:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Monday, December 15, 2003 ::

Today, I had classes until 6 p.m. I managed to pay attention, even though it's almost vacation! After my last class, I hurried to the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, where I saw the last installment of the Hardball Battle for the White House series with Chris Matthews. Senator Joseph Lieberman, who was Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 election, was the guest. He's running for president for 2004 as a Democrat, and he's a centrist, whose views border on Republican. He finally decided to come on the show this Monday to conclude the series. I got really lucky this time and got a really good seat right in front, so I saw everything really well.

It was a good time to hear him speak; he was just coming off missing former running mate Al Gore's endorsement and the capture of Saddam Hussein. Lieberman supports the war greatly, so in many ways his views on foreign policy mirror that of Bush's. I was surprised that he was running as a Democrat; so much of what he said seemed as if it would come out of the mouth of Bush. Chris Matthews, at one point, called him on this; Matthews asked, "If Howard Dean was the Democratic candidate for president and Bush was the Republican candidate, who would you vote for?" Lieberman did say, however, that he would support whoever was the Democratic nominee – hopefully himself. Lieberman was a good speaker, though; he had some good lines – when a clip of the grizzled Saddam Hussein getting an oral inspection played on a screen, he quipped, "Look, he's getting better health care than some Americans!"

Tonight, I went with my friends to see the movie The Last Samurai. It was the most amazing movie I've seen in a long time. I highly recommend that everyone go see this incredibly moving film. The story was so endearing, and the samurai themes of honor and loyalty – a fight until the bitter end – explored in the story are quite praiseworthy. The Last Samurai was a great look at the Japanese culture, which has always fascinated me. The visuals were remarkably stunning, also. I was impressed by the simple beauty that the movie depicted. We all walked out of the theater in awe by the breathtaking work of art. Again, I urge everyone to go see this epic film.

Quote of the Day: "She likes skinny white boys with no muscles who complain and sing about how depressed they are."

:: SL 6:01 PM [+] ::
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