Only two more shopping days till 9/11!

It must be September again – Osama has a new video out (every 9/11 that Osama is still out there pushing Jihad instead of pushing up daisies in a Gitmo landfill is another 9/11 that goes to the bad guys), and our armchair-cowboy president is preparing to sell another package of sweet-smelling lies and carefully-parsed half-truths (once again about our fabulous ‘progress’ in Iraq) to an easily-spooked America using a Generally-respected surrogate, this time Petraeus instead of Powell.

Then Bush is going to wrap it all up with a prime-time address to the nation later in the week. I know I’ll be wearing my Tony Lamas, and it won’t be for punching cattle.

And just as predictably, the craven Democrats are already backing off of their previous promises to use General Petraeus’ report to Congress (recently revealed to be authored by the White House and only presented by Petraeus) to force a beginning of a pull-out of American troops in Iraq.

Will Petraeus receive a televised grilling by bloviating pols anxious to get their own trumped-up, impotent outrage on the record? Oh, you betcha. More political cover for “leaders” on both sides of the aisle who don’t even have the courage to “cut and run” when the cutting and running is good (ie: supported by an increasing majority of John and Janie Sixpacks across the country). That’s political cowardice on a breathtaking scale, and what’s even more depressing is its predictability. You can always count on these bastards to cavitate then cave in when this President gets to wagging his dick in public. Still. Still!

Getting back to this week’s exciting 9/11 Celebration, Oprah is taking her talk-show to NYC for the occasion (or maybe just to lure David Letterman into her guest chair) as is Larry King, and MSNBC is promising to re-run their coverage of 9/11/01 in real time, starting at 6am EST. I haven’t checked, but I’m sure Fox News has a doozy of a day planned. I see lots and lots of animated American flags digitally fluttering to the rumble of canned thunder…

As a kind of counter-programming, HBO is premiering a new documentary tonight, hosted by The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini, about 10 Iraq War veterans who left limbs and brain matter in the desert sand. You know, I think HBO should make that documentary, “Alive Day,” along with Bill Maher’s show, available to all basic cable subscribers for free the way they used to do with “Comic Relief.” Americans need to see/hear this stuff, especially Americans who can’t afford premium cable prices. They’re the ones statistically most likely to have loved-ones in harm’s way overseas. It wouldn’t cost HBO any ad revenue, it would expose a hitherto untapped potential audience to the channel’s other programming and goddammit it would be the right thing to do.

It’s all well and good to celebrate patriotism; I challenge HBO to practice it too.

As it stands though, it should be an AWESOME week for TV, but another shitty, embarrassing anniversary for America. Stay tuned!