Breakdowns and a Potentially Meaningless Race

Eight Bells Silenced

The 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, America’s longest continuous-running competition, turned out to be a major bummer. The 5-2 favorite Big Brown won with ease and looks to be a serious threat to win the Triple Crown for the first time in decades. The only filly in the race Eight Bells ran her heart out to finish second. Unfortunately she also ran her legs out, breaking both of her front ankles as she galloped a quarter mile past the finish; she was euthanized on the track. I suppose that’s part of the allure of horse racing – triumph and tragedy all rolled up into one big ball of mint julep and horse-shit; the salt of the earth mingling for one day with the old-money elite and the new-money celebrity. The Kentucky Derby is an incredible spectacle but I don’t know if I can stomach horse-racing any more.

It was Barbaro’s breakdown in the Preakness two years ago that put me off eating meat and now this. To me there is nothing better than a good race but from now on I think I’ll just follow races between humans. At least in auto-racing only the hillbilly drivers get killed. My wife points out also that it is the choice of the human drivers to risk their lives but I think fate or destiny could be sited as well. Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. ever really have a choice whether or not to get behind the wheel? What would he be doing instead - Plumbing? No, in my mind those madmen behind the wheels of those over-powered vehicles have as much choice as I do when I get up at 6:30 on a Monday morning to go punch a clock in a warehouse big enough to fit all of Jay Leno’s cars along with Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection. Sure, I could do something else – but the consequences would be staggering.

A Horse Race of a Whole Different Color

I tuned into the Kentucky Derby thinking it would be a nice distraction from politics and the wars we’re involved in. Hillary Clinton’s recent remarks on “obliterating Iran” are getting some attention in the media. Those with a semblance of foresight are pointing out that these kinds of comments end up galvanizing the Iranian public behind the regime that is in power. (See 2004 U.S. election for an example of perceived threats unifying a population behind a failed leader).

It’s interesting this notion that Iran is threatening our troops. If one takes the time to look at a map of the Middle East it becomes clear that we are the ones doing the threatening. Iran is a large country with a number of countries sharing borders including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Iran is literally surrounded by foreign troops and sympathizers. Imagine if we had been declared a member of an “axis of evil” and then found foreign troops amassed on the borders in Mexico, Canada, and Cuba. It is impossible for us here to really understand this kind of justified paranoia. A sneak attack by a handful of nut-jobs is one thing; but the world’s most powerful and technologically savvy army, that has already completely ruined a thriving metropolis and sent two and arguably three countries spiraling into chaos and violence, is sitting on your borders and even their potential future leaders are threatening nuclear obliteration – well that’s a whole another story.

Enter the Fear

This is one of the single scariest moments in our brief history that I have witnessed. We have a lame duck President in office who has staked his legacy on transformation through military means of the Middle East. He and his advisors believe with a faith most of us don’t understand (or share) that what they are doing is true and right and for the greater good of America and the world. The most likely successors to the Presidency are talking about dismantling these manipulations in the Middle East before they even have a chance to take hold. All that Bush Incorporated has worked for going back to the Nixon administration could be for naught.

But there is one last Hail Mary that the President could toss to keep the plans and dreams of the neo-conservative movement alive and that is an invasion of Iran. Assuming the next President is a democrat it would tie them up in an economic and military mess for their entire first term and likely they won’t get a second. If McCain gets the nod it just gives him a nice running start on what he’s already agreed are sound policies.

These final eight months of Bush’s eight years are treacherous. If it goes a certain way it could make this whole zany roller coaster of a Presidential race we’ve been watching essentially meaningless.

Let’s hope that’s not the case.

As always e-mail me your thoughts and notions. Madbob@madbob.com.