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ebourlandAt Health Bar on U St my friend LF and I run into a campaigner, young and inflamed, who are recruited by charismatic politicos to run as gophers in election campaigns. A partisan. As we mosy up to the bar he spies LF and immediately pounces on her even before we have a chance to order a beer. He focuses on her -- and why not, she's plenty scenic -- and talks about local microbrews, then angles in the fact that he is an ex-campaigner, then launches into his experiences on the campaign trail. I forget which politician he says he worked for. Started with a K. (Kucinich?) He's gassing on, a tall fellow comes up and joins our conversation, and Lisa and I become interested in the conversation too, so we stay at the bar and talk with these gentlemen. The beers are only a dollar, sponsored by moveon.org. (Beers from moveon.org, consummate marketers. Being on the losing end of the last few elections is Big Business.)
Talk turns with usual derisiveness to Bush. It's easy to bash Bush. The outrage even if merited gets boring. We know he's an imperialist idiot leading us all to hell. Can we, um, move on?
Talk turns to the good ole days, before Bush. Actually I am beginning to enjoy myself and I think LF is, too. Partisan talks energetically. He announces he is gay, like he has chosen that moment to come out, and us to whom to come out to. We don't even blink. One of the two varieties of dollar beers is decent and I order a couple more for LF and me. I am enjoying the conversation about the good ole days and of course, when you're a democrat in DC talking about the good ole days, you talk about Bill Clinton and the unrighteousness of his trial in the terminal year of his presidency and how a couple of blow jobs in the oval office is certainly worth a better world.
I do think Clinton should have been impeached I tell them.
What! says Partisan, face lighting up. Clearly he loves this argument. For getting a blowjob?
No. He can get all the blowjobs he wants. He lied to Congress under oath.
What, you don't think Bush has lied to Congress?
We're not talking about Bush. We're talking about Clinton.
His face looks a little troubled. You don't think Bush deserves to be impeached? he persists.
I definitely think Bush should be impeached. Again, we're talking about Clinton, not about Bush. I happen to think both of them should be impeached. You gotta respect the law. You're the fucking president. Set some kind of example.
Bill Clinton was the best president we have had in long time.
Not arguing against that. And he should have been impeached for lying under oath to Congress.
Partisan is looking at me like I am a Nazi.
I go on, He should have told Congress, Yeah she blew me, it was great, can I get back to work now?
Partisan scoffs and mumbles something. Tall fellow is talking to LF about something. We make introductions. I'm Vijay, says tall fellow. I'm Nathan, says Partisan. LF and I introduce ourselves.
I'm gay says Nathan to us all.
Yes, we know. Have a beer.
LF and I have gotten a late start that evening and we look around us and realize the bar is closing up. The janitor is mopping the floor. The place is almost empty. Nathan asks us for the second or third time where we are going for the rest of the night. He wants to be invited along. We're going to Cue Bar to play ping pong.
Oh, he says, his face falling a little. He looks around the empty bar. I work here, he tells us, still in the mode of disclosure. LF and I wander out on U St and eventually find Cue Bar, where we goof around on the ping pong table, and she clobbers me at pool.
Talk turns with usual derisiveness to Bush. It's easy to bash Bush. The outrage even if merited gets boring. We know he's an imperialist idiot leading us all to hell. Can we, um, move on?
Talk turns to the good ole days, before Bush. Actually I am beginning to enjoy myself and I think LF is, too. Partisan talks energetically. He announces he is gay, like he has chosen that moment to come out, and us to whom to come out to. We don't even blink. One of the two varieties of dollar beers is decent and I order a couple more for LF and me. I am enjoying the conversation about the good ole days and of course, when you're a democrat in DC talking about the good ole days, you talk about Bill Clinton and the unrighteousness of his trial in the terminal year of his presidency and how a couple of blow jobs in the oval office is certainly worth a better world.
I do think Clinton should have been impeached I tell them.
What! says Partisan, face lighting up. Clearly he loves this argument. For getting a blowjob?
No. He can get all the blowjobs he wants. He lied to Congress under oath.
What, you don't think Bush has lied to Congress?
We're not talking about Bush. We're talking about Clinton.
His face looks a little troubled. You don't think Bush deserves to be impeached? he persists.
I definitely think Bush should be impeached. Again, we're talking about Clinton, not about Bush. I happen to think both of them should be impeached. You gotta respect the law. You're the fucking president. Set some kind of example.
Bill Clinton was the best president we have had in long time.
Not arguing against that. And he should have been impeached for lying under oath to Congress.
Partisan is looking at me like I am a Nazi.
I go on, He should have told Congress, Yeah she blew me, it was great, can I get back to work now?
Partisan scoffs and mumbles something. Tall fellow is talking to LF about something. We make introductions. I'm Vijay, says tall fellow. I'm Nathan, says Partisan. LF and I introduce ourselves.
I'm gay says Nathan to us all.
Yes, we know. Have a beer.
LF and I have gotten a late start that evening and we look around us and realize the bar is closing up. The janitor is mopping the floor. The place is almost empty. Nathan asks us for the second or third time where we are going for the rest of the night. He wants to be invited along. We're going to Cue Bar to play ping pong.
Oh, he says, his face falling a little. He looks around the empty bar. I work here, he tells us, still in the mode of disclosure. LF and I wander out on U St and eventually find Cue Bar, where we goof around on the ping pong table, and she clobbers me at pool.
