 |
 |
|---|---|
| BIO | CONTACT | |
|
 |
|
 |
Tuesday, September 21, 2004 Dan Rather For President The focus on Dan Rather and CBS continues, despite widespread agreement that the report was true - that Bush had not done his duty in the National Guard. It's weird that the focus is on one piece of evidance rather than the conclusions reached. More interesting still is Dan Rather admitting the error, saying in effect, The Buck Stops Here. And I wonder if the President couldn't learn something from that, the nobility of taking responsibility when you're in charge rather than letting your underlings drown on your behalf, pawning the blame on those under your supervision. While Dan Rather is copping to his mistake, a mistake which ruins his legacy of more than 30 years worth of reporting, George Bush is telling America that everything is great in Iraq, talking about the hope and security of Democracy. I have friends in Iraq. My pal Stephen is the bureau chief for a major photography news organization in Baghdad. There is no hope of "Democracy and security" in Iraq, and the administration's own experts have stated this. And instead of taking responsibility for failed intelligence George Bush points to all the other people who also thought there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. As if he wasn't the President of the United States. As if all those intelligence agencies didn't report to him. So while it's true that John Kerrry is a flip-flopper on Iraq, at least he's right 50% of the time. Which is a big step up. I have no idea what John Kerry's policy toward Iraq will actually be when he's elected, but I have no doubt at all that it will be an improvement. The Swidge Check out Peter Alton's great new political film, "The Swidge". Just go to Instant Films. "The Swidge" is in the right hand corner. Also, Jon Carroll has an awesome editorial on SFGate, which essentially restates everything I said in my own editorial, except his was published, and probably better written. As usual everyone should read Talking Points Memo. And a little E.J. Dionne never hurt anyone. posted by Stephen Elliott 1:16 AM | link | |
|
 Full-size cover Pre-order from Amazon 
"Any true love story, if told with the urgency and animal intelligence of love, isn't for the fainthearted. On every page of this profound, distilled work of art, Stephen Elliott wrestles with the unknown and unspoken essences of love, and articulates that unknown so beautifully, with such clear-eyed fearlessness... Imagine a glass of pure water with one drop of blood hanging in its center, about to dissolve... Then drink it and be transformed." -Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City "There's an emotional courage to these stories, and a sense of urgency, that are thrilling to encounter. Elliott writes as if his life depended on each sentence. It is not overstating the case to say that he does for the BDSM community in this book what Denis Johnson did for lost druggies in Jesus' Son." - Steve Almond, The Believer Magazine Best of the year: Salon.com, San Francisco Chronicle Reviews: Salon.com, LA Weekly, The Believer Excerpts: My Stripper Year, Just Always Be Good Purchase from Amazon, Powells, Cleis, and your local bookstore 
"Happy Baby is surely the most intelligent and beautiful book ever written about juvenile detention centers, sadomasochism, and drugs." - Curtis Sittenfeld, The New York Times Book Review Best of the year: Village Voice, Salon.com, Chicago New City, The Journal News Awards: Finalist Young Lions Award, Silver Medal California Book Award Reviews: The New York Times, Salon.com, Village Voice Excerpts: Stalking Gracie Part 3 Purchase from Amazon, Powell's, and your local bookstore 
"Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, Richard Ben Cramer: the great, all-American genre of the political campaign in extenso (and in extremis) has had its Homers and Boswells. To that list we can now add Stephen Elliott. Hilarious, strange, electrifyingly written, and heart-pumpingly idealistic, Looking Forward to It wins every literary caucus and primary in a landslide." -Tom Bissell, author of Chasing the Sea Best of the year: Village Voice Reviews: New York Magazine, New York Times Excerpts: The Dennis Kucinich Polka, A John Edwards Almanac Purchase from Amazon, Powell's (cheap!), and your local bookstore 
"A Life Without Consequences was harrowing, hard as nails, brutal, and soaring. Stephen Elliott has to be watched, because he knows things almost no one else could." - Dave Eggers, author of A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius and What Is The What Excerpt: Adlai Stevenson House Reviews: Austin American Statesman Purchase from Amazon |
