CSotD: Sunday Short Takes
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Start off with Matt, less to salute the prospect of another woman in charge than because it reminds me of a quote I had over my desk in the newsroom.
I was hardly a fan of Margaret Thatcher, but Denis was, as Matt Pritchett suggests, a very entertaining First Spouse, which ought to count for something.
In fact, having him and Prince Philip next to Britain's top women at the same time must have kept the press busy enough simply transcribing their verbal miscues.
However, he did have a theory on dealing with reporters that is worth passing along:
''Avoid telling them to sod off. It makes them cross.''
(The best advice is seldom taken.)
It's not so funny when the clueless guy is in power …
Matt Wuerker nails Roger Ailes, and the more you learn, the more fitting the comparison becomes.
For those who missed it, former Fox News pundit Gretchen Carlson has filed suit against Ailes, and, if you don't want to wade through all the gory details there, here's the part you need:
I'm sure you'll get plenty of details elsewhere anyway. Fox has circled the wagons and brought in all the Good Little Girls — Maria, Greta, Jeanine — to assure the world that Roger is the greatest boss ever and a consummate gentleman and, no, not that kind of "consummate."
And some other women have emerged to tell different-but-the-same stories, while, of course, the legal team is blaming poor ratings (TV ratings, not bathroom wall ratings) for Carlson's dismissal, and releasing correspondence that proves she didn't stand on his desk and try to beat him with a baseball bat prior to filing her lawsuit and therefore wasn't angry with him.
I don't think Ailes will prevail in this, but Wuerker better hope Jabba doesn't file for defamation.
In case you forgot
We seem to have been distracted by other disasters from Britain's Chilcot report, but Kal Kallaugher has not …
… and his commentary now reminds me of what Herb (Herbjørn Skogstad) said about this partnership back in 2003 …
… while Jeff Danziger's mention of "Uncle Dick" …
… put me in mind of Adam Felber's piece from back then.
And the whole thing flashes me back to this 2003 cartoon by Chinese cartoonist LuoJie …
… and this Madam and Eve …
… and of course, Rumsfeld's cavalier treatment of men sent out to war with insufficient armor or other support, as Tom Toles memorably noted …
… and Danziger's response when Rumsfeld rounded up the Joint Chiefs to help him mewl and whine about what a big meanie Toles was …
… and Clay Bennett's downbeat assessment of policy …
… and Ann Telnaes' cheerful depiction of how that policy was presented.
In his weekend cartoon, Kal offers a bit of reassurance and I'd like to believe him, but, if nothing else, we've changed since 2003 in that people are willing to say things aloud that they once would have been ashamed to say in front of anyone.
It's getting harder to dismiss the blatant, unrepentant hate speech and deliberate "misunderstanding" that flows through social media as the ravings of a handful of delusional idiots.
Which suggests that what Kirk Anderson suggested as comic satire in 2003 has, sadly, become realism.
Juxtaposition of the Day
(Zits)
This, of course, is silly: they're none of them old enough to remember what a real Joust looks like.
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