Ladies and gentlemen, from parts unknown, weight unknown…The Lionel Show welcomes author and old-school wrestling enthusiast John Capouya in the second hour. Among his many journalistic and literary credentials, Mr. Capouya is the author of the new book Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Pop Culture. If you’ve not heard of Gorgeous George, Mr. Capouya will graciously provide you with the history of a pop culture lodestone whose influence extended far beyond “the ring” (actually a square, but hey…).

Part paean to a uniquely American art form, part fascinating history of the cultural zeitgeist that gave that art form a place of prominence in our national culture, Mr. Capouya’s book is far more than a simple biographical sketch. Gorgeous George’s journey touches upon the Great Depression, the cultural sea change of post-WWII America, the rise of television (for better or for worse) to an unprecedented pride of place in the United States…in short, this man and this book are about much more than professional wrestling. This is that rare book over which I can see myself fighting with Lionel regarding who gets to take it home first.

You might want to save today’s blog and frame it, because you’ll probably never see me this optimistic or emotionally stable again.

Barack Obama absolutely, unequivocally, mercilessly nailed it last night. He said almost everything I (we) wanted him to say, and moreover he said it with just the right touch of edginess and anger. With pitch-perfect delivery, he showed that a commitment to level-headedness and rational thought does not have to be a position of weakness; he pointed out, clearly and decisively, where John McCain has been wrong in the past and where he would no doubt be wrong during his Presidency. Barack Obama gained an edge last night, and I don’t mean in polls – I mean in style.

This speech had me wondering – who wrote this thing? Barack Obama…or C.O. Jones?

I feel better. I really, really do. If he strikes just this same pose of reasonable but slightly-pissed-off and almost-but-not-quite-condescending dressing down of his opponent, I think we could really pull this thing off.

Does the above represent a flip-flop on my part? Am I a fair weather fan? I don’t think so (you can think what you like). In my estimation, this is more of a case of Barack Obama making me very nervous and fearful…and then going a long way to alleviate that anxiety by adding some ballsy gumption to his now-familiar calm, cool, and collected grace. He did something a bit different last night, and it really worked.

There you have it: no clever cynicism, no dark and depressed disquisitions from yours truly. Not today. Today, I feel better than I have in a long while. My only remaining anxiety derives from uncertainty – can he and will he keep up this beguiling balance of non-partisan inclusiveness and incisively articulated partisan aggression?

What do you folks think? Join me today for an Obama love-fest on the blog – while it lasts.

This is just a funny little story I thought you folks would like.

Last night, I was listening to coverage of the DNC on the radio (the 1930s called, they want me back). I heard a woman being interviewed as a representative of “Republicans for Obama”. She was asked about her motivations and reasons for voting for George W. Bush in the last two elections, and her explanation of her first vote struck me as very odd.

She said, “I voted for George Bush the first time because I really thought he rose to the occasion on 9/11…the second time, I felt…”

Ex-squeeze me? Baking powder? You voted for Bush in 2000 because of the way he rose to the occasion in 2001? That’s terribly odd, ma’am.

Being the left-wing nut that I am, I immediately decided that this woman, and this woman exclusively, was single-handedly responsible for the events of September 11^th. How else to explain her foreknowledge of President Bush’s political acumen with regards to that terrorist attack?

There you have it, folks: my contribution to the ever-increasing trove of 9/11 conspiracy theories.

I kid, of course…but man, is that a fascinating explanation of support for Bush, or what?

SPECIAL FRIDAY SUPPPLEMENT: WACKY LINKS!

This would be troubling if it wasn’t so ridiculous (make sure you wait for the payoff with regards to a certain lawyer’s sartorial decision). Also, be sure to check out the one and only “user comment” so far. Great point, asshat.

This is interesting. Very, very interesting. Did most of us come down on the wrong side of this whole Russia-Georgia thing? My personal reaction to the situation probably didn’t demonstrate an intimate knowledge or easy command of the facts on the ground. Neither did John McCain’s. Which one of us isn’t running for President, and can therefore afford to be wrong about issues of far-reaching international implication? Remind me.