How Long Until Conservatives Start Using the bin Laden Victory Against Obama?

Remember back in the 2004 Presidential election when conservative groups (with the tacit approval of the Bush campaign) spent big money on anti-John Kerry ad campaigns that turned the reality of Kerry's Vietnam War service and hero status into a liability?

You know, they "creatively" re-told his war service story in a way that questioned if he was even present at the scene of some of his most heroic actions, if he did what he said he did, whether he really merited the awards he won and even raising questions about whether or not he actually just shot some local Vietnamese in the back by mistake. While the messages came from several fronts, the primary identified group behind it was Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth.

Essentially, the incessant ad campaign run by those conservative groups re-painted Kerry's image as a war hero into a dishonest, wimp liar. It raised enough questions about his service to minimize or even eliminate his edge over Bush in terms of military service and command experience. It turned a Kerry strength into a weakness.

So I ask the question...

In the 2012 election, how long will it take these same type of conservative groups to start turning President Obama's bin Laden victory...and all of the positives that the results say about Mr. Obama's guts and leadership abilities...into a liability? I ask "how long" because I am 100% convinced they'll try.

You know...Obama didn't really authorize the mission because the military was already on it (and besides Bush had already set things in motion), Obama didn't really give the go-ahead for the mission, he was playing golf while the mission was going on, he took credit for the actions of the Seal team, he should have captured bin Laden alive and not "had him killed," Obama "lied" or "was less than honest" about the details of the raid, bin Laden isn't actually dead (or even if he is) and the mission was a ruse to boost Obama's military credentials, and on and on an on.

Basically, I see a series of ads questioning Obama's handling of the bin Laden mission that raises questions about his honesty and leadership abilities. The fact that bin Laden was hunted down and killed on Obama's watch and based on his orders will, of course, be ignored. Again, this will be an attempt to turn perhaps Obama's biggest strength and victory into something that is used against him to effect.

Also, as a reminder, the U.S. Supreme Court last year decided that companies have the same First Amendment rights of free speech as human beings. So, they can spend as much as they want on political advertising now...and they will. Which side do you think companies will mostly be on - Democrat or Republican?

Nike Ad During Olympics Features The Hours

The other day while watching the Vancouver Winter Olympics, I saw an advertisment for Nike that used a song from a band I listened to a couple years ago and liked.

You may know the ad and the song I'm talking about. It's the one showing athletes in action with the song saying how it's not where you're from but where you're going, not that you get knocked down but how quick you get up. You can see the ad by clicking HERE.

Anyway, that song in the ad is called "Ali in The Jungle" by a band called The Hours. The title of the refers to a miracle comeback by Muhammad Ali against George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" bout in 1974. More broadly, the theme of the song is a compelling call for you to be resilient, never give up despite the odds and to make the very most out of whatever situation you find yourself in. The lyrics use examples of people like Ali, Helen Keller, British footballer Tony Adams, and even Beethoven who all overcame some major obstacle in life to achieve something big.

Hearing the song again for the first time in a year to two, I instantly went to my iPod and played both albums by The Hours (Narcissus Road and See The Light) and enjoyed thoroughly. Many of their songs take on topics you don't hear too often in today's music scene.

Not all music needs to be serious or carry a profound message. I get that. Hell, I like some pop tunes too. But, I also extra appreciate a band that has a meaningful message and delivers it well because I think that these days, music is perhaps the one way that people will actually listen to new or different ideas.

An example of how The Hours deliver on this, take their song "Love Is An Action." It is indeed a love song, but unlike 99% of love songs that deliver some form of the message "I love you baby," The Hours lay out simply just what love really is with lines like:

We'll stand side-by-side until the day we die.
All we need is trust and trust is all we have.
Love is an action. It's something you do. Talk is cheap man. It means nothing at all.


That's right. The song urges you to see love as an action - something that you do for your loved one, family and friends. Those actions are based on trust. These are the meaningful elements of love. They are what will last and mean the most. Actions expresses true love more than any words you might be able to string together and spit out. To my mind, the song is a call to show love through actions rather than falling back on just saying things about love.

As another example of taking on topics not usually heard in songs, "These Days" is unusual for its call for a better sense of community since we're all in this world together. You don't hear too much of that in today's music scene obsessed with bling, "the dace floor," getting it on and simply rocking out. Here are a few lines...

If there's ever a time we need to come together
The time is now when everything is falling apart
It's no rehearsal, soon we'll be gone forever
These days are all we have
These days are all we have and I'm gonna take you with me...

This song calls it out like it is. Look, we're only on this earth so long. All we have are the days left to us on the planet. What are we going to do with them? Lets try and do the best by ourselves and each other in the time we have.

And, The Hours have a sense of humor too with bits like these lines from their song "Love You More"...

I love you more than Caravaggio
I love you more than all of my hooded tops
I love you more than Tony Soprano
For those who do not know me thats a f*#k of a lot

Anyway, check out The Hours. If you like thoughtful lyrics and compelling, driving music, I think you'll like them. The band gets extra points from me as two of the members - Anthony Genn and Martin Slattery - were previously members of Joe Stummer & The Mescaleros before Joe sadly died of a heart ailment in 2002.

Thoughts On Super Bowl XLIV

Here are my thoughts on Super Bowl XLIV...

• It was a good game - sometimes the Super Bowl is a really dreary game to watch. Not this time. Close action, comebacks, trick plays, great performances on both sides of the ball by both teams, and really - despite the end score - the outcome was in question until the pick thrown by Manning late in the game.

• The officiating was actually good - unlike the absolute moron-athon of refereeing in the Super Bowl played in by the Seahawks a few years ago, the officiating in this game seemed right on the money. In Super Bowl XL there were phantom TDs scored by the Steelers (seriously, watch it 100 times over and Big Ben is NOT in the end zone), phantom holding calls against the Seahawks, phantom pass interference calls (again, against the Seahawks) and more...all having a direct impact on the outcome of the game. This year, the zebras got the tricky ones right (the NO Saint's player scoring that 2 point conversion, the Saint's recovery of the on-side kick) and did not screw up the rest of the game with too many or obviously incorrect penalties.

• I liked the unexpected outcome - I liked the fact that the team that was supposed to lose won. Unlike movies, TV and most other types of entertainment, sports offers an unknown outcome. Sure, one team may be favored or likely to win, but you don't know until you play the game.

• I have sympathy for Colts fans - believe me, I'm sympathetic to Colts fans. Why? Well, my Oregon Ducks lost a close Rose Bowl game this January despite being favored over Ohio State. And, despite having struggled much of the game, the Ducks were in position to re-take the lead and put the hammer down on the Buckeyes. But, as they were moving in to score the go-ahead TD, they fumbled the ball and lost it. From there on in, it was a very unlikely scenario that the Ducks could win...and they didn't. So, Colt fans, I feel your pain. Your team may indeed be "the better team" overall, but on Sunday the Saints were better...not by much mind you...but a little better. And, your team made one fatal mistake that cost it big time. Hey, at least you all won the Super Bowl a few years ago and will probably be favored to make it back again next year.

• The commercials were really lame - not a good crop this year in my opinion. Babies talking about day trading? A house made out of Bud Lite cans? The old Chicago Bears doing a short parody of their song from the 1980s? A dog tricking a guy into giving him his Doritos? Guys walking around without any pants on? Building a human bridge so a truck full of Bud can get into town? Seriously? Oh man, these are baaaaad TV commercials....mostly because they were boring and predictable. Some people liked the Snickers ad where a guy who isn't pulling his weight during a backyard football game is depicted by Betty White until he eats a Snickers bar and gets back to being his real self. But...yeah...really? Not very imaginative. The only one that came close to eliciting any type of response from me was the Miller High Life ad in which the company "gave over" its ad time to four or five small business owners who quickly (and humorously) introduced themselves and their company names.

• The Who are over the hill - I am a Who fan. Any of you not Who fans need to go back and listen to their music. This was a ground breaking band from London that rivaled the Beatles in the 60s and the Stones in the 70s. Pete Townsend is a musical genius and the Who created some major, major rock songs. But, they're old now. And it shows. Diane and I saw them live 10 years or so ago and at that point they were still vital and, to me, relevant. They also still had original bassist John Entwistle back then. He subsequently died a few years ago. Anyway, at best the Super Bowl halftime gave those not in the know about the Who perhaps something to look into. For me, it was just a reminder that all people get old - even rock stars.

• I was really glad to hunker down and watch a whole Super Bowl - because I am usually traveling for work on Super Bowl Sunday, this was the first Super Bowl since the Seahawks played in the big game that I was able to be at home, on my own couch and watch the entire game. Usually I'm in some hotel bar at a industry event watching bits and pieces of the game as I chat up colleagues, media and others.