September 26, 2008

Knives in GunFights

I remember back in college watching Shaquille O'Neal play for LSU during the NCAA tournament. He was an absolute monster - at one point, it seemed as though the entire opposing team was defending Shaq as he stood under the basket, and the other four members of the LSU team all just stood outside of the 3 point line WITH THE BALL, completely dumbfounded as to what they should do next.

They passed the ball to Shaq through quadruple coverage, and he still dunked it for the score.

He was a freight train. And if it wasn't for the other scrubs on that team, he would have been completely unstoppable.

In 1995, Shaq lead the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in only his 3rd season in the league.

And this unstoppable superman and his team got swept by the Houston Rockets and one of Shaq's idols, Hakeem Olajuwon. Swept and embarassed.

Shaq admits that this was only the second time in his life that he cried openly. And he said he father told him "I think you paid Mr. Olajuwon a little too much respect."

I watched tonight's debate literally screaming at the TV.

McCain left himself open to at least a half-dozen areas of attack tonight, and Obama didn't take a single one. Not one. Meanwhile, McCain built an argument across the entire debate, like a prosecutor making a case - "Senator Obama just doesn't understand A, B, and C", and concluded that Barack doesn't possess the wisdom or judgement to be president.

And all the while, Obama opened damn near every statement with "John is right about this".

Like Al Gore said, you've got to be ready to rip your opponent's lungs out in a debate.

Obama is brilliant, and charismatic, and has the collective hopes and dreams and positive wishes of an entire generation behind him.

But, as my roommate pointed out, "they still crucified Jesus."

That debate performance may have just cost us the election.

God help us.

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