Muzman on 6/7/2009 at 17:28

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The passing of a pop legend. I was never a fan of his later work (Ford just stands for Fucking Orful Road Disease, Cuban Missile Crisis was too short, Vietnam was just one of those messy, self indulgent concept albums that only makes sense to the artists and World Bank was not without power but just restrained, aloof and inaccesable). But World War 2 and its gradually released secrets, TV series, movies, docos and general nostalgia is the soundtrack to my life and everyone from my generation and beyond. It's its own greatest hits.
His odd later years, many wives and taking back of Vietnam are always going to be in the shadow of his early stuff. I expect there'll be flowers and public grieving events and a terrible family infighting as they try and divy up his vast ivory dildo collection.
Or am I thinking of someone else?

Anyway, interesting guy.
Anyone who hasn't should (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8653788864462752804) watch this

oudeis on 7/7/2009 at 02:02

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The best part of 'The Fog of War' is where you hear a declassified recording of a conversation between McNamara and LBJ about escalating the war in Viet Nam. McNamara had stayed as Johnson's Secretary of Defense as a bulwark against LBJ's increasingly irrational ideas about the conduct of the war, and because he knew that if he left he'd be replaced with a yes-man and Johnson would act without restraint. He believed deeply in serving his country and in duty to his President, and was an extremely articulate and well-spoken man as well. When you listen to the tape, it's absolutely clear that it was only these qualities and his own self-control that kept him from shouting at LBJ "You stupid bastard, have you completely lost your fucking MIND?!?!?".

Colin Powell made the same choice and tried to fill the same role in Bush's administration but couldn't fend off both W's appalling stupidy and Cheney's megalomaniacal intellect.