The Columnist Manifesto

I've always hated first pitch ceremonies at baseball games. If it's the Make a Wish Foundation or a firefighter who did something heroic, than I can accept the idea that it's supposed to be a thrill for the first-pitch thrower. But what's with the politicians? Don't they get enough thrill from being powerful? I don't view political leadership as entailing the perquisite of a free baseball fantasy camp.

Plus, the pols almost always look terrible. Despite some news wire photos which create the mistaken impression that Cheney looked like he knew what he was doing, if you see the video footage, Cheney looked like a foolish, arrogant old man who overestimated his own capabilities. He short-armed it. He didn't even attempt the mound -- that would have been the Mount Everest of folly -- and yet, standing only about 20 feet from his target, he bounced it to the catcher on about three hops. Plus it was waaaaaay outside.

If it's sound electoral strategy to try to erode your opponents' base of support, the Dems should show the video clip over and over in their ads in the run up to the November elections. It doesn't matter what the voice over in the ad says. Just show Cheney tossing the 10 foot dribbler. It's bound to make him unpopular with the gun crown.

Oh, and in the actual baseball game, the Mets kicked the Nats' butts.