Wrong hat . . .

I love magic. Not the dark, hexing curses, cast you into hellish eternal darkness pin in the voo-doo doll kind of magic. I like sleight of hand. Legerdemain. Prestidigitation.

When I was young, and even now that I am not, I loved watching Uncle Johnny do magic tricks. He made thimbles and coins disappear and move and re-appear in unsuspecting ears or shoot through bodies with no pain and leaving no scars. Playing cards would migrate mysteriously through the deck at his mystical direction. I could not figure it out even while looking right at him.

I know now that much of what Uncle Johnny does is sleight of hand. It doesn't diminish my enjoyment of the tricks at all. In fact, I am even more amazed. Uncle Johnny uses his big hands and an artistic ability to divert attention to make people like me believe we see something that never really happened. Maybe he'll do some tricks for us sometime. It is really cool.

One of the ironies of the magic tricks is that Uncle Johnny constantly says, "now watch carefully." His eyes would be fixed intently on the object of the trick. He would be pointing at an open palm with an authoritative index finger. I would do what he said. My eyes locked on the focus of his gaze, ignoring everything else going on in the room as I tried to catch him and figure out the trick.

As it turns out, Uncle Johnny did that on purpose. He made me look where the trick wasn't. The important stuff was happening in the other hand most of the time. But I never saw it. I was always looking in the wrong place. Where Uncle Johnny was subtly telling and showing me I should look.

It is not enough to watch carefully.

You gotta look where the important stuff is happening. The real stuff. Not the tricks.

But it is hard these days.

Republicans are pointing at Harry Reid's words about Barack Obama with moral outrage and demanding his resignation in the name of racial harmony and equality.

Now watch carefully, because in the other hand Harry Reid has one of the best and longest records for promoting civil rights in the U. S. Congress, most of which was opposed by Republicans.

Republicans, led by head cheerleader Dick the Rifleman Cheney, point at President Obama's deliberate manner and lack of macho swagger and suggest he does not understand the gravity of the threat of terrorism.

Now watch carefully, because in the other hand the Obama administration has taken more aggressive and broad action than his predecessor, militarily, diplomatically, and in matters of intelligence gathering and domestic security, most of which the Republicans have questioned and criticized, at least publicly.

Republicans are pointing at the Democrats failure to deliver on President Obama's promises regarding sweeping health care reform.

Now watch carefully, because in the other hand Republicans voted against all health care reform, even some that they themselves had previously proposed, and have offered no alternatives, all the while saying that they want true reform.

Republicans point to the huge stimulus bill and says that the resulting deficit will destroy our economy.

Now watch carefully, because the Republicans hold their share of the stimulus money clutched tightly in the other hand.

The Republicans, while not nearly so noble, are like my favorite moose, Bullwinkle.

Despite what they would like you to think, and no matter how often they yell "Presto," there is nothing up their sleeves.

In fact, they go Bullwinkle one better.

Empty suits.

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