Yeah, yeah, I know that there are all sorts of punch-line endings you could give to the headline above. (I'm talking about the city of my birth, so of course I kid because I love.) But here is the non-joke point I have in mind:

A ceremony ten days ago at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia got a lot of (virtual) ink because of the misadventures of the actress Kim Delaney. YouTube video explaining that situation is tucked discreetly after the jump.

But the ostensible reason for the ceremony, and the person whom Delaney was introducing, went virtually unmentioned in the accounts. I won't belabor that contrast -- a semi-scandal involving a comely celebrity wearing a sequined dress, trumping a doughy policy point about a gent in his late 60s wearing a suit -- but wanted to say more about the policy point.

The ceremony at the Constitution Center was in honor of Robert Gates, who received the Liberty Medal for his service at the Pentagon and the CIA. In his relatively brief speech, Gates made a point of surprising bluntness that has remarkable force considering the times and events he has lived through. He was talking about the state of American self-government, and he said:

>>I do believe that we are now in uncharted waters when it comes to the dysfunction in our political system--and it is no longer a joking matter.



It appears that as a result of several long-building, polarizing trends in American politics and culture, we have lost the ability to execute even the basic functions of government [debt ceiling, appropriations, infrastructure-maintenance - JF] much less solve the most difficult and divisive problems facing the country [you name it].



Thus, I am more concerned than I have ever been about the state of American governance.<<

You can read a PDF of the speech or see a video of Gates delivering it. The only real coverage of it I saw was in Philly.com by Steve Frank of the Constitution Center.