Political Entertainment

I ask myself these days why I moved up to Canada. I thought that formal political back and fore’s in the U.S. is boring. Congressional hearings, from Contras to Lewinsky, were exercises in tedium. By contrasts, the questioning periods of parliamentary proceedings are so much more exciting—it comes with its own laugh track. I thought I would go for the entertainment. Now, we have Gordon Campbell in B.C. refusing to answer question and Stephen Harper looking completely devoid of wits in Ottawa. Questioning periods are going to be the kingdoms of boredom. Down south, however, congressional hearings have become fertile grounds for new use of words and history. First there is Donald Rumsfeld with his inventive use of logic, words and grammar. Lately, they have Alberto Gonzalez’s updated version of history. The entertainment value of these processing is sky high. There is a new level of suspense—what will be said next and where the English language is going next. All I can say is “I want my C-Span!”