Jagger Can't Get No Satisfaction - And That's a Good Thing

I’m in the SF airport and Bill Clinton is being interviewed by Cooper Anderson about his efforts to combat AIDs in Africa. Now what do you want to bet that Clinton will add his celebrity to the cause to the point that those inclined to view him well will someday consider him a great champion of the cause, and that likewise they will think the opposite of Bush. Eight years as President, full possession of the bully pulpit, and he did very little when he could have arguably done the most. Even Richard Gere, not so inclined to compare Bush favorably to Clinton, said that Bush has done far more for the cause than Clinton ever even attempted. Clinton does provide a great pitchman for a commercial that would shamelessly steal, with a little twist, the old catch line used to encourage seatbelt use: "contribute to AIDS research - the life you save could be mine." Although that might make some less inclined to support the cause.

I also saw a recent interview of Bono on 60 Minutes, where to my great disbelief they did not edit out his praise for the administration on this issue. Beyond that, he had said he had made an appeal specifically to the religious right within the party, who responded very positively to the challenge. So there you have it folks – the evil George Bush and the religious right elements of Congress – providing aid that in the words of Bono have lead to 200,000 Africans being alive today because of America. But the Nobel committee will always give the prize to the Carter; a guy like Reagan has to live only with the gratitude of all of Eastern Europe. It’s always the guys who talk the talk, and never the guys that walk the walk.

And by the way, the interview with Bono was done by Ed Bradlee. At what point will the baby boom generation grow up to the point that they will lose the infantile desire to be cool, which Bradlee displays by piercing his shriveled ear? On a related note, at what point will aging musicians be greeted with laughter when they belt out tunes intended to appeal to the angst of the teenager? How old, for example, does Mick Jagger have to be in order for people to cringe when he sings that he can’t get no satisfaction? At some point (probably long since past), isn’t the image of Jagger getting some satisfaction the larger cause for dismay among his listeners? A world where he gets his satisfaction is more distressing.