The Wisdom of David Mamet

I don't consider myself a serious fan of Tony and Oscar nominated writer David Mamet, but I have admired and enjoyed some of his work, particularly The Spanish Prisoner and Wag the Dog. After reading his column in the March 11, 2008 Village Voice [link below], though, I think I may need to invest some time in catching up on his backlog. I am politically right of center, so his ultimate conclusion is one I'm comfortable with, but what I found most admirable and pertinent to the current political situation in the United States was the process by which he arrived at that conclusion. He seems to have achieved a sense of balance and a respect for those with whom he disagrees--something our nation desperately needs. While I disagree with some of the details regarding both George W. Bush and John F. Kennedy, I find this passage instructive:

"I found not only that I didn't trust the current government (that, to me, was no surprise), but that an impartial review revealed that the faults of this president—whom I, a good liberal, considered a monster—were little different from those of a president whom I revered.

"Bush got us into Iraq, JFK into Vietnam. Bush stole the election in Florida; Kennedy stole his in Chicago. Bush outed a CIA agent; Kennedy left hundreds of them to die in the surf at the Bay of Pigs. Bush lied about his military service; Kennedy accepted a Pulitzer Prize for a book written by Ted Sorenson. Bush was in bed with the Saudis, Kennedy with the Mafia. Oh."

His point should considered by all partisans. The truths every American needs to accept are these:

1. John Kennedy was not as good as liberals say he was.
2. Ronald Reagan was not as good as conservatives say he was.
3. Bill Clinton was not as bad as conservatives say he was.
4. George W. Bush is not as bad as liberals say he is.
5. Not all liberals are [insert your favorite Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter insult line here].
6. Not all conservatives are [insert your favorite Al Franken or Janeane Garofalo insult line here].

If we can admit and embrace the fact that the other side--whatever side that is--consists of, as Mamet puts it, "the same folks we meet at the water cooler," maybe we can stop yelling, finger-pointing, hate-mongering, and fear-mongering, and actually find solutions we can all stomach.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0811,374064,374064,1.html/full

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000519/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mamet