U2 - and my partisanship

It may or may not be surprising to any reader that I've been very quiet on my blog about the recent election. I did vote, but the truth of the matter is that I didn't have any particularly strong feelings about who won. Honestly, I think that both candidates were basically good people who wanted the opportunity to lead the country using the best ideas they could. Obviously, not all of those ideas would be good or right, but the reality is that nobody is going to have all of the right ideas/plans all of the time. And frankly, I'm glad that I don't have to carry that kind of responsibility on my shoulders and I'm very appreciative of individuals like Bush or Kerry who were willing to do so in my place.

Some would call me stupid and/or naive to think that both candidates had (have) the desire to do the best they can for our country. That's my biggest problem. My biggest irritation of the whole ordeal was the constant demonization of the opponent. Give me a break. If one side is a bunch of pure evil/stupid/horrible abominations then it stands to reason that the opposing side is as well. In which case, we’re all screwed no matter who gets elected to what office. It’s strange to me that I feel like a flicker of optimism emanating from me seems like the smarter course of action then rampant pessimism. I think that’s about all I have to say about that.

All that said:

I just watched last Saturday’s Saturday Night Live to see U2 perform. I’m being completely honest: I cried.

I’ve been a fan of U2 since Unforgettable Fire which was BEFORE Joshua Tree and the rest of the world discovered them. There was a short time that I couldn’t get over Joshua Tree and didn’t appreciate Rattle & Hum or their first steps into re-invention/experimentation and I didn’t get into Achtung Baby! But now, I’m a complete fan of their entire catalogue. (I don’t love Boy or October as much and I still don’t love Rattle & Hum, but for the most part I love everything from War on. Achtung Baby is now one of my favorites.)

In just a couple of minutes, I’m going to Hastings to pickup my copy of their new CD at midnight. So, here’s my big political statement:

Anybody who doesn’t think U2 is the greatest rock band alive is a complete idiot!

But you can have your own opinion if you want to.