AGAIN TODAY, my journal writing has little to do with the photograph(s); except, of course, my friends who met for lunch are indeed Americans who are being affected by what's going on in Washington.

Good Luck with That, America

Massachusetts has elected Republican Newbie politician Scott Brown to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of veteran senator, Edward Kennedy. Wow! It’s time to pay attention! First Sarah Palin, acknowledged “hot,” perhaps rising star in the Republican Party; and now Cosmopolitan centerfold Scottie has burst onto the American political scene with dazzling smile blazing. The situation begs the question: What's going on here? Barack Obama isn’t exactly chopped liver, and Michelle Obama is easy on the eye as she graces the covers of America’s fashion magazines with arms daringly exposed. Most people agree that Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Mary Matlin, and her husband James Carville do more for their parties when they are heard and not seen. Media savvy strategists for both parties know that Americans are suckers for a pretty face... and other attractive body parts. To a certain extent, pretty people have always had the edge in all aspects of American life; how else do we explain the trophy-wives-for-rich-old-geezers phenomenon and Ronald Reagan? And do you remember how tall and, yes, handsome George Washington was before he lost his teeth, which wouldn’t even be a problem today? Most strategists agree that Honest Abe Lincoln wouldn’t stand a chance of becoming a media darling today. And strategists in both parties would probably turn thumbs down on FDR because he couldn’t hide his wheel chair or Eleanor as easily today. I don’t know how to explain Richard Nixon and Joe Lieberman... and even Arni Schwarzenegger is something of a puzzle. His cute little accent is endearing, and people forget his face when he takes his shirt off.

Now, back to Sarah Palin: that move was a mistake for the Republican Party... maybe. On second thought, who cares if she can’t come up with the name of a founding father in under two minutes or that she had thought all those years that the little island off the coast of Alaska was Russia. She’s got it straight now and she’s still hot and that’s what matters. And she reads and writes: all national news papers and magazines and she writes book(s?)... sort of, with a little help. Besides, she’s a bonafide born-again-Christian, and that counts for a lot with many, many, many American voters... and Fox had hired her on as a news analyst... O.K., O.K., so I was probably wrong to characterize her as a bimbo. Maybe she does represent the Party the way the Party wants to be represented.

As for Scott Brown, he’s not yet dry behind... the ears or whatever. Let’s hope he’s not a bimbo. He said three sentences in his acknowledgment speech. The third phrase made me a little uneasy. He shouted, “...and I drive a truck!” He didn’t say anything about a gun rack. It would be a shame to waste that killer smile, so he's already being mentioned as a potential candidate for the presidency. He’s been discovered by America now. He can always get help writing a how-to tea party book or maybe even get into the movies if the thing in Washington doesn’t work out. Guys his age are “in.” And I’d bet good money that he wouldn’t have trouble getting back on the cover of Cosmopolitan... this time for real money, especially for the photo spread if he’d move his hands just a couple of inches in any direction. And there’ll always be a spot for him on “Dancing With the Stars.”