Web Letters | The Nation

The Problem of Conservative 'Intellectuals'

Godfather “quote”

As a die-hard fan of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II I couldn’t let this pass. It was Lee Strasberg, as gangster Hyman Roth, who said "This is the business we’ve chosen" to Al Pacino, as Michael Corleone, in The Godfather Part II.

The Problem of Conservative 'Intellectuals'

Mitt’s dead in the water

John McCain declared the economy to be “fundamentally sound”; said economy collapsed two days later, with it the candidacy of Senator “Out of Touch” McCain. The spoken word, when said (clearly and unambiguously) cannot be unsaid.

What can Romney say to prove he is not the candidate “of, by and for” the 1 percent? What can he say to convince voters that his every utterance is tailored to appease the audience in front of him? Romney has so boxed himself in he really can’t get out. Sure, the die-hards and Foxes and their friends, like delusional Jet fans, will hang in there until the end of the season. But only someone of Rick Perry’s intellect could lose to Romney.

Wait for the debates? Why, to see which Romney shows up? The truth is coming home to roost. The voters see Obama is not Mr. Perfect, but they don’t think he is a phony, or out to serve a minority of 1 percent. They know the mess he inherited, the efforts he made, the opposition he faced, the fundamental fairness he advocates for, the international crisis he has confronted, his failures and successes. They know the attacks on him are false: he is not a communist, Kenyan, Muslim Nazi who wants to destroy our way of life and make us French or whatever.