And while we may laugh at it, in fact that's exactly the kind of political usage the Roman Empire made of their coinage, in an era when that was about the only form of mass media available to cover everyplace from the border of Scotland to Iraq.

As the empire declined, a particularly popular motto on the "tails" side of each new emperor's coins was Felix Tempus Reparatio, which translates as "Lucky times are restored," or, as we Democrats prefer, "Happy Days Are Here Again!"  It's abbreviated on the back of this coin currently on eBay (no, I have no connection to the seller).  The abbreviated legend on the "heads" side is "Our Noble Caesar Flavius Constantius" (One of Constantine's kin).  Sounds like something from the USSR, LOL.

There are several more illustrated here, featuring brave Roman emperors spearing captives from horseback and on foot.  There's even a precursor of "the flight deck moment" in a commemoration that shows the emperor Constantinus II (another of Constantine's kin) standing in a Roman galley piloted by the goddess Victory.

The plot never changes, just the stage sets and the special effects...

Ecological collapse is already happening. Your resentment of the word doesn't change the fact that it is occurring.

But this takes the cake, from May 2003.

MATTHEWS: We have a visual while we're looking here. In Hollywood, they say how did you get the part. I fit the costume. You know, it's an old joke in Hollywood. I fit the costume...

(LAUGHTER)

NOONAN: Right

.

MATTHEWS: ... because they have the -- this guy fits the costume, doesn't he?

NOONAN: Yes.

MATTHEWS: I mean Bill Clinton -- do you think they had jump-suits in Bill Clinton's size?

NOONAN: Oh...

MATTHEWS: Just asking.

NOONAN: Oh, well, Bill Clinton used -- you remember Bill Clinton landed on the Theodore Roosevelt back about 1993 or '94 and he was in his bomber jacket. Do you know what I mean? It was lots of show business then.

The key with Bush, however, is that, you know, he seems like one of these guys and one of these gals because he's just like them. He's a regular American male. He also...

I've got to tell you what I think -- can I tell what you I think the key to the great landing on the aircraft carrier was?

MATTHEWS: That's why you're here, Peggy.

NOONAN: All right. This is what I think it was. It wasn't just it was showy, it was showbiz, it was "Top Gun," it was Tom Cruise's suit, it was all that wonderful stuff. It's that the American president not only put himself in harm's way going to see American troopers, but he showed them by coming in on that ship I trust you.

MATTHEWS: A little risk. Just a little bit of risk.

NOONAN: It wasn't just risk. It was trust. It was faith. You're going to take care of me. You're going to hit that second trap, the third trap, or the fourth. I'm safe in your hands. It was a compliment, you know.

MATTHEWS: Even a daytime carrier landing is tricky.

NOONAN: Oh, absolutely. I mean it's taking a chance. I'll tell you one of the ways you know you've gotten a little old? If I'd been in the White House now I would have told them don't do that, that's a bridge too far, you've got to be crazy, and, instead, it turned out to be, I think, one of the brilliant moments...

MATTHEWS: It's like knowing to bring...

NOONAN: ... indelible political moments.

MATTHEWS: ... a meg -- to bring a bullhorn to ground zero on September 14, not to bring a mic. It's that little difference. If he'd had a mic there, if he was like Wayne Newton with a mic or some show-business guy, he would have looked like a lounge act.

NOONAN: Barney Rubble.

MATTHEWS: Because he had that bullhorn, he was a guy like them. We'll be talking more...

NOONAN: He was a guy with his arm around the...

MATTHEWS: ... about this accoutrements of...

NOONAN: ... other firemen.

MATTHEWS: ... greatness with Peggy Noonan, an expert at the verbal discussing the pictorial.

I know it's unhealthy to watch the damn show, but I can't help myself. What to do?

(That video was hilarious)

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt

This election will be positioned as "It's the economy" stupid redux 2 and not Iraq war as stagflation rears its ugly head. McCain will be perceived weak candidate on the economic policy.

The choice;  back to the Clintons who will be perceived as having worked economic magic in the 90s, or as Gary Hart writes

"Only a new generation of leaders can solve these new challenges, because only a new generation of leaders is unbound by old policies, old commitments and arrangements, old deals and old friendships. This is a time when America must leave old politics behind."

Michael Bloomberg must be thinking the same as Hart. Ignore his denials. He has prepped on foreign policy, now this:

AP NY Mayor Bloomberg weighs 2008 run

NEW YORK - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has quietly been polling and conducting a highly sophisticated voter analysis in all 50 states as he decides whether to launch an independent presidential bid, associates said Wednesday.
The exhaustive data collection started months ago, and when the review begins shortly, it will provide the data-obsessed billionaire businessman with the information he will use to decide whether to make a third-party run for the White House.

The scope of the research, details of which were revealed to The Associated Press, demonstrates how seriously Bloomberg is considering running for president despite his almost-daily denials that he isn't entering the race. The extensive coast-to-coast research effort shows that Bloomberg is willing to dig deep into his wallet simply to gauge his chances of winning and lining up the proper support network.[.]

Bloomberg's public denials of any interest in running are getting weaker; he typically says only that he is "not a candidate."

With both Dems and GOP divided, and, given the mood of the electorate,  a Bloomberg-Hagel Unity'08 ticket may just take the White House.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

MERRIMACK, N.H. - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power. - linkage

i downloaded it, converted it, and am sending it around to a number of friends. i'm tempted to post it at youtube.
thanks BooMan!

Bush needs to have his mug put on paper money.  I suggest that rather than replacing one of the existing notes, a some new denominations are needed:

The $1Trillion "Rumsfeld" bill, used to fund wars of choice with fraudulent justification. Limited edition! (I hope)

The $0 "Dubya" bill, used to fund social programs under GOP administrations. With George Dubya's gaping mug on the  front, and a Katrina landscape on the back, every Dubya has the same serial number: "IQ 00000000", because who the hell would try and counterfeit them anyway?

Then there's also the $3 "Larry Craig", and the special "Vitter" bill, that doesn't have a fixed denomination but can always be redeemed for a mega-pack of Pampers.