Fascinating piece by Micah L. Sifry in Salon yesterday about the return of an enchanting electoral ghost:

Is Ross Perot plotting a return to the national stage in time for the 2004 elections? Judging from a well-written 95-page book proposal making its way through the New York publishing circuit, a copy of which arrived unbidden in my e-mail, the crazy aunt in the basement wants to sing again.

Nice writing, too. Worth a look just for the last clause of that opening paragraph. It's unclear whether or not he's intending to run, but according to the piece, "His agent is telling publishers that he will do a media blitz in conjunction with his book's publication, and says that Perot envisions a series of nonpartisan town hall forums, an echo of the old "electronic town halls" he used to tout when he was running for president." It's to be ghost-written by James Champy, responsible for the bestseller "Reengineering the Corporation."

I can't see Perot grabbing many votes with a third run, or even him being delusional enough not to realize that, but I do believe the book will rocket up the bestseller charts and create a large stir. And listen to the tenor of the stir he's planning:

Perot and Champy's take on the current scene is quite pungent: "The United States loses 100,000 jobs a month. The recession won't go away. The stock market tanks. Great companies cook their books. Airlines fail. Foreign investors pull out. Healthcare doesn't work. Social Security is a mess. The space program is grounded. Homeland security is a jumble. Congress can't agree on a budget. And just as federal tax revenues plunge, leaving states in the lurch, the United States takes on huge new military costs across the planet, swelling an already soaring federal deficit and creating the biggest national debt in world history."

Exactly the message the Dems have been so inarticulate in expressing. How wonderful would it be for a powerful voice--and I'll give Ross that--enunciating it? Better yet, a voice from the Right, which the Ann Coulters (who let her out of hell?)* won't be able to discredit so easily. They've got other ways to discredit Ross--given his fondness for making an ass of himself from time to time--but a lot of people on the right and the center who don't believe a word printed in the New York Times will listen to him, no matter what how loudly those attack dogs yelp.

I don't expect Ross to turn the election on its ear (though you never know), but if Dean or some other articulate Dem candidate is wrestling Bush onto the skids, Ross might appear at just the right moment with a slippery can of grease. 

* (I stole the "who let her out of hell?" line from someone on a Dean discussion board. Can't hear her name without thinking it anymore, it's been permanently appended.)

I go there whenever I want a smile now. Two favorite posts from last week (actually, the only posts from last week--good thing I can generate my own smiles most of the tium):

Hulk like three things in life.

1) Smashing things
2) Snack cakes
3) Sunshine.

THE LACK OF NUMBER THREE IS MAKING HULK NOT TOO HAPPY.

Hulk have to sit in mansion, listening to stupid Thor talking about stupid Gods stuff. "Thou art most disgusting, Hulk! Thine Twinkie wrappers cover yon floor!" and stupid babble like that. Why stupid God Man talk like that? Makes Hulk want to engage in thing 1.

In the other one, the "click here" isn't so worth the click, but his response is:

CLICK HERE. For some reason, this made Iron Man cry a lot this morning. He cried and cried like Hulk did when Hulk petted deer in the woods and it slept.

Don't tell Reichen, but Colin Farrell is still the hottest thing going. Has been for at least two years now. Love the look, awestruck by the attitude. (Of course I love the bad boys. I must have esteem issues.)

And he's shouldering a heavy workload by Hollywood standards--just opened his fourth film a little over halfway through the year--so why does he so steadfastly refuse to appear in a decent fillum?

And by "decent," I mean something I have any interest whatsoever in seeing. Some of these films might actually be finely crafted, and by all accounts he's a fine young actor, with an electrifying persona I'd love to drink in off the screen. I was salivating over that villain of his from Daredevil just from the previews, but what's the point of puting that in a movie with Matt Damon's boyfriend in a superhero suit. I'm not going to that.

I have never gone to any of his "crap." Crap in quotes because I haven't seen a single film from the stud because it hasn't passed the first test of compelling material. (Although only three of his nine films have fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, which isn't a great sign either.) Or in a few cases reasonable coworkers. I may still rent Minority Report, because I love the premise, but every time I con myself into seeing another Spielberg travesty, I swear I'll never put myself through that again. What's he doing working with shlock merchants like that?

Maybe I should rent Tigerland. It just never overcame that obstacle that I feel I've already exceeded my lifetime quota of holocaust films and Vietnam films.

That one was a near miss; I figured I'd catch him as soon as he did something more compelling. Remember the start of Nic Cage's career, when everything he appeared in was intriguing? Same for Johnny Depp and maybe even Brad Pitt. I don't like Colin's choices. I just don't have enough movie slots available to watch him for two hours in a phone booth, and I'm definitely not going to sit through another aging-cop/young-protege yarn and he'd have to take all his clothes off to get me into a theatre for SWAT.

SWAT made $13.5 million last night, meaning it should take in $38-42 for the weekend, according to BoxOfficeGuru. So he's bankable now, so he should start making something interesting. Life is short buddy. Don't waste it on crap. Look what happened to Nic Cage. (Update: It did $37 million for the weekend.)

Anyone still convinced Chip and Reichen must be shallow be cause they're hot and appearing on reality TV need to watch this short video clip. It's Chip describing how it feels to have just made it to the three-way final of the million-dollar race. Except none of it's about Chip.

I like him. He made me cry.

(Much thanks Michael Bedwell for posting the clip in the comments.)