I didn't watch the State of the Union last night. I haven't watched a Presidential Addresses since 2003. And in the past three years, I have really try to avoid any news that has President Bush, Iraq or Hurricane Katrina. There is nothing positive about any of them and they are all just way too depressing. Does this make me Un-American? Does this mean that I am rooting for the terrorists to win? Does this mean that I should be water boarded at secret prison camp in Western Uzbekistan? I think that the answer to those questions is pretty plainly no.
Instead of watching the State of the Union last night, I watched American Idol and afterward played the original Doom on XBOX 360 and was giddily entertained. Sure, I'm avoiding the cold, hard facts of the real world in favor of pure fantasy, but I did pretend though that Simon Cowell and the monsters in Doom were terrorists, so I guess I can still call myself an America.
Whenever something upsetting happens in the public spotlight, I try to avoid reading or seeing things about it at all costs. When the Giants got spanked by the Ravens in the Superbowl in 2001, I didn't read a newspaper or watch a sports show for weeks. When the Yankees were shocked by the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS, I am surprised that I even left the house. When Bush was re-elected in 2004, I vowed to myself that I would never watch the man speak again during a State of the Union, Presidential Address, press conference or news interview.
I think it was pretty clear in November 2004 that Iraq was headed in the wrong direction and I think it's completely comical that the same people who re-elected Bush in 2004 because they said we needed the "same strong leader" in the War on Terror are the same people who are saying that this country is now headed in the wrong direction. We were headed in the wrong direction 1 1/2 years ago. We were headed in the wrong direction 3 years along. Nothing Bush has done since November 2004 should have changed your mind, so what has changed it now?
What it comes down to is that American embraces something for awhile. Like being united after 9/11. Like donating money to New Orleans recovery after Hurricane Katrina. Like sticking by their cowboy-hat wearing, regular joe president in times of war. Like Reality Shows like Temptation Island or Big Brother or thousands of others mutated from American Idol and Survivor. And when we get tired of these "fads" or causes, we toss it to the curb and forget why we ever liked or supported them. All we know is that we are onto the next big, interesting thing.
Alas, I digress. I simply cannot wait until November 2008 when a new President is elected. I don't care if it's a Democrat. I don't care if it's a Republican. I don't care if it's a monkey dressed in a clown suit riding a unicycle. I just want a leader to believe in again.
Tune in tomorrow for another fantasy-based blog posting on 24 or Prison Break or the latest videogame that I am playing to escape reality. I'm sure you'll appreciate it as much as I do.
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