President Slow Jam

The night Willard Mitt Romney "clinches" the GOP nomination, Barack Hussein Obama goes on TV with a message about pending student loan interest rate legislation:

It's interesting that this appearance with Jimmy Fallon reminded me so much of when President Barack Obama announced the assassination of Osama bin Laden, particularly his walk back from the podium (now with grunge guitar):

Cool is cool.

Hard to imagine Willard Mitt doing either appearance as well.

Uncool.

His

Had a quick conversation with a friend I hadn't seen since the election, a high school social studies teacher with a rather challenging student population over in the Valley. A natural liberal per his place of birth, development and habitation (Santa Monica/Pacific Palisades), in recent years he's gone against the grain in understandable reaction against some of the more kneejerk Westside liberalism, as well as disagreement on key issues with his fellow teachers and union.

Despite any of my reasonable arguments prior to the election, he went ahead and voted for John McCain.

But when he collared me in passing the other day he was actually ebullient over the Obama victory. He said that now that the election was over, he was thrilled -- now that Obama was "his President." Moreover, he said that the kids in his classes were completely activated by the election and gave one big example.

As they have every four years, the teachers at his school held a mock debate between the two candidates. Usually the students are beyond (or below?) apathetic. But, guess what, this time was different. The auditorium was packed. The students were attentive. This time really mattered.

So as our President-Elect enjoys something like an 80% approval rating prior to even taking office, I couldn't be happier, even if clear-eyed about the massive challenges he -- and we -- face ahead.

And he's won over at least one Westside skeptic.

And the Children Shall Lead...

Mister Bush and President Cheney should be commended for engendering new political activists and starting them young. Video courtesy of Crooks & Liars:

President Bush was presented with a letter Monday signed by 50 high school seniors in the Presidential Scholars program urging a halt to “violations of the human rights” of terror suspects held by the United States…

There's more awesome video with the students interviewed by CNN after the event (damning stuff as they describe what Mister Bush was lecturing about just before getting served by them) at Raw Story and this quick ass-covering from the White House:

White House spokesman Dana Perino said Bush let the student know "the United States does not torture and that we value human rights," a statement seemingly contradicted by Bush's signing statement which gave him power to largely ignore a Congressional ban on torture spearheaded by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

At this point, lying to children should be easy for Mister Bush.

(Nettertainment has decided to no longer refer to him as "El Presidente" as this past week's four-part Washington Post story on Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney confirms the lingering suspicious that Mister Bush is merely a figurehead who has carried out shadow President Cheney's orders the entire length of his official term to date. Think Grand Vizier, often the de facto ruler in Ottoman times.)

Will these kids make the difference in Bush/Cheney policy reversal? Talk about the walls closing in.

Meanwhile, Congress grows cajones:

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday issued subpoenas to the White House, Vice President Dick Cheney’s office and the Justice Department after what the panel’s chairman called “stonewalling of the worst kind” of efforts to investigate the National Security Agency’s policy of wiretapping without warrants.

Get ready for a showdown...please!