[Peace-discuss] Paul Street on Obama's 1st 11 months

[C. G. Estabrook]

Street's commentary is as usual accurate and insightful, but I think that in 
this passage he (and John Pilger) make a category mistake. George Clooney is one 
of the very best American actors of his generation -- and witty as well.  (They 
don't always go together.)  And here Clooney's talking about *acting*.

Obama's appeal has always rested on essentially vacuous charm, not on the 
positions he held. He was able to project himself as an attractive blank slate, 
on which followers could inscribe their preferred policies. And his ability was 
such that he could do that, even if it could be shown that he had in fact spoken 
against those polices.

Clooney's remark is a tribute, by a talented actor, to Obama's acting ability. 
(And, although I've spent many happy hours pursuing the quality, as Hamlet says, 
I think Katherine Hepburn may have been right to say, "Acting is the most minor 
of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living. After all, Shirley 
Temple could do it at the age of four.")

I should declare an interest: my youngest daughter is one of three associate 
producers of Clooney's new film, "Up in the Air," which opens this month. Not 
only is it being mentioned for Oscars, it's the most anti-capitalist American 
film since "The Apartment" (not from any theoretical commitment). My 
recommendation of it is over-determined. --CGE


Brussel Morton K. wrote:
> Speaking of many establishment liberals' obedience to The Re-Branding One,
> John Pilger wrote last fall about "the call of Obama" to certain "people of
> liberal sensibilities... <http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=551>It is
> not unlike a dog whistle," Pilger noted,  "inaudible to most, irresistible to
> the besotted and boneheaded." <http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=551>
>  <http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=551> As an emblematic early 
> example, Pilger quoted a comment from the noted liberal Hollywoodsuperstar
> George Clooney, who said the following on the Charlie Rose Show in December
> of 2006: "He walks into a room and you want to follow him somewhere,
> anywhere."
> 
> At last Saturday's antiwar demonstration in Washington DC, the former 
> presidential candidate Mike Gravell told activists not to shirk from sounding> "personal" in their criticism of Obama. "Killing is personal," Senator
> Gravell added...
> 
> See Paul Street's scathing, and extended, commentary at
> 
> http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/23365