A favorite piece of clothing

For nearly twenty-five years I have owned a Railroad Vest from Woolrich. The first one I wore for about fifteen years and then passed it down to my son. The second, and current one, is the replacement.

No one in my family traces employment in the railroad industry (though my grandfather worked as a carpenter for the CTA, the Chicago Transit Authority.) No nostalgic root, the damn thing is functional.

The vest has four pockets and is made of a coarse wool, black, flecked with gray. I have two buttons on the left breast pockets, one featuring Bagel Radio, an Internet radio station and the other the first Birdmonster button. At times I have adorned that pocket with a Division Day button and a pin from the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko, Nevada.

Fuctional, utilitarian. And, it gathers a lot of compliments. Not that I am clothes horse (I was in my younger days), nor do I really give a lot of thought to what I wear (though, again, in the old days...), but the vest works. It brings in the fall, lasts through the winter, the tougher spring days and then gets hung for the duration.

Limbaugh's Last Gasp

Senator John McCain's shocking comeback from forgotten candidate to the Republican Party standard bearer comes with a couple of staggering consequences.

McCain can be compared, without a shred of irony, to Bill Clinton. Clinton's initial run for the presidency was based on a calculating move to the center, an effort to present himself as a moderate. No shrieking liberal, Clinton portrayed himself as a New Democrat. He tore pages, if not chapters, out of the Republican playbook.

The fundamental difference between McCain and Clinton is that while Clinton crassly postured and pandered, McCain has always presented himself as an outsider within his own party. He can cavil about being a "true conservative" but no one is fooled. The Arizona Senator and former prisoner of war has always been a bit of a leftie.

Hell, that's why I love the guy. That's why I have twice been a "Republican for a day", so that my vote would count in the convoluted rules of the California primaries.

Because here are the consequences I alluded to earlier. In both cases, the emperor will be revealed to have not a stitch of clothing.

The first is the end of the religious right's stranglehold on the Republican Party. Mike Huckabee is the last evangelical warrior, his candidacy bouyed by the Christian Right. The shrill on either end of the political spectrum frighten me. There is certainly room in any political discussion for moral issues and debate. But, come on, the pro-choice/right to life argument is over. And what's this about a Reagan legacy? It's about as relevant as the Kennedy legacy. This is not 1980 and it's certainly not 1960. And frankly, I am mortally weary of heir (heiress) apparents and anointed successors.

The second is Rush Limbaugh's last gasp. This pompous windbag and his accolytes, including Ann Coulter, have been marginalized by the McCain campaign. Their collective wheezings have taken on a desperation bordering on the comical. They are first and foremost entertainers concerned about ratings and book sales. They are as calculating and crass as Bill Clinton was in 1992, all with their collective eyes on the prize.

Are Limbaugh and Coulter really going to line up behind Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama? The answer should be who cares. Conservative talk radio bears a striking resemblance to Britney Spears, a spotlight seeking train wreck. Perhaps a better comparison is Paris Hilton, famous for being famous. All are fatuous, all could disappear without a trace and leave not a ripple in the pond.

A McCain victory for the Republican Party's nomination as president would silence the religious right and conservative talk radio. A McCain victory in the general election in November would render both to a justifiable footnote status in political history.

And now for something completely different...

McCain has been known for making the bold move. The smart money is on him naming one of his chief opponents, Mitt Romney or the aforementioned Huckabee, as his running mate. What would really alter the political landscape and lead to a wailing and gnashing of teeth on both sides of the aisle?

How about naming Senator Joe Lieberman as Vice President? Lieberman would have to eschew his independent mantle and join the Republican Party. His candidacy would really give us something to discuss, debate, and chew on for weeks, if not months, to come.