February 13, 2004

For Those Who Keep Saying Bush Had Bad Intelligence... http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&;b=24889 A chronology of how the Bush Administration repeatedly and deliberately refused to listen to intelligence agencies that said its case for war was weak   7:30:27 PM    comment []

Toronto TV Station Apologizes for Conan O'Brien Sketch I said just moments after last night's Late Night with Conan O'Brien: "[The Triumph skit in Quebec] was the first time Late Night really showed how little it knows about Canada and Canadian humour, and the first time the flaunting of Canadian stereotypes crossed over into typically American-style bigotry." I was not alone. CHUM, a Toronto TV station that aired the show, apologized today for the segment. Earlier in the day, several members of Parliament expressed outrage over the segment, and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty distanced his government from the comedy sketch. "I think it was vile and vicious. I think it amounts to hate-mongering," said NDP MP Alexa McDonough. She demanded the federal government get its subsidy back from the U.S. network. Ottawa and the province gave NBC about $1 million to help pay for O'Brien's show to come to Toronto for a week to try to boost tourism after last year's SARS outbreak. "The Conan O'Brien show does not speak for Ontarians," said Premier McGuinty. "Ontarians have a wonderful relationship with the people of Quebec."   6:17:43 PM    comment []

The Real Man, by Paul Krugman To understand why questions about George Bush's time in the National Guard are legitimate, all you have to do is look at the federal budget published last week. No, not the lies, damned lies and statistics — the pictures. By my count, this year's budget contains 27 glossy photos of Mr. Bush. We see the president in front of a giant American flag, in front of the Washington Monument, comforting an elderly woman in a wheelchair, helping a small child with his reading assignment, building a trail through the wilderness and, of course, eating turkey with the troops in Iraq. Somehow the art director neglected to include a photo of the president swimming across the Yangtze River. It was not ever thus. Bill Clinton's budgets were illustrated with tables and charts, not with worshipful photos of the president being presidential. The rest: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/13/opinion/13KRUG.html?th   5:32:01 PM    comment []

Conan O'Brien's Third Night in Toronto It's a real shame that Late Night with Conan O'Brien had to stoop as low as it did in its "Triumph the Insult Comic" skit tonight. Adam Sandler's appearance was fine. The "Canadian Small Talk Moment" was funny again. Other show characters appeared. But the Triumph segment just left me feeling really disappointed. Triumph, the dog puppet modeled after Toronto's own Ed The Sock (though Late Night will never admit it), went to Quebec to film a nasty segment in which he accosted unsuspecting Francophones and ridiculed them for being French. It was the first time Late Night really showed how little it knows about Canada and Canadian humour, and the first time the flaunting of Canadian stereotypes crossed over into typically American-style bigotry. As much as English Canada and French Canada have their differences, relations have generally improved in recent years, and few people in English Canada find the prospect of Quebec separation a funny topic. Further, there is much more respect for French culture in the rest of Canada than there is in the United States. Despite profound cultural differences between French and English Canada, and the occasional outburst of domestic bigotry courtesy of hockey analyst Don Cherry, I don't think most English Canadians would have found the Triumph segment very funny. I'm sure in America playing up hate gets big laughs in many places; it's probably considered "edgy." But the Triumph segment reflected a distinctly American dislike of the French, not a Canadian appreciation for Quebec's distinct culture. I was disappointed by the whole thing, because it seemed to erase the good will of the first three nights of shows, and seemed to suggest that underneath all the talk of "being happy to be in Canada" there was really just the same old American arrogance and bigotry. There's nothing funny about telling Francophones in Quebec to "learn the language" of North America. In case the writers behind the Triumph skit didn't notice, Canada has two official languages. Didn't anyone brief you about the "cultural mosaic" thing in Canada when you crossed the border? No "melting pot" here. We celebrate multiculturalism, bub. After that ugliness was over and Sandler's appearance was finished, Stompin' Tom Connors brought the house down with his classic "The Good Old Hockey Game." Sure it's corny stuff, but it's a hell of a lot more fun than watching a dog puppet use American prejudices for cheap laughs.   1:55:58 AM    comment []

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