The Grey Lady in the Magic Year

Even in its increasingly addled dotage under the reign of the much ridiculed Pinch Sulzberger, the New York Times knows that it is undignified to gloat and it does not do so in yesterday's editorial. 

But while it would unbecoming, that is its right.  For yet again the Times has gotten what it wants and always seems to get delivered: a competition between three corporate, centrist candidates.  

How centrist is the triumvirate? Suffice to say that the two Democratic frontrunners have been the recipient of praise from the likes of George Will and Ann Coulter respectively.  As for the other side of the aisle, it is now being conveniently forgotten that their anointed was the Dems top choice for VP in 2004.  

And the Democrats who were breathlessly burnishing the halo around St. John are now in the awkward position of having to attempt to dislodge it during 2008.

But even within this catharsis of bipartisanism, a veritable group orgasm of centrist rectitude, the Grey Lady remains ill it ease.  

For it appears that after having been fed their bowls of gruel, the rank and file of the parties is not devouring theirs with sufficient enthusiasm, the most conspicuous indication being the torrent of abuse emanating from supporters of vanquished (or yet to be vanquished) candidates. 

This can indeed be frightening in its intensity, as the Times sagely observes.

Of most concern are the Obama supporters, glazed eyes, mantra chanting, gesticulating wildly, their attachment is exclusively to their shining star, their light of lights, their host of hosts. For while the trajectory from the political equivalent of Hare Krishna to Rev. Moon is not such a long one, the reprogramming cannot be accomplished overnight.

Taking their cue from the ravishing Michelle Obama, their partisan pledge of omerta has become suspect:  Will they kiss the ring of the new Don as directed by the party godfathers? 

Not likely, it seems, if it is not their anointed.

And indeed it is becoming clear that the outcome of the campaign will be decided in the virtual equivalent of a smoke filled room.  For the dirty secret is that a full 20% of convention votes are allotted to "super delegates", party insiders whose services from the Clinton spousal unit are now being demanded.  What seems likely is that the Obama cult will have attracted sufficient acolytes to have won a substantial majority of the pledged delegates, but this is likely to be thwarted by Clintoneque arm twisting.

The potential unrest is bad news for the Times and the rentier class to whom they direct their communiqués, and hence the Grey Lady's fretful unease.

But it could very well be good news for the rest of us.  Of course, it is unlikely that most of the Obama cultists will have sufficiently thrown off their shackles to actively support an insurgent, third party candidate. 

The poor dears will have been bruised and battered by their virgin encounter with hardball political reality.  

They will need to confront their grief and to initiate the "healing process".

But a few will have recovered quickly enough to drag themselves to the polls in November to cast a vote for whichever variant of none-of-the-above is available.

If the Greens can position themselves properly- and that means a Nader-McKinney or McKinney-Nader ticket- this might be their year for the 5% showing which eluded them in 2000 and 2004.