who is controlling him?

what nefarious ends do they seek?

what is the cue that sets him into the state of Manchurian Candidacy?

In the flic, the cue that set off Sgt. Shaw was the suggestion to play solitaire and the appearance of the Queen of Hearts.

So, what's Senator Obama's control card -- and yes, you may say it's something in the Spade suite.  There , i've already done it for you, and saved you the distasteful necessity.

So, what if Senator O is actually being controlled by Senator Clinton?  He gets a phone call, or an email, or a text message, or an IM :
"Barak, why don't you pass the time by making some emotionally satisfying, stylistically elegant, but substantively empty campaign speech?"  And then...?

OK, playmates, the ball is in your court:  what triggers Senator Obama?  And it don't gotta be playing cards.


-- Modified on 7/11/2008 11:56:23 AM

Nitpicking, I know, but I think the trigger card was the Queen of Diamonds.   I could be wrong.

Maybe Obama's trigger would be seeing some jerk asshole making a billion dollars by cheating working Americans.

no, no, you could be right.  I've read the novel and seen the flic numerous times.  i'll pop it into the DVD this weekend.

Maybe Raymond snaps when someone says pseudo-poetic and self-reverential like, "We are the ones we've been waiting for." Or utterly self aggrandizing, such as, "This is the time when the seas stopped rising." Maybe Raymond starts chewing a towel when he watches the chumps rise out their seats and cheer the phony Messiah, and when they faint and cry, feel thrills up their leg on TV, piss themselves, when they react emotionally to something that should be judged 100% rationally, etc.  

Oops,no,sorry, that's not Raymond. That's me.