Stumble It!
Detail of Social Network Diagram for the Alibi Club. Note Prescott Bush lower right.
"Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in a different way," says the "subversive" Robin Williams prep-school prof character, jumping swashbucklingly up onto his desk at the head of the class in "Dead Poets Society," which just happens to be on TCM as we write:
Can you believe we never got around to seeing it till now? How suggestive of the prepping rites of passage GHWB and GWB must have gone through in their formative years. GW's cheerleading at Phillips Andover and then Skull and Bones at Yale come to mind.
In fact, how suggestive of the rites of passage of every young man, whatever his circumstances. The unorthodox bonding rituals of Hell's Angels, not to mention the deadly rituals of adolescent jihadi recruits -- as blogged here -- are different only in the particulars, the point being that adolescents of whatever stripe seek validation through membership in a fellowship of honor, however defined. This movie is so beautiful in every way that -- what's new? -- it's bringing tears to our eyes. Can't remember . . . Does it end in suicide for one of the young men? Probably. That's how good the movie is, that you know without knowing where it's headed (probably read about it years ago, but the film itself tells you through its narrative drive).
Yes. Puck (above) in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was his finest moment. Dad doesn't approve -- any son of his should be a banker or businessman -- so the young aspiring actor shoots himself in the head while seated at Papa's well-appointed desk. Can you say Passion of the Christ? A little melodrama here and there never hurts.
Like the Robin Williams character in "Dead Poets Society," our favorite bloggers are forever jumping up on their keyboards and asking us to look at what we think we know in a different way. Jack of TigerHawk returns from a business trip to DC with an intriguing challenge:
The same friend pointed out a little brick building at 1806 Eye Street. It is unmarked, and it is listed in the National Register of Historical Places. It's the "Alibi Club," and it is the most exclusive club in the entire world. At any given time it has only around 25 members (according to my friend), including the current and former Presidents of the United States, Justices of the Supreme Court, and "real" Cabinet Secretaries (Defense, Treasury, State and so forth, but presumably not the various weeny welfare state cabinet departments that have popped up in the last fifty years). Supposedly, Bush 41 used it a lot for delicate meetings that had to be away from prying eyes. In any case, it leaves few tracks in cyberspace -- Google "Alibi Club" and you get only hints of the place.
"Few tracks in cyberspace"? We'll see about that. We googled our way to the Social Network Diagram for the Alibi Club (above) and stumbled upon a telling detail from GW's grandfather, Sen. Prescott Bush's 1959 acceptance speech as the Alfalfa Club's presidential nominee:
I recall here the immortal words of Granville Rice, when he wrote:
The rules of life apply the same
To any sport you choose
It matters not how you play the game,
So long as you never lose.
Oscar Wilde couldn't have said it better, a perfect inversion of the usual "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." Something we read just yesterday was comparing "nuanced" European elites' emphasis on style vs. GW's focus on results. Wish we could find it. The point is that -- as the great Vince Lombardi said -- Winning isn't everything. It's the only thing.
Excellent work, Sissy. Next time you are in Washington you should drive by 1806 Eye Street. The Alibi Club is an unassuming little brick building wedged between much larger buildings. I'm sure that its members do not appreciate that we have just "outed" the place to the blogosphere!
Posted by: Jack | February 26, 2005 at 04:20 PM
Will do. Hard to believe the folks at the National Register of Historic Places don't know who designed the thing. What about the history of its inhabitants? Probably out there, and we're still on the case. Thanks again for bringing it to our attention.
Posted by: Sissy Willis | February 26, 2005 at 04:48 PM
So, uh...
...When do we get the results back from W's initiatives?
Where's the results-based funding he promised for schools?
Where's the results-testing for faith-based programs?
Where's the results?
How can something be results-based if when it gets down to it, what he says never happens?
I want results. Where's W's?
Posted by: Crissa | February 27, 2005 at 11:45 PM