Effluvia

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Siobhanorama!

Hippie ice cream. Funny.

Hey, Dubya! You kiss your mother with that mouth?

Cussing is problematic for presidential candidates, isn't it? Perot went on the record saying "bullshit," and look what happened to him. In office, though, Eisenhower, Nixon and Clinton have all been known to use strong language - with very little comment.

I suppose candidates are supposed to be on their best behavior, though, and can't really get awaywith things like that. Add in the fact that Bush called a member of the media an asshole - on the mic, on the record and on camera - and you know there's no way his campaign can spin it. I don't believe in a liberal media conspiracy, but regardless of whether the media is liberal or not you can't call them assholes. They'll bite you on the ass.

And Bush has refused to apologize, saying only that he's sorry that his mic was on and a private comment was heard by the public. Also, the reporter in question has written articles "unfair" to Bush, the candidate claims.

I don't know how this looks to the average American, but it comes across to me as petulance and whining. George, you did something wrong; you should apologize. It's just a little wrong, so a little apology will do. See how that's gone for the guy in office now? And as for a reporter being unfair, well, if you get elected reporters will be unfair every day for the next four years. A thick skin is imperative - both for a candidate and for the man who eventually gets elected.

Sunday was quiet, except for the football game, which was very loud.

My recap of the game, from an e-mail I sent to James:

It was, to put it mildly, a stinker.

Sammy Knight (strong safety) had a nice interception that he returned for a touchdown early in the first half, and it was probably the Saints best looking play of the game.

Detroit didn't look good, either. Stoney Case, their starting quarterback today due to Charlie Batch's still-injured leg, was flinging balls hither and yon. Their points came off two field goals, a kick-off return, and a two-point conversion after the return.

Ricky Williams had over eighty yards on twenty touches or so, but he fumbled away the ball twice for two of the Saints three turnovers.

The defense, however, looked excellent. They consistently took away all the Lions' options. Special teams looked good; Doug Brien made one field goal and had another blocked. Chad Morton did fairly well as the lead kick returner, but I'm afraid he might be too small for the position.

Jeff Blake did keep Detroit honest; with his potential for long throws they couldn't crowd the line and stuff Ricky Williams. In the last couple of offensive series Blake really seemed to get his shit together, hooking up with Jake Reed for several beautiful passes. They were driving on the last play and went for it on fourth down; Blake tried to run it but couldn't get the first down and Detroit ran out the clock.

Was it fun? You bet - I considered taking the cell phone and calling you. But the offense has got to get their shit together - hell, they've got to score. We have to remember, though, that most of the skill players on offense weren't on the same team last year; it's going to take time for them to get it together, I fear. Sonya predicts an 8-8 season. With the NFC in its current state that might be good enough for the playoffs. I think the Saints could be like the Panthers or Ravens last year - once they figure out how to play together they could have a nice run and surprise a lot of opponents. The question is: when will that run start?

After the game and all Sunday evening my hands ached and my throat was raw from yelling. We had to yell, though, as the Saints defense was always on the field.