THE PLANK DECEMBER 22, 2008
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Philip Seymour Hoffman is already my favorite actor, but if he keeps this up, he might become my favorite pundit as well. Here's one of his quotes from yesterday's NYT Magazine profile of him:
Iago is a military guy, and I like the idea of him being a general like Wesley Clark,
who has accomplished so much in an arena where there’s death and,
suddenly, he walks into a nonmilitary world, and he’s no longer the guy
he thinks he deserves to be.
As someone who's been puzzled by Clark--and his failures in the political arena--I don't think I've encountered a better (not to mention succinct) explanation of what went wrong for him. Alas, Hoffman goes on compare Obama to Othello, which strikes me as a bit less, uh, insightful. But how many pundits bat even .500? If Hoffman ever gets tired of acting (and let's hope he doesn't), I think we know his fallback career.
--Jason Zengerle
7 comments
Yes, brilliant actor. But he'd have to post on the Plank and audition before Talkbackers before bestowing pundit honors. The quote above doesn't actually explain Clark's stunning failure to achieve political victories. I think the true answer has something to do with the Clintons and Clark's loyalty to them over his own success.
- stgla
December 22, 2008 at 11:03am
Obama is like Othello in so many ways. He's a Moor, no wait ... well, he's a great general, oh, hold on, well ... he's hot tempered, no, that's not right ... he killed his wife, damn, I'll get it eventually ... he's BLACK. See? They're practically the same person.
- ratnerstar
December 22, 2008 at 11:46am
So, Jason, you think Gergen bats .500? C'mon . . .
- timteeter
December 22, 2008 at 12:31pm
Or there is the other possibility, expressed in the cliche "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn occasionally."
- cspencef
December 22, 2008 at 12:42pm
Sort of OT but I have an Othello movie recommendation. Vishal Bhardwaj made an absolutely fantastic adaptation of Othello in which the main character is not a military general but a sort of chief enforcer for a corrupt politician in Uttar Pradesh, India. All the acting is excellent, the adaptation is both faithful and yet thoroughly Indian, and the music and cinematography are also very fine. One of my (and my husband's) favorite movies of the last few years. The closing image will stay with you for a long time.
"Omkara" directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Naserudeen Shah, Vivek Oberoi. 2006, India.
http://www.omkarathefilm.com/
I believe Netflix may have this movie. You probably won't find it at Blockbuster. Or try your neighborhood Indian grocery/video shop.
- nikkiwhite
December 22, 2008 at 1:49pm
So this incredible profundity was: Wes Clark was a General, he's used to the ordered world of the Armed Services, and couldn't adjust to the world of electoral politics? Wow, that. was. brilliant.
- Crock1701
December 22, 2008 at 3:10pm
But, um, Iago did not suddenly find himself in a non-military world. He was deployed to Cyprus when the action in <i>Othello</i> happens.
If anyone is a general at sea, it's Othello in Venice, when he courts and marries Desdemona. Oddly, though, he bears no real resemblance to Wes Clark. (Or Obama.)
- hilzoy
December 22, 2008 at 3:23pm