Thursday, July 29, 2004

Hope Springs Eternal Every convention season is a brief upwelling of mindless optimism that punctuates a four-year trough of post-election despair. One after another, politicians step up to the podium and take on the persona of Mighty Mouse: "Here I come to save the day!" Tonight in Boston, John Edwards announced, "Hope is on the way." Four years ago, Bush sounded a similar theme, promising his legions, "It won’t be long now." It’s all reminiscent of that old Arpege perfume commercial, "Promise her anything, but give her Arpege" – later parodied by Mad Magazine as "Promise her anything, but give her nothing." We’ve learned to expect very little from our elected officials once they take office, and they always fulfill our expectations. 12:14:21 AM