Bipartisanship is Back!

Just when you thought American politics had finally hit the slimy-slick bottom of the system in which every vote on every issue was delivered along party lines, along come the Olympic Games to straighten out what's been dividing politicos. Our elected leadership has been unable to agree on anything...in fact, it's gotten to the point where representatives find out what the PACs think or their party leadership thinks before casting a vote on whether or not the sky is blue ( a natural phenomenon or an expression of global warming?).

Anyway, now that the U.S. Olympic team "parade" uniforms have been delivered, the politicians have something on which they can totally agree: the "elitist prep look" is a horrible fashion statement that does not reflect more than 1% of our population's background...(oops! That's what I think). The real issue here is that the uniforms were made in, guess where? China! People like Harry Reid and Barbara Pelosi were quick to jump on this fact with both feet, guns blazing: one suggesting that they unis be piled up, burned, and the process begun again while the other attributed the selection by the U.S. Olympic Committee as something akin to, well, communism. The fact that anyone wearing these outfits would look like a total dork was apparently not the issue. A beret, for God's sake? And the ridiculously large Ralph Lauren logo? How many Americans could even tell ONE THING about polo that they didn't see in Pretty Woman? I tried water polo once, but the horse kept sinking, and it was hard to hit the ball. Reid also posited that a singlet with "USA" hand-painted would be better. Apparently, it is important that people know who we are from a distance of say, 200 meters...or 200 yards if you are still clinging to the old English measurement system, which, by the way, the rest of the world has long since abandoned, even though it makes judging things like high jump a lot harder.

Anyway, Ralph Lauren is a major sponsor of the U.S. team, and since it is privately funded so as not to interfere with your paying taxes for other things, it seems somewhat logical that an American company get the bid...and if that company is a financial backer of our Olympic effort, so much the better. Hey, this is how business works! Turns out that like just about everything one can buy at Wal-Mart, the Chines have their hands, so to speak, in this venture as well; and while I hear all the rhetoric about Ralph Lauren outsourcing its stuff, I have yet to hear anyone complain about the other athletic apparel like shoes that will adorn the feet of our Olympians. I would be willing to bet that none of those manufacturers produce their high-end, high-cost items in this country, either.

But, bipartisanship is a good thing, and I suspect that since this is an election year, we'll hear more and more bombast along this line.

Now, if they could only agree on something important: jobs, the national debt, crime, a BCS playoff system, health care...ANYTHING! But then, studying the issues carefully isn't really needed when the vote will be anything BUT bipartisan.