Though I don’t agree with everything on the site, I came across this quote on Salon and it just fits:
Some days it feels like I’m watching a house on fire. And one idiot wants to put it out with a machine gun. The other one wants to use grenades. And I’m standing there with a bucket of water and they look at me like I’m crazy.
This was posted in the context of a series of quotes about the insanity of the “War on Drugs” in the US, but it applies to any number of current issues. I’m reminded of it again after watching some post-election coverage following the Kentucky and Oregon primaries with some talking heads on MSNBC discussing the electoral math, the pledged and super delegate counts, and the big question about whether or not Michigan and Florida’s delegates will count and by which proportion for which candidate, and which proportion of pledges versus super delegates.
By the time the segment was over, I understood less than I did when I started watching, and I was left wondering if this was any way to pick a leader in a time when the world seems like an awfully complex and worrisome place, and at a time when I know in my bones that we’re facing global challenges beyond anything we’ve ever faced before.
At this point, I’m not sure if the Democratic party is holding water buckets or grenades, but it sure seems to me like Barack Obama is leading the bucket brigade. I hope this contest between the Democratic candidates is over soon so we can get on with the business of putting out the fires.