As I watch the aftermath of the CT Senate primary and the latest terror alert/scare, I find myself thinking about the political (and symbolic) role and significance of Wes Clark, who recently had an op-ed piece published in the Wall Street Journal.  The key words that come to mind are STRONG (as in "four star general that led a war, shown impressive physical courage, and regularly debates the forces of darkness in the media Fox holes") CLEAR (as in "clear vision" and "clear, direct and honest communication") and "smart" (as in top of his class at West Point).  These words connect to a few other key words: "safety and security."

Several things seem most salient to me in terms of how most Americans view the current political reality and, to a large extent, their more personal spheres of life.  One is the pretty overwhelming evidence that the Bush Administration has been a dismal failure on many fronts, probably most vividly and significantly with regard to Iraq and Katrina.  Another is the sense that many Americans seem to have that things are fundamentally going in the wrong direction with regard to the economy, healthcare, education, infrastructure (including the Internet), the budget deficit, and other important domestic issues related to money and priorities.  These are all tied together by a number of threads, including the financial strain the Iraq war is placing on every level of government, our economy, our actual homeland security, and far too many American families and businesses.

Related to both of these and, of course, to "terrorism," is the "fear factor" that has been so massively manipulated by the Bush Administration (and which will probably be influenced in ways unknown to me by the new Oliver Stone movie, which I haven't seen yet).

Related in some ways to all this is Sterling Newberry's great piece published recently at Truthout, which I highly recommend.

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