My entry about the computer glitch involved losing an essay which led off with a reference to a Johnny Carson bit. I was not particularly a fan, nor am I of Leno, but I was watching on line the latter's Veterans' Day show, which had an audience of armed service personnel. Recently the tab or whatever it is called at the bottom of the screen with which one can roam around the show, invoking a thirty second commercial which resolutely plays over and over, primarily at the breaks if the show simply plays out, was missing. Now it is back, and for this particular show I decided the monologue and the musical guest were enough.

The "bit" after the first commercial? Pass. Kim Kardashian? Do what you want on your computer. Dennis Miller? Curiosity won. I have attended two classic Tonight Shows, such as they are called, in the 1980's; you know, Johnny, Doc and Ed, no subs. The second featured a singer from "Les Miserables" who performed "I Dreamed A Dream". It made an impression on me! As to the rest, the monologue wasn't bad and his two guests were Miller and an elementary school girl who was a spelling bee champ. I enjoyed being there. The previous night's show had Madonna and there had been lines to Forest Lawn (if you're not a local---rejoice). Despite bungling the line repeatedly I got in to this one.

Mr. Miller was more liberal then, his crowning joke which he was to repeat on other shows involved picturing Nancy Reagan in a Riddler costume. For the show of 11/12/10 (hey number freaks. . .) he did a monologue for the troops mostly about personal stuff, McDonald's fortunately omitted but aging, alas, a significant portion. Then he sat down to chat with Jay. Politics wasn't a big deal yet until the end when Jay brought up the elections. The man who until this point seemed more of a wood cut than the previous hair stroking, jaw wagging incarnation, came alive. He said he was a "social liberal" but anyone who had seen him for the last, oh, nine years, two months and one day knew the attacks had left him what I, with all my sometimes mocked Cordelian acknowledgement of the complexity of nailing down different positions, would recognize as the conservative of my youth. That is, if I, a white male, am irritated, removing the irritation is a prime directive and a blinder that would render those on a draft horse as special forces night vision goggles by comparison.

See? I'm jealous of Miller; he is famous for tangents and his suck out more air than a forest fire to complete, and the boys and young men who adore his "rants" snort derisively at the rest of us "bundles of sticks" who attempt same. Yes, Miller, as are we all, is chuffed (barely describes it) at terrorists and conservative equals tough and liberal equals soft. Miller finished by playing right to the cheering troops and gloated (or whatever his frantic air stream produced) the election left him "happier than a pig in slop" (THIS is Dennis Miller? His interns weren't tapped, obviously) and then went after the outgoing Nancy Pelosi, finishing with pushing through the applause, as an old hand at seeing commercial countdowns coming, with, "She hangs upside down when she's not in front of Congress!"

Well.

A recent Sports Illustrated had an article on the rising NBA team that is the Oklahoma Thunder, as local Lakerdom is also well aware, certainly from last Spring. It mentioned how in the wake of the McVea bombings Oklahoma City had actually become much more, well, liberal.

Maybe Miller can snarl the National Anthem at a home game.