James Carville had a wry observation on the “Situation Room” yesterday:

Wolf Blitzer: James, from the narrow political perspective, forget about jobs and the economy, talks politics right now, who wins, who loses in this showdown that we saw last night in the Senate between Republicans and Democrats?

James Carville: You know, I hate to give this kind of Washington answer, but they asked Henry Kissinger asked what were the effects of the French revolution and he said too early to tell.

Here’s the observation in fuller form, from a piece Carville wrote for the Financial Times in 2007:

When it comes to judging Mr Rove’s political career, I am reminded of Chinese premier Zhou Enlai’s meeting with Henry Kissinger in the 1970s, when Mr Kissinger asked, “What do you think of the French Revolution?” Zhou replied: “It’s too soon to tell.”

Or, perhaps, a bit of Blagojevich irony?

Jesse Jackson, quoted in Esquire (via Instapundit):

“A man who cannot be enticed by money or intimidated by the threat of jail or death has two of the strongest weapons that anyone has to offer.”

What’s more entertaining than Rod Blagojevich leaving politics?  How about Pacquiao entering politics.

Never heard of the Filipino boxing sensation?  No worries.  These excerpts from Philboxing speak the universal language of distaste of politicians:

Once more, Pacquiao has become a victim of his own success.

His eight-round methodical drubbing of boxing’s former golden boy Oscar de la Hoya made him the logical and apparent heir as king of pay per view tickets.

On his shoulders rests the onus of carrying the load of boxing’s waning popularity following the expected exit of de la Hoya, the sport’s biggest draw and cash cow.

At 29 years old, boxing superstardom and legacy are the Filipino’s to lose if he chose to ignore the honor he grabbed from de la Hoya and now is bestowed upon him….

Manny’s announced intention to take a leave from boxing two or three fights from now to get into the dirty world of politics is like turning his back on the sports that made him a crossover household name everywhere in the world.

…

Life after boxing does not mean politics. Maybe five years after he quit the sports when all vultures hanging around and leeches sticking on him no longer see it fit to be pictured alongside with him.

He can still be the magnanimous Manny even in retirement and outside of politics. …

But he can not be the same Manny when he joins politics. At this time when he is the saving grace of the country, joining partisan politics will erode his stature as a unifying factor of this troubled country.

Think politics has a bad reputation in The Philippines?

A Judy Tropinka ad against Rod Blagojevich from the 2006 Illinois governor campaign …

Who to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate?

Would you believe, Fran Drescher?

From the nanny state to, well, the nanny.

Just remember what we learned in “Saturday Night Fever”: The New York Times don’t make the man …

Spare the Rod, spoil the Blagojevich …

PA WaterCooler.com runs this Blagojevich-related item:

Charlie on the Pa Turnpike commenting on Fitzmas on Facebook:

There could be an easy way to appoint an untainted Senate candidate to fulfill Pres. Elect Obama’s seat: name a Republican

Yes. Brilliant idea.

We need Iron Mike in the Senate.

We can say that Ditka sure looks good in those Senate hearing rooms.

Why was Rod Blagojevich trying to influence the Chicago Tribune?  Blogs are the future, not print.  Probably makes Sam Zell feel good people are still reading his paper.

Putting the OY in BlagOYevich.

It’s been awhile since we spotted T.S. Eliot in the Washington Post.

Michael Gerson today breaks the dry spell:

Days after the Mumbai attacks, the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism claimed that a chemical, biological or nuclear terrorist attack is likely before the end of 2013. “Our margin of safety is shrinking, not growing,” it concluded.

People naturally tend to mentally bury such risk. Wrote T.S. Eliot: “It is hard for those who live near a Police Station/To believe in the triumph of violence.”

A fine use of Eliot.  Just like Margaret Thatcher in 2000 at the Hoover Institution:

The Cold War did not end all war. Nor are all modern revolutions beneficent or scientific ones. And in much of the world peace is a febrile, fragile thing. As T.S. Eliot once put it:

It is hard for those who live near a Police Station To believe in the triumph of violence. Do you think that the Faith has conquered the World And that lions no longer need keepers?

We hope we don’t have to wait unitl April, the cruelest month, for another spotting of T.S. Eliot.

Shades of Radical Chic?

Here’s Move On on the Upper West Side, grappling with the reality of an Obama administration — which, of course,they wanted.

By the way, New York Magazine puts this in the YouTube category of “Comedy.”  Tom Wolfe couldn’t have said it better himself.  Too bad there isn’t also a YouTube category for “Adorably Earnest.”  Also, too bad Leonard Bernstein isn’t in the crowd.