Jet Crash

A few thoughts about the Jets in the post-Mangini era.

• The normally sensible Gary Myers of the New York Daily News suggested that Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, should offer Bill Cowher (formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers) "five years, $50 million" to be the team's new coach. Gary Myers can say this -- he goes to the games for free.
• Mike Tannenbaum, the GM, sounded clueless when queried by Mike Francesa of WFAN. Never trust a guy who makes a decision because he "felt" it was time to make a change. Six weeks ago they were talking about an extension. What gives? Any self-respecting coach that comes on board will limit his involvement to ensuring that the checks are mailed on time.
• Farve is shot. He may hang on for another year. Then he will be gone. Why come on board and develop a team and strategy around one type of quarterback only to rework both with another quarterback a year later?
• Also, the assistant coaches are still around? Would a new coach want to have these as opposed to his own guys on board?

Look for the Jets to get a second tier coach (a coordinator or a guy who has coached without distinction before) despite their efforts to get a "name" guy like Cowher.

The Jets need to transform. Getting rid of the coach should only be the first step -- not the end all, be all.

Going Down or Getting Low in History.

Years ago I participated in an oral history interview based on my experiences -- limited as they were -- about my time in Afghanistan.

The interviewer, a Ph.D., asked a host of open ended questions and I answered them as best as I could. This was a few years after my time downrange. My responses are filed and perhaps a future historian will give them a cursory glance. Who knows what will become of them. Perhaps they can be found here.

At the end of the interview, when the tape recorder was turned off, I told the interviewer that I purposefully did not talk about my commanding officer. I noted that he was, well, a jerk. Moreover, I didn't want posterity -- if I had anything to do about it -- not know that he existed. He's still in the service and should he continue to get promoted, my worries for the fate of the Republic will increase proportionally.

The point is that I talked about what my team did in Afghanistan. I kept it straight and to the point and kept any editorializing to a minimum. Let the historians of the future develop the nuance and determine what we did was right or wrong or stupid or brilliant.

That was obviously not the case with Lawrence Wilkerson. Here's a gent who will go down in history as Colin Powell's attack dog. A former Army colonel, he served as then-Secretary Powell's chief of staff at the State Department. Obviously he maintains a great affinity for his former boss and has decided to say the awful things about President Bush that Colin Powell cannot say. Even at this stage of Bush's presidency, it will still garner one a fair amount of publicity.

Most recently for an "oral history" project regarding the Bush Presidency, for Vanity Fair magazine, he said of the President:

"It allowed everybody to believe that this Sarah Palin-like president - because, let's face it, that's what he was - was going to be protected by this national-security elite, tested in the cauldrons of fire..."

Mr. Wilkerson does himself, Secretary Powell, and history a disservice. He was a cog in the machine and should have limited his testimony to the facts and his experiences. There are other forums for maintaining the sainted legacy of Mr. Powell. (Although you do have to admire Mr. Wilkerson's slash and burn approach to the GOP and to zing Ms. Palin in the process.)

Perhaps this is all driven by guilt -- by letting the big guy down in the clutch. The folks over at Wikipdedia noted:

Wilkerson was responsible for a review of information from the Central Intelligence Agency that was used to prepare Powell for his February 2003 presentation to the United Nations Security Council. His failure to realize that the evidence was faulty has been attributed on the limited time (only one week) that he had to review the data.

Mr. Wilkerson seemingly forgot the first lesson every officer learns -- take one for the team. To blame a lack of time shows that Mr. Wilkerson wasn't much of a time manager -- or a chief of staff.

For this transgression, he walks the earth, belittling the current President and himself.

UPDATE: The whole VF endeavor seems to be a hit piece.

Eggnog Thoughts

Thoughts while sipping on some eggnog.

...The Yanks scored a coup in signing Mark Teixeira for $180 million. He'd better get that money up front. Casual fans won't be able to afford going to the game in the new stadium and given Wall Street's dire situation, the corporate fat cat is now an endangered species.

...So Tina Fey is AP's entertainer of the year. Who knew they were in the business of awarding that? Who was last year's winner? Is there a prize? If I were a cynic, I would think that she "won" the award for the same reason Jimmy Carter "won" his Nobel Prize a few years back. Namely to stick it to the GOP. BTW, if I were Ms Fey, I'd enjoy the attention. It's not likely to last long.

...I'm waiting for one of Mike Lupica's patented "ad hominem" attacks on the ethically-challenged Charles Rangel. I guess he has to clear it with the New York Daily News' editorial board first.

...Joe Biden is looking awfully insecure for a Veep. You get the feeling that he has served his purpose -- giving Obama & Co. some senior statesman cred. I see him going to a whole bunch of funerals.

...I can't be the only one who gets creeped out when Caroline Kennedy is referred to as political royalty can I?

...Is Keith Olberman like Charles Dickens? It seems that the former, like the latter, is getting paid by the word. Keith, take a breath or two. Savor the moment.

All In the Family

During a hitch in the Army when I was a butter bar, I served alongside another lieutenant. I thought he was average, perhaps a notch or two above average. Others were less charitable in their assessment.

Nonetheless he was fast tracking -- got the coveted duty assignments, locations, and schools.

Usually when someone is doing well in their career, most folks think he's got his act together. However, even his friends didn't think he was that good.

What made him stand out among his peers? Well, it didn't hurt that his old man was a two star general. Now, the son didn't advertise that fact but then you didn't have to beat it out of him either.

I can't speak for the other services but in my tour of duty, I looked at my fair share of command and promotion lists and scratch my head and say -- hey isn't his or her old man a general officer?

Now I'm not suggesting that these guys are all duds. I'm sure there's a good one or two in the bunch.

What's the point, Maguire?

Well in the Empire State, the son of Basil Patterson will chose (among others) the daughter of John F. Kennedy or the son of Mario Cuomo to fill the seat that is currently held by Bill Clinton's wife.

The sad fact is that none of the four aforementioned folks got where they are on their own. They had a big leg up on the competition -- and used it to the fullest advantage. That's not to suggest they are unqualified -- but none of them are self-made.

Maybe they should take a cue from my fast-tracking colleague.

He quit the Army (long before 9/11) and works in private business. He knows that any success he has in this endeavor will be a result of who is -- and not who is father is.

UPDATE: Similar thoughts from elsewhere here.

Let's Go to the Audio Tape!

I don't personally know Rahm Emanuel. I know people who do know him. In their eyes, he's a piece of work. I suspect that he doesn't get too many holiday cards this time of year.

Yet, his type serves a function. President-elect Obama needed someone on his staff wise to the workings of the Washington.

In 1992, Bill Clinton ran as a centrist (I'm still waiting on that middle-class tax cut) but it wasn't long before he lost the initiative to his fellow Democrats in Congress -- Tom Foley the House Speaker and George Mitchell, the Senate majority leader. Obama doesn't want to be the tail of the dog -- even if it's wagging.

So you hire a guy like Emanuel to make sure that doesn't happen.

Unfortunately, a guy like him is like a launched nuclear missile. Once it's out of the silo, there's no stopping it.

So this is how I see his meeting with Rod Blagojevich went. He told the governor, that the President-elect endorsed the following candidates. That's all. There was no winking, nodding, or nudging. Blagojevich, as a good Democrat was going to follow orders. There was nothing to negotiate.

Unfortunately for Emanuel & Co., they underestimated Blagojevich. (Putin is probably taking notes now.) Caught on tape, hard boiled Chicago politics, doesn't look pretty.

But then again, it's not.

The Chump List - 2008

Here's a list of those who had to do 2008 all over again, they would:

10 Eddie Murphy. He's reportedly set to be The Riddler for the next Batman movie. Then riddle me this movie fan -- how can this once funny performer star in such dreadful movies? And we're not talking merely dreadful, we're talking legendarily dreadful. His most recent flick Meet Dave had bad reviews and even worse box office receipts.

9. Jeff Zucker. The solution when you cannot schedule 22 hours of compelling prime time programming? (Actually, 19 because Saturday is complete with reruns, er, make that "encore presentations.") Cut it down five hours by reliving the glory of the Merv Griffin era -- with five hours of Jay Leno a week. This may save the Peacock a buck or two but nobody wins by playing defense. It certainly does not help that that NBC's only Top Twenty show happens to be football.

8. Dick Fuld. It takes a special CEO to destroy a century old institution. It takes an exceptional CEO to look like a jerk defending his performance before a Congressional Committee. Add Dick Fuld to the lexicon of four letter words.

7. Isiah Thomas. It's one thing to be a poor coach. It doesn't help when you're an inept GM either -- you guarantee that even when you're gone -- the team will be awful. However, you're in a league of your own when you throw your daughter under the bus when you can't cope with your failures.

6. Chris Cox. I'm sure he's a nice guy but if there ever was a wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time, it's been Chris Cox as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2008.

5. Rosie O'Donnell. Her NBC variety show was a bigger bomb than an Air Force daisy cutter. First you have the talent. When the talent fades, you ramp up the shock value. When the shock value fades, you sadly become irrelevant. In medical circles this is known as Roseanne Barr Syndrome.

4. Elliot Spitzer. Some think that deep down inside, he never wanted to be governor. He ran for the job to please his demanding father and make something of himself. Therefore, he consorted with a prostitute to ensure his downfall. Me? I think he wanted to have sex with a hot (and totally vapid) chick.

3. Roger Clemens. There are few things more joyful than a bully getting his due. He got busted in the Mitchell Report big time. Of course, nobody his age, improves their game. You can certainly slow the deterioration but to get better? C'mon! So he goes to Congress to clear his name and only looks more foolish and then tosses Mrs. C. under the bus to save his own skin. He won't need caller ID to know that Cooperstown won't be calling. Somewhere, Mike Piazza is having a laugh.

2. John Edwards. If you're going to cheat on your wife, follow these rules. 1. Don't cheat with a hag. 2. Don't cheat when your wife is battling cancer (even if it's in remission). 3. Don't procreate in the process. 4. Don't run for the Presidency if you fail to comply with rules 1-3. 5. If all else fails and you're caught -- don't offer lame denials.

1. O.J. Simpson. Think about it -- you beat a double murder rap, what could happen in a bungled armed robbery? Another walk? Hardly. You just don't mess with karma. The downside is that the "real killer" can now play golf without looking over his shoulder.

Congratulations to all. Here's hoping that 2009 won't be as miserable.

Regarding the Matter of Mr. Madoff...

...what did Elliot Spitzer know and when did he know it?

It was jailing mobsters that enabled Rudolph Guiliani to get the media attention that spurred his mayoral campaign years later.

For Elliot Spitzer it was getting the less than honest Wall Streeters to clean up their act that enabled him to run for Governor. (BTW, you show me a state attorney general who doesn't want to be a governor, and I'll show you an an attorney general without a pulse.)

During Mr. Spitzer's tenure as AG -- he went on the attack. Check out this fawning piece from Slate -- it reads like a press release. Give him credit, he was persistent.

Yet, for some unknown reason, he missed the biggest Ponzi scheme that was run in his jurisdiction. In hindsight, all the red flags are a little more than obvious. But for someone who was spoiling for a fight and looking out for the "little guy" he certainly missed out. Big time. In fact, the British press are reporting that he was bilked by Madoff & Company.

Nonetheless, it provokes questions about the sincerity of his efforts while he was the Attorney General.

It's a good thing he's no longer the Governor of New York. This would have been embarrassing.

White Out

At the onset of the Bush Administration, Thomas White, a retired general, was nominated to serve as the Secretary of the Army. (It should be noted that this is not a ceremonial gig. Unfortunately, the success or failure of an Army Secretary is apparent only after they have moved on. Don't think so? Well, the unsung hero of Operation Desert Storm was the Secretary of the Army in the 1980s, John O. Marsh, Jr. )

White, however, had big time business experience -- he was the chief of an Enron (remember those guys?) subsidiary.

The combination of a military background and corporate success made him ideal in the eyes of the administration. After all, the idea was to operate the military as a business entity and ensure that efficiency ruled the day.

I won't get into the virtue of treating the military as a business -- there are good and bad aspects to that worldview.

Alas, with the failure of Enron, White became a target. You know, the what did he know and when did he know it stuff. One of the charges was that his company jacked up the price of electricity in California which prompted the state to institute rolling blackouts. Mr. White, alas, claimed that he wasn't aware that his company engaged in such practices. Regrettably for White, it appeared that he didn't have a clue as to what his company was engaged in.

White was a show horse and not a work horse.

Moreover, if you're OK with the idea of having authority without responsibility then it's only a matter of time before you rationalize other odd behaviors such as using government transport for personal jaunts, holding (and managing) stock long after you're required to divest, and backstabbing your boss.

The big mystery about White was why it took so long to fire him.

Anyway, White comes to mind when I hear about all these folks who lost their fortunes to Bernie Madoff.

People with a great deal of money and attendant responsibility just handed over their fortunes without the slightest due diligence. Like White, he seemed like a good guy especially as the profits rolled in. (Hey, its always about the money.)

However, if they just scratched the surface just a wee bit, they could have seen the train wreck coming.

Seldom are things the way they seem.

Not So Stupid

Everyone is piling on soon to be former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich. Admittedly, this has not been a good week for him.

However, friends and fortune, while helpful, can only get one so far. You need to have some smarts in order to graduate from law school and repeatedly get elected to greater positions of authority. You don't have to be lovable, just smart.

Michael Barone, however, argues that Blagojevich is the "stupidest" (maybe that should read "most stupid" but I digress) governor in the nation. Maybe.

One would think that with a predecessor in jail and being subject to an on going investigation by a U.S. attorney, that Blagojevich would be careful in his dealings. That's what being smart is all about. However, when it comes to venal versus smart, venal wins.

Why? Because Blagojevich isn't a novice to the ways of Chicago politics. Sure, he's seen plenty of guys going down -- but obviously he has seen as many politicos getting away with it as well. He probably thought he had a better than 50% chance of making a big score. (I won't repeat what he said about his once in a lifetime opportunity to select the next Senator of Illinois.) He's been around long enough -- he knew what he could get away with. Moreover, he was confident that someone would take the bait and actually pay for the seat. (It takes two to tango after all.)

Further, and this is all guesswork on my part, he's learned enough over time to turn his hard landing into something incredible soft. I can see that Plan B involves copping a plea -- which is likely to mix some fact with fiction -- that will eliminate or lessen his time in the joint. (If he drops Obama's name -- rightly or wrongly -- that's going to be one ugly can of worms.)

Blagojevich isn't going to be winning any MacArthur Genius awards anytime soon -- after all he's a 52 year old who dyes his hair and thinks that nobody notices. But he probably knows what he can get away with.

He will not go quietly into the night.

UPDATE: Someone else is just as cynical as me.

The Return of Merv

With the news that Jay Leno is moving his program (will it still be called "Tonight"?) to prime time, I realized that old is new again in the TV business.

I'm old enough to recall when Merv Griffin had an hour long talk show on in primetime for the old Metromedia network when it aired in New York. (They later sold out to Fox.) Merv wasn't exactly must-see TV. In fact, he was the default in the event that there wasn't anything else good on. Then again in those days it was a seven (if you were lucky) channel universe. Moreover, Merv was on before 10 PM (as the local news aired at that time). Jay will be on at 10 PM.

Merv wasn't afraid to dedicate his show to an upcoming movie by having the whole cast come on. I remember when he had the entire cast for Star Trek II on his program. (Product placement anyone?)

Oddly, the change was prompted by the fact that fewer folks are staying up until 10 PM to catch a show -- when they can record it for viewing at a better time. Go figure. When I lived in the Midwest, TV was more accommodating when prime time ran from 7-10. It has to be pretty compelling TV to keep me up late nowadays.

No assessment would be complete without identifying the early winners (Kimmel and Letterman) and losers (O'Brien -- who never struck me as being funny) by this shift.

Jay, of course, should be a big winner. Hey, prime time is still prime time. However, the biggest winner will be the audience -- it seems like "Dateline" is dust.

Waiting for the Paint to Dry

While waiting for the paint to dry and to get on with today's business of living...

...I'm wondering what Chuck Hagel will be doing now that he's heading down the road to retirement. I'm sure he's upset that Team Obama hasn't come calling for a Cabinet gig. He certainly did his bit to lower W's stature as a media-friendly Republican. But then again, he was more of a hack than a visionary. Remember in late 2006 he called the Iraqi surge a "folly".

...I thought with the departure of Matt Millen as the GM of the Detroit Lions that accountability for success and failure in the world of football was restored. Then I note that Charlie Weis, the worst coach of the Fighting Irish since the early 1960s. He got by in his first two years due to the players recruited by his predecessor. Now it's all Charlie's team. Sadly, as mediocre as they are, they'll probably be in a pre-Christmas Bowl Game.

...I'm curious as to how Hillary's aides are chronicling her service to the Empire State. Good luck to the guy or gal who has to spin how HRC -- through no fault of her own -- failed to get those promised 200,000 jobs. (Extra credit to the aide who can spin away the loss of 34K jobs in upstate in New York on her watch.)

...Twenty years ago, the age of cable TV was heralded as a wonderful opportunity. What do we have to show for it now? Commentary posing as news; network programs repeated ad nauseum; and guys trying to kill themselves. Hell, they don't even show music videos anymore. It's a full speed race to the bottom. What went wrong?

...Did Elliot Spitzer, Roger Clemens, O.J. Simpson or John Edwards really enjoy Thanksgiving this year?

...The old cliche is that when someone says, it's not about the money, it's really all about the money. I kind of get the same sense when CNN blurbs a show as no bias and no bull. You know, it's all bias and all bull but they just won't admit to it?

...Metallica and Guns 'n' Roses release new albums and a Democrat is headed for the White House is this 1992 all over again?

UPDATE: Someone also has misgivings about what went wrong with cable.

The Name in the Game

When you think of something positive of President John F. Kennedy -- the first thought that springs to mind is the handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. When you think of Dr. Martin Luther King, one is reminded of his efforts to get Civil Rights legislation enacted. Both, alas, died long before their time.

When you think of Robert Kennedy --what's the first thing that springs to mind? Sure he was killed --before his time -- but what's his standout issue from his term as Attorney General or as the Senator from New York? (Well he was the inspiration for a federal anti-nepotism law that would prevent future Presidents from selecting their siblings for Cabinet posts.)

This quiz comes in light of the name change of the descriptive Triborough Bridge that connects the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx in New York to the less informative Robert Kennedy Bridge.

Then again, maybe he did great things, but nothing quickly springs to mind. Nothing other, unfortunately, than his assassination.