...the guy gets such little respect from the public, it's just a bad joke now.

In the end, I hope Wes Clark sticks by what he said, and doesn't have to pay the piper for his insensitive remarks, as the McCain people are calling them. The fact is, being tortured for 5 years, yet never giving up, is the definition of courage. But, being president isn't just about being tough. No matter how many back-lashings and electrocutions you can withstand, it doesn't directly translate to how effective of a leader you'll be. As unfortunate as it sounds, being president requires important policy decisions, not just the balls of a gorilla.