Run, Warren, Run

Channel surfing the American political scene recently, I've been bored and bemused by the rhetorical outporings of politicians reacting to the Judge Roberts hearings and the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Though there's plenty of fools spouting off from their blowholes, two that have raised my ire the most are New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden.

Given the destruction of his city, I'm more than willing to give Nagin a free pass if he'd just shut up. Yet I have the feeling that he probably wouldn't accept, for there Nagin was, just today, boldly reciting lines of his intention to repopulate portions of New Orleans as early as this week, while the levees are still breeched, the electricity is out, and the drinking water is unpotable. Can someone who knows better rewrite his script?

"Smug as he ever was" Biden, who is testing the waters for a presendential run in '08, unsuccessfully grilled the unflappable and far intellectually superior John Roberts. Suffice it to so that Biden's rhetoric, drawing metaphors to crap games, baseball umpires, and kubuki dances, lacked elegance, style, and honesty. Give him two thumbs down for blatant overacting. By the way, google "Joe Biden plagiarism" and you'll be rewarded with 26,00 results in .21 seconds.

Which brings me to the comic side of the political stage-California. The Left Coast. Hotel California, where image is everything and politics makes for good stargazing. The land that elected Sonny Bono, Clint Eastwood, Ronald Reagan, and now Governor Arnold Swarzenegger. Aahnold is getting mixed reviews these days, so it's only fitting that another actor is auditioning for the lead role out there.

Speaking last Thursday at a convention of California nurses, none other than Warren Beatty attacked The Terminator, who is trying to overturn patient/nurses ratios established by the former California governor. Beatty was hailed with cheers of "run, Warren, run" (as in for governor) by the crowd.

I don't know or care much about California politics, but I hope that Warren takes them up on it. He's been a great actor, writer, producer, and director. I'm tired of watching the Bidens and the Swarzeneggers of the world. Beatty hasn't had a good movie in at least 6 years (the political spoof, Bulworth), so a real-life campaign could be his big comeback. He could even film the campaign as a reality TV show, though I think Warren hasn't worked the small screen since his Dobie Gillis days.

In doing some quick research, I found that Beatty starred in fewer movies than I had thought. Most of them, though, were pretty darn good--Splendor in the Grass, Bonnie and Clyde, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, Reds, etc.--which give me hope that he'll play a fine governor. Another thing about Beatty. He always had an knack for playing opposite fetchingly talented actresses. In a case of life imitating art, we'll get to see his wife Annette Bening in a co-staring role. Nice.