I had a dream

It occurs to me that I may be dwelling on politics too much, because last night I had a lengthy dream...or maybe it was several short dreams...about politics.

I was attending a function and seated at the head table with Michelle Obama. She gave me a cookie, which was very kind of her, and it was also delicious. Barack Obama arrived, and as he shook my hand, he said, "I remember you! Last time I saw you, you were wearing those really cute sandals. I like the ones you're wearing tonight!"

Brian Williams seemed to be the emcee, and while Brian was speaking, I watched Sarah Palin at the next table as she shoved her purse under her chair. I whispered to the person sitting next to me, "I need to ask Brian what he thinks of that woman." This must have been some kind of fashion show as well, because then I was in front of the crowd and Brian was saying, "Beth is modeling a lovely blue gown...come on out, Beth." The gown WAS lovely, too, a strapless number with a full skirt, an intense shade of sapphire blue, something I would definitely wear. As I walked out and modeled my dress, I gave the crowd a big Sarah Palin wink.

So maybe I'm a little too involved in all this.

That being said, let's get to the latest! You didn't think you were getting off that easy, did you? Nine days to go...then I'll give it a rest. As I mentioned recently, feel free to take a break from me for a while if you don't enjoy reading my opinions. I won't be offended, I promise, and I hope you'll come back and visit after it's over. I've given you fair warning...the gloves are off. And I feel free! So free!

The reports started on CNN yesterday about Sarah Palin "going rogue." Milwaukee Dan #2 (of three...I asked Milwaukee Dan #1 [Guido] what was up with the name Daniel and Milwaukee) sent me an article about Palin the rogue, that also included commentary from certain McCain aides (anonymous, of course) who said that she is a "diva." Uh oh...dissension in the ranks. Not a good sign. There is speculation that Palin is protecting her own interests for her future political career. I don't know about that (I doubt if she has much of a national career ahead of her), but this is some odd behavior. I did appreciate the "going rogue" phrase, because it makes me think of what happens in science fiction stories with friendly robots. A corroded relay switch, a faulty circuit, or a little too much dampness in the air, and next thing you know, you've got yourself a rogue robot. Or think of computers like HAL in "2001: A Space Odyssey." You have to be really careful with that artificial intelligence stuff, a basic concept in science fiction, and something that Palin's handlers seemed to ignore. Zing!

Our friend Dirk (He and I definitely do not have the same views on many things, but he is always such a good sport about it!) left a comment on my entry about the fruit fly research, stating that it was about earmarks, and that it was not targeted towards autism research. That may very well be, but there's a broader picture to me, that I went into on a subsequent post. It's the fact that she ridiculed this research automatically because it involved "fruit flies in Paris, France." I'll say it again: that is a dangerous lack of understanding of how something that superficially seems irrelevant can sometimes end up being vitally important, and have an impact beyond the original research project. As Ken wrote about a while back, a means of communication developed by nuclear engineers in order to share information more easily became the World Wide Web. There is always a bigger picture...ALWAYS. Let me use a phrase that everyone loves to hate: we have to think outside the box. [drawing imaginary box in the air] Palin has shown that she is incapable of seeing the bigger picture, or of understanding how something outside her immediate frame of reference can possibly be important to anyone. I stand by my opinions on this.

And finally, she has already begun winning friends and influencing people around the globe. In today's news:

Venezuela's Chavez: Palin a pitiful 'beauty queen'

By RACHEL JONES

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin a "poor thing" who didn't know what she was saying when she called him a dictator.

Friday's verbal attack was the latest in long history of creative insults by Chavez — but was not unprovoked.

In an interview with the U.S. Spanish-language network Univision aired Tuesday, Palin remarked that "through negotiations or sanctions, if necessary, we can pressure dictators like Hugo Chavez to make it clear that they cannot mess with the United States whenever they feel like it."

Speaking at an event to inaugurate a thermoelectric plant, Chavez said he had heard of Palin's remarks.

"The poor thing, you have to feel sorry for her," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Palin, he said, is "a beauty queen that they've put in the role of a figurine." Chavez said one must do as Christ did: "Forgive her, for she knows not what she says."

OUCH MAN! Wow, Hugo 1, Palin 0.

Believe me, I don't like Hugo Chavez anymore than the next person. But if this is the attitude that he and others around the world have about Palin, we'd end up a global laughing stock if she gets into office. I've also been hearing things from family and friends...my niece Jen in San Diego recently worked with a group from various countries, and she wrote to me the other day that they all said, "You're kidding, right? No way!" about Palin as potential VP. They see her as a joke. We've got some major work to do in repairing America's reputation around the world, and having Palin in an executive capacity will not help matters one iota. Except maybe for that Pakistan guy who seemed to want to jump her bones. He'd probably be pretty happy.

Is that really the message we want to send to the rest of the world? Really?