Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Morning things

When I awake in the morning, I usually put my radio earplugs in and catch NPR's Morning Edition. However, I stopped doing that about a month ago, tuning into ESPN radio instead. The news once again has gotten too depressing and, moreso, too predictable. I was hoping for a new political rhythm with Obama but he can't buckle the old habits. For all his strengths, his weakness is shyness about taking on the opposition. He may be too nice to be president, trying to please too many folks. We need some scolding rhetoric from him, FDR rhetoric, and we've gotten a tiny bit of that but not nearly enough.

So I listen to sports instead, as good an escape as any.


Looks like a good class! Small world. A lady auditing the class was a volunteer for the New Rose Theatre 25 yrs ago when I was the resident playwright.


Helping H load up art for her next opening this morning. Lots of physical labor to being a painter!


After helping H, want to spend time with my ass in my 0ffice chair, looking around, getting ready for the long fall term haul of writing and studying.


I made a 25th anniversary DVD of JT, for friends, maybe to sell at cost at the showing.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The office

Well, the university office is still here, as quiet as ever. My classroom is close, on the floor below, so little hiking required this term. It's a high tech classroom with computer, screen, the works. I'm ready to go!

Death as celebration: a modest proposal

In our culture, death is feared and therefore made invisible. We hide the old and dying in hospitals and hospices and senior living facilities. We wait for death. Sometimes we realize that our loved ones have no quality of life but still we wait. The sooner the better, we think. But we still wait.

We should do better than this. We need a cultural ritual that approaches death as the end of something worth celebrating, i.e. an individual life. This could be done by combining elements of the wake and physician-assisted suicide: a celebration that ends in voluntary dying, death, not in misery after prolonged waiting but as the culmination of a celebration of a life.

Fat chance it will ever happen. But something like this would be a hell of a lot more humane than our cultural policy of warehousing the old, waiting for them to die.

Classes begin

Well, we finally begin the new term. I have a leisurely morning of last minute prep work, printing rosters and such, then off to the university this afternoon. After class, a rush to the airport to pick up H and fall begins in earnest.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Klugman on climate


Every once in a while I feel despair over the fate of the planet. If you’ve been following climate science, you know what I mean: the sense that we’re hurtling toward catastrophe but nobody wants to hear about it or do anything to avert it.

And here’s the thing: I’m not engaging in hyperbole. These days, dire warnings aren’t the delusional raving of cranks. They’re what come out of the most widely respected climate models, devised by the leading researchers. The prognosis for the planet has gotten much, much worse in just the last few years.

Read more

Art Scatter

Although it's called a Portland-centric arts and culture blog, Art Scatter, written by the not-quite-retired senior drama critic of The Oregonian, Bob Hicks (with occasional posts by others), will interest anyone interested in the arts and good writing about it. Cyberspace gives Hicks much more room to flex his own creative muscles, and this is a blog that will go onto your "daily read" list.

The Oregon game

Had breakfast at Nobby's and Greg, the owner, was cooking. His wife was there and we started chatting, catching up, and by the time I remembered to order breakfast, G was delivering it, having started my regular breakfast as soon as I walked in. Been having the same one for 30 years. At any rate, he was at the game in Eugene on Saturday and said the crowd went nuts when the team came out in their OLD uniforms! I wonder if they learned a lesson. We'll see this coming weekend.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

The old man

I feel like I'm 70 going on 90, which is to say, I finished my outdoor chores. I quit for the day. The office will have to wait until tomorrow or later.

While editing Sally, I felt like I was 70 going on 40. My mind is in better shape than my body.

It's pathetic, actually, how quickly I tire doing physical work these days. Hard to imagine I was once a jock!

But a time for everything and this is my time to be a mentally alert, physically tuckered out old man. No point in complaining.

Chores

Finished patching the driveway this morning. Still yard work and office chores to do before school starts Tuesday.

Phoned H in SF and she's having fun with her girlfriends. Will spend tomorrow with her son down there, then home Tues night after my class.

Sketch got a good run in the park this morning with a sheep dog that kept herding him. Fortunately no fights resulted. Now Sketch is conked out on the bed.

What's in a jersey?

Football pundits just can't figure out how Oregon turned into a football powerhouse against heavily favored Cal yesterday. I have the answer. They discarded their ridiculous ballet costumes and put on old-fashioned football jerseys. They actually looked like football players for a change -- and played accordingly. Now we'll see what they do next week.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Sloppy football

I haven't seen a game today that wasn't filled with sloppy errors: false starts, illegal procedures, fumbles, interceptions, missing open receivers, bad sportsmen calls after the play is over. Poor quality playing today. Not sure why.

Surprise

Did the gods hear my rant about designer uniforms? Oregon came out wearing "throw backs" from their pre-Nike-puppet past, looking like a football team rather than a ballet company -- and have a 25-3 halftime lead over ranked Cal, just killing them. Old school wins so far. I love it.

Designer uniforms

I hate designer football uniforms. I hate the fact that the showboat of this fad is my alma mater Oregon, the university subsidized by Nike. I see Cincinnati also has gone the designer uniform route, which is why I hope Fresno State upsets them today. Fortunately my other alma mater, UCLA, not only has no designer uniforms but no NIKE uniforms, they are one of the very few college football teams who haven't bought into the swoosh mania. Go Bruins!

It's almost embarrassing to root for Oregon when they wear these silly uniforms. They look like they belong in a musical, not a football game. If Cal, with traditional sensible uniforms, beats them to a pulp today, I won't even be upset. I don't know how Oregon is going to divorce Nike -- a university president with balls would help -- but it sure must happen for me to get enthusiastic about them again.

Being useful

Made a batch of scrapple, which is one way to feel useful this morning. Tried sausage from a different butcher and added lamb. See how it turns out tomorrow morning.

Some possible upsets this morning. I'm usually for upsets.

Brooding about my last days. Not morbidly but practically, options for various scenarios.

Game day

Yesterday was a weird unproductive funk of a day. Today, at least, I have the long distraction of college football games. Must be the funk before school starts. So be it.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Rush hour

Delivered H to the airport this morning, navigating rush hour traffic, something I've been spared throughout my life. Jeez, how the other half lives ha ha.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

High school football

Stumbled upon an Oregon h.s. football game live on ESPN. Remarkable. And cool.

My syllabus at the copy center. H off on a long weekend, meeting lady friends in SF.

Think about it


In the United States:

A McDonald's Is Never More Than 107 Miles Away



Source

Mortality

I'm feeling particularly mortal this morning. Maybe it's the approaching birthday. I don't have all that many left -- and I'm fine with that. I'm fine with everything except hanging around after my quality of life has deteriorated. No thanks.

My goal for the rest of the year is to finish a draft of my army novel. I won't be into the rhythm of that until school starts but it can be done. It can be done.

Today is make the final syllabus day and take it to the copy center. Mostly done.

Two big video nights in early October for the review.

I look forward to the 25th anniversary showing of Juniper Tavern!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

New in journal

A visit with Doug Spangle.

Doug Spangle


Really good interview with Spangle yesterday. Usually I try to edit these to 15 or 20 minutes but I had so much good material I'm posting it in two parts, about half an hour interview all together. I'm pleased with it. Should be online later today or tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Exaggeration

Rec'd an email this morning in which I'm called "the leading scholar on hyperdrama", but I doubt if this is true, the operative word being "scholar." I may well be the leading creator of hyperdrama, or at least I know of no one who comes close to the number of hyperdrama works I've had produced, even though my best (Chekhov) has never been produced. I'm also given credit for coining the term, which may or may not be true. I'll accept it until proven otherwise. But I've had seven hyperdramas done, which is a lot in this very small field. And most of these were produced 20 years ago. I was one of the first playwrights to become obsessed with the form, I think.

Disease, doctors & death

I have my annual physical in a couple weeks. I wonder, Is this the year I have the "inevitable argument" with my doctor? This will happen when I "get something" and refuse treatment for it. I've decided to do this for a variety of reasons:
  • I've watched too many friends suffer and die from cures worse than the disease
  • I've lived a blessed life and don't intend to screw it up at the end
  • I don't believe in quantity of life over quality of life
  • I have no special reason to hang around beyond "the natural course of things"
  • Nature wins, and I see no reason to dispute the inevitable

I'm not suicidal, though there are circumstances, unpleasant ones, that would make me suicidal. I'd love for the gods to give me enough years to finish a few projects I'd like to do before I pass. But what happens, happens -- and I'm fine with everything that happens with one exception, I am kept alive when my quality of life is gone. I will make sure this doesn't happen if I have power to do so.

Now I doubt if my doctor at the moment approves of this attitude. I've seen clues, and this subject was hinted at last visit. For example, she wants me to have a colonoscopy. Well, I've already had two. That's enough for a lifetime -- but the point is, it would be pointless because if it discovered anything, I wouldn't do anything about it anyway. I am very serious here: I am in a mode that will let nature take its course and I have absolutely no faith in modern medicine. I've had too many friends suffer from it, each being told "well, we've made so many advances since then," and being talked into treatment they initially were against. I refuse to do that. I've had a blessed life. If it ends tomorrow, it ends tomorrow. If it ends in five years, it ends in five years. The gods will let me know.

Monday, September 21, 2009

No accounting for taste

I reread my novel Kerouac's Scroll today, it's short, and I came away feeling proud to have written it. Admittedly, no one has taken much interest in it, its fans can be counted on one hand, maybe its readers on two ha ha, but I very much own up to this one. It's full of real stuff (if I say so myself, which I just did).

Inexpensive video editing


I'm a firm believer in buying earlier versions of software at bargain prices. For example, at Amazon there are incredibly good buys on version 2 of Adobe Premiere Elements, a great video editing program. I've used this version myself, though I mostly use version 3, which I also bought when it was an "old" version (ver. 8 is soon to be released). I mean, check these prices, it's a steal:

PE 2 at Amazon.

PE 3 at Amazon.

The genius of Sgt. Pepper


Stopped by Starbucks this eve and at the cash register I found a new CD of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper and couldn't resist it. Haven't owned it in many years -- but perfectly, perfectly remember the first time I heard it. We were visiting "Sally"'s relatives in Utah, sitting on the floor at her home with the new record, and both completely, utterly blown away by the emotional impact and the structural genius of the album. Listening now, I haven't changed my mind at all. Was that the last piece of "pop music" to blow me away? It might have been. And that's good -- getting blown away too often cheapens "genius", after all. One or two geniuses a generation are plenty (Bob Dylan, the Beatles).

The "2nd side" of Sgt. Pepper especially blows me away. (But Abbey Road is probably my favorite album by them.)

There are only a handful of songs about which I remember the exact context of first hearing them: Little Walter's "My Babe," Little Richard's "Jenny Jenny," Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day," Ramblin' Jack Elliott's Woody Guthrie album, Sgt. Pepper, Sinatra's Only the Lonely album.

Royalties

I get a number of regular royalties checks from my work over the years, usually small, but today one came that was almost 4x greater than usual. A sweet surprise! Somewhere book sales were much better than usual. And it's not my birthday until next month. (I told H at dinner tonight, no, please, I don't want a party. I want 2 for the price of 1 dinners at the Japanese buffet, our twice-a-year habit. I'll let the Dec. 9th showing of Juniper Tav be my "celebration".)

It's official

Mark your calendar! Wed., Dec 9, 7-930 pm, the 25th anniversary showing of my ACE award-winning play, Christmas at the Juniper Tavern, the original public television telecast. More info will soon be posted here. (I look so young!).

The week begins

A good early start, reworking my syllabus for the new term. Glad to get that mostly out of the way.

Still some office chores to do. A video interview tomorrow. Great hot weather is supposed to be ahead, which I hope is true.

And next week classes begin. Tempus fugit.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Final week

A week before school starts. Chores to finish! My syllabus to rework!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

UCLA gets by

Despite a sloppy game on offense filled with immature errors -- false starts, unnecessary roughness after a play is over -- UCLA hung in and won their 3rd in a row. Lots of potential in this team but lots of improvement to do -- and the coach well knows this. I have high hopes for this team down the road.

The day's bad news, BYU got creamed by Florida State. BYU was nationally ranked and the favorite and had worked hard to get respect, being in a conference ignored by pollsters, and this sets them back several years. Too bad.

Seattle! Seattle! Seattle!

2 come from behind wins by the Mariners get followed today by the University of Washington upsetting the mighty Trojans of USC. Fantastic! What a party time for Seattle fans.

Epigrams by Bill Deemer



Deleted by request

--Bill Deemer

2 glorious nights

It's been a tough season to be a Mariners fan. The first half of the season promised playoff contention but the team never recovered from a post-All-Star game slump. This made Thurs and Fri nights especially delicious.

Suzuki gives Seattle stunning 3-2 win



SEATTLE (AP)—This time, there was no where for Ichiro Suzuki to run and hide.

A day after scurrying away from his Seattle teammates in the outfield following a game-winning hit, Suzuki had no choice but to face the mob waiting at home plate.


Story


A game-winning hit in the 14th on Thurs, a game-winning home run against the Yankees and the best relief pitcher in baseball on Fri night. S0mething to cheer about!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Finding rhythm

Up in the silent hours, ah my routine. Doing some prep work for a DVD I'm making, a Christmas gift for a few friends.

Eager for school to start actually, get into the rhythm of the fall.

It was a good summer after all. Started slowly in terms of productive work but my best video came out of it so I can't complain.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The trip

Random thoughts about the Idaho trip:
  • The psychic exhaustion surprised me. I'm used to greater physical exhaustion during travel as I age but this trip into my late buddy's home turf, to visit his mom and sons, brought a sadness of his passing that caught me off guard, or I suppose its intensity is what surprised me.
  • The west still has vast open spaces, despite growth. On the small roads of northern Idaho and eastern Washington, palouse country, not much has changed to the eye.
  • I don't enjoy traveling as much as I used to. I suppose I'll continue to do less of it.
  • We already decided that next summer's trip will be different, less travel and more staying put, rent a cabin somewhere and spend a week or so.
  • It's always great to return home.



Went to the university and signed my contract for the year. Feels official.

My online hyperdrama class will be a tough challenge: it's 15 weeks, starting in late January. I hope I get the minimum number of students.

Picked up some Chesterton books. Thinking of maybe writing a one-person script.

Man, it's nice to be home. Sketch, a superb traveler, thinks so, too.

Ah, home!

Catch up chores this morning before I can settle down and take a deep breath and catch up here. But the short answer is, It sure is great to be home! Travel is nice, though generally nicer for H than for myself, but returning home is really nice.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

More tomorrow or ...?

Much more to say about the Idaho trip but I'm exhausted. Over and out.

Home sweet home

QED.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Homeward bound

I'm eager to get home but H is still in vacation mode for our two days back. Nothing to do but go with the flow. Breakfast with my godsons then hit the road. We'll take a different way back, maybe across Washington. Lots to do when I get back and I'm itching to do it. I'm not a very good traveler in my old age.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Moscow

A gorgeous trip "the back way" from Orofino to Moscow, via Kendrick and Troy, through the spectacular wheat fields of north Idaho, the palouse country. Shot some great video. Now resting for a second wind and "socializing."

Lewiston

A beautiful morning in Lewiston. I love the hills that rise off the Snake River here. L. gets hotter than other towns in the area for some reason, which H doesn't like, be we'll be out of here after a morning meeting with an old friend. Then back to see Esther again and then the back way to Moscow to see Dick's sons. Home tomorrow, taking two days, maybe via Yakimah.

More close games last night, both USC and Oregon squeaking by. I won't watch today, not really interested in pro ball except now and again.

Contracts for school are ready. Go in and do that on Wednesday.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Down to the wire

UCLA hung in, Notre Dame didn't, in two games that went down to the last play.

On the road



Friday, 9/11. We rented a mid-sized Mazda this morning and headed for Idaho! The rental rests our old Chevy and makes an adventure of it. Knew we'd take two days but went farther on day one than expected because the seats were more comfortable. Had hoped to stay in Waitsburg, WA, an old favorite little town and sometimes stomping ground in my younger days, but it's dying on the vine, both motels closed. Up the road to Dayton, another fav, and got a room across from the golf course where we like to have breakfast when we're out this way. So we'll do that tomorrow, then the short leg to Lewiston and up the Clearwater to Orofino to see 90 y/o Esther.

Saturday. Sketch and I are raring to go at 7, H is sleeping. So we don't what we usually do. We wait. Maybe we'll go explore.

About 3 hrs. to our destination from here. Lots of good football I'll miss, Notre Dame and Michigan, UCLA and Tennessee, but maybe at the motel tonight I can catch some of USC and Ohio State and, of course, the day's scoreboard.

A beautiful day! It will be a beautiful drive up the Clearwater River to Orofino, one of the under-rated and little known gems in the northwest.

Well, now Sketch went back to sleep. If you can't beat em, join em.


In a motel in Lewiston, a zoo since it ends up being Roundup Days. Catching the last half of a tied UCLA game.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Catch up

Mostly a day of catching up on necessary chores: home, yard, school. Got done what I wanted to get done.

Mellow, mellow.

New in journal


Portland Institute of Contemporary Art's Time-Based Art Festival 2009, a small sampling of a large exhibit.

Strokes

More positive feedback on Deconstructing Sally has drifted my way, including its being recommended by one of my favorite professors from those years, which I consider a real honor. Haven't had something earn so much praise in a long time.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Sneak preview


Sometime in December, during the holiday season, we'll be showing Christmas at the Juniper Tavern at the Blackbird Wine Shop. I have the original 1984 public television version on DVD. Stay tuned for details.

Vacation of the mind

I feel like I'm on vacation, which is good for an old workaholic like myself. Not often my head isn't buzzing with some story-in-progress or another. Well, there's always some of that but it's not obsessive as it often is. I'm in a relaxed, mellow mood, in these weeks before school. I like it.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

New in journal


Oregon Women's Caucus for Art, show at First Unitarian Church.

Rhythm

I don't think I'll be back into a writing rhythm until after school starts. I have prep work for the new term, and I'm still brooding on the rest of the cold war story ... so I'm not demanding any creative work from myself for the next several weeks. But then I hope to hit the novel hard and finish the draft before year's end. It's doable if the story clarifies. So brooding is really the best work for me to do at the moment.

Had a good online chat with E. in Bali last night. Found her online and paged her with Yahoo! chat, she actually answered. It was great fun to connect with her in real time.

Heard from L., who is in a funk. You can't get creative people out of a funk. All you can do is say I've been there, know what you're going through.

We plan to catch a movie this afternoon, the new "smart" scifi that's out. See if the reviews are right.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Best miniseries ever?


I'm only 3 hrs into the decades-old BBC miniseries "Oppenheimer" about the Manhattan Project but it is every bit as brilliant as I remember it. This, of course, is one of the drama-packed moments in American history. This show catches all the nuances with strong writing, strong acting, strong direction. It's gripping, complex, suspenseful. An incredible achievement. If you haven't seen it, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Whew

Couldn't connect at the coffee shop this morning. All the same except my browser wouldn't open. Hmm, my fault or theirs? Fortunately, here I am connected at home, so it's apparently not something with the netbook.

Doesn't feel like Labor Day. Memorable Labor Day: my tribute to the Wobblies a number of years ago. A few years after that a woman told me my rendition of "Miner's Life" then gave her goosebumps. I almost NEVER get a compliment on music, so this was special.

No big plans for the day.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Rain, wind, grunt work

Catching up on computer chores today. Put the Anderson video interview online, prepared v4n1 of the review for DVD. Next up, v4n2.

A party tonight and I am actually in the mood for it, which is very rare these days, It's a belated wedding celebration. I think I may have a good time, also rare. I'm such a loner as an old man.

But I very much look forward to our trip to Idaho. I can't drive a lot of miles in a day any more but I still like being on the road. I think I could live in a van actually. Travel light. Not likely to happen but I think I could do it.

New in journal


Martin Anderson at the Multnomah Art Center.

Sunday morning quarterback

A good full Saturday of college football. Personal highlights:
  • Not once, not twice but three times Navy handed Ohio State life in what could have been the biggest upset in their history. They gave away 16 pts. as 3-touchdown underdogs and still lost by only 4 points. If they can keep their cool, they might have an unusually good season. Of course, clearly Ohio State was overranked.
  • BYU did hang in and upset Oklahoma. Like to see these small western conferences earn respect.
  • UCLA won but it was closer than it should have been but the new freshman QB looked good.
  • Washington gave LSU a game before folding.

Also managed to rough cut a video and today I'll polish and find and add a soundtrack.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Close but no cigar

Navy went to #6 Ohio State as a three touchdown underdog. They lost by 4 points -- and gave away 16 points in turnovers! Ah, what might have been!

During the Notre Dame game, not close, did some multitasking and edited a rough cut of Martin Anderson's opening at the Multnomah Art Center. Lots of details to fill in but it's looking good.

More good games tonight. Hoping Washington upsets LSU. Hoping UCLA wins as the fav.

Friday, September 04, 2009

A Friday that feels like Friday

Not getting much beyond grunt work done today. Did a bit of maintenance on the van. Cleaned up my blog template. And revisited a favorite drama.

In 1980 the BBC did a miniseries on Oppenheimer that was excellent. I am revisiting it on DVD and saw the first of nine hours today. First rate historic drama! Sam Waterston in the lead, This will be some exciting viewing ahead,

Looking forward to an upcoming Idaho trip. First, looking forward to a full day of college football tomorrow.

Tonight visiting an art opening, shooting some video.

Salmon Poet

Bush league

Oregon embarrassed itself on national television, first by playing perhaps its worst game in history but then, much worse, by its star running back turning into a punk and punching out a Boise player and going nuts. If this guy isn't quickly kicked off the team, it will be more embarrassing still.

LATER. He's suspended for the year. Too lenient.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

New blog

Been thinking about this for a while.

Emil & Hank Have Coffee

Last night's readings online

Last night's First Wednesday readings are now online here.

Violence


CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – Gunmen broke into a drug rehabilitation center, lined people against a wall and shot 17 dead in a particularly bloody day in Mexico's relentless drug war. The brazen attack followed the killing of the No. 2 security official in President Felipe Calderon's home state.

The attackers on Wednesday broke down the door of El Aliviane center in Ciudad Juarez, lined up their victims against a wall and opened fire, said Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the regional prosecutors' office.

Source

Violence in Mexico has gotten incredibly out of hand. You can't wish something like this away. Reality bites. If you want to get rid of this, you face it head on -- and this is ugly. Reality bites.

Imbalance

One of the unfortunate consequences of a life in the arts, and this is true for artists at all levels and in all forms but one, is the disconnect, the imbalance, between act and reaction. That is, the writer is "highest" upon completion of the work but there is no audience for the work then. The origin of post partem depression in the arts is here: the universal silence that greets the completion of the work. Appreciation, if there is any, comes later. By then, if the gap is long enough, the artist may already be at work on something else, the energies of serial monogamy blunting connection to past work. The exception, of course, is the performing artist, who faces the audience in real time and gets to feel the immediate reaction.

This comes to mind because already my video appears to have disappeared into oblivion, two weeks after its completion. It still will be seen and appreciated, of course, but I'll hear little of it, and now I'm moving on to my army novel. Ah, me. What a life.

Grunt work

First Wednesday readings last night to edit, as much grunt work for the day as I want. Not much to editing these really, crank up the sound, fix the visual balance, zoom in and let her go. Mostly time consuming: rendering video!

The football season starts tonight. I can't wait. I'm especially into it this year. An age thing, I think, the older I get, the more I appreciate entertaining distractions.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

One day until college football season

Tonight is First Wednesday. Tomorrow is the Oregon football game, starting the season. Fall is in the air.

I am reading a remarkable book: Unscientific America: how scientific illiteracy threatens our future. I've gone full circle with science & culture, from scientist as sexy hero in the Sputnik era when I began to train as one myself, to the anti-science agenda of the Bush administration. I agree with the authors that we are in deep doodoo. This is a very sensible book, spreading the blame and offering concrete strategies to get us back on track. I hope it gets a wide readership.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Obama's Vietnam?

I fear Afghanistan may become Obama's Vietnam. Today even the conservative intellectual George Will declares it's time to get out (read it). This will be a major test of Obama. Is he great enough a man to change his mind when the facts reveal he is wrong? Will this be his judgment? If not, well, we've been through all this before. This can ruin his presidency.