LOS ANGELES - October 2, 2008 - Like most people, very much of my brain has been recently consumed by the odd things happening to the global economy.  The parts of my brain not consumed by the general oddness have been consumed by the especially disheartening spectacle of my country’s supposed leaders playing with one another’s genitals when they might want to stand up and actually lead.

The last ten or so day have been an object lesson in just how rare a quality true leadership really is.  As rare as true talent.  Just as it is exotic to find a painter, dancer, center fielder, soprano, brick layer, chemical engineer or mid wife who excel in their art, craft or labor, it is just as rare to find a politician who excels in terms of leadership.

Yes, this opens a debate as to whether the actual calling of a political is or should be to lead, but that’s for another day.

I’ve rarely seem a hot potato tossed about with such abandon.  Rarely seen such a rush to judgment accompanied by so much hyperbole and panic.  Rarely seen the exercise of political will so poorly  employed.

To wit, no matter whether you believe the bailout (cunningly relabeled a “rescue plan” of late) is a good idea or not, it seems quite obvious that before the people in the highest offices in the country going running about waving their arms over their heads screaming that the end is nigh if we don’t fucking take action right away, they should have a damn good sense that the action thy propose will indeed be taken.  Better than fifty percent.  Far better.

There is a thing called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It’s not that I am a suddenly disillusioned starry-eyed optimist.   Our political system is corrupt.  Not just dysfunctional, but corrupt.  Far as I’m concerned, that’s a given.

But you’d like to think that in the midst of a massive shit storm someone up there might step to the plate.

We’re told the markets are suffering from a lack of confidence.  Well, a great deal of that lack of confidence is currently being generated not by weak balance sheets and laughable quarterlies, but by the clown car rolling around Capital Hill.

It has caused me to reflect on the last public figure I saw display startlingly true leadership in a crisis.  Rudy Giuliani.

For the record, Rudy is a scumbag.  I thought he was a scumbag from the moment he took office as mayor of New York, and he never did a thing to change my mind, until 9/11.

It was a bizarre contradiction for me, watching Rudy take control, give comfort, lead in the truest sense.  It was, no lie, fucking inspiring.  That is a man who had his finest fucking hour when he was most needed.

Yes he quickly reverted to scumbag, yes, in the following years many of the claims he made about what he did in those hours and weeks were exposed as lies, and, yes, his presidential bid made a mockery of what should have stood as his legacy.

But, at the time, when it was needed, he stepped to the front, took control, told many truths about what was happening, didn’t fuck things up any worse  than they had to be, gave comfort, and lead the city.

Bravo, Scumbag, bravo.

Why I’m bringing him up is, well, because I kind of expected it to happen again.  This last week, as things got more and more absurd, I kept expecting someone to step into the light, take point, and say, Hey, enough fucking bullshit, we’re in a fucking mess and this is what we have to do and this is why and I’m gonna walk everyone through it.  

So, yes, a little starry-eyed maybe.  But was that too much to half-expect?  To hope for?  That there might have been one person in the midst of this fiasco who could…

Fuck it.

The point is, what really surprised me is that I had any brain left to be eaten by anything.   I had thought my daughter had eaten it all.  Babies, they’re totally like zombies, have you noticed?  Ravenous, babbling, lurching around, eating your brains.

Anyfuckingway, between my dear zombie daughter and the money going boom I forgot, literally forgot, that I had a book published on Tuesday.

Funny or sad, not sure.

Hey, readers, gather round, EVERY LAST DROP is on the shelves at a retail outlet near you.  A tale of impending vampire apocalypse to entertain you.  My love on every page.

Seriously there, my love on every page.  Books ain’t cheap, belts will be worn tighter this winter, and I want to thank everyone plunking down their dollars for my words.

Be well,

-c