D. A. Blyler - American Abroad

American Abroad

In August 2004 Blyler launched the op-ed column “American Abroad” at The Raw Story. The column’s mixture of biting humor and informed analysis of the Bush administration and American culture quickly established Blyler as a weekly must-read among many young liberals and progressives in the run-up to the presidential elections. Shortly after the victory of George W. Bush Blyler retired the column, acknowledging that he'd been wrong and that Bush was the greatest politician and artist of his time:

Unlike dreary politicians who never soar above the level of misrepresentation (and actually condescend to argue, prove, and discuss), W flaunts the temper of a true liar, with his frank, fearless statements, his superb irresponsibility, his healthy, natural disdain for proof of any kind…Weapons of Mass Destruction? Who cares! Osama Bin Laden? Not my concern, anymore! Budget Deficits? No big deal! New York Times Report? Don’t read newspapers! Protect the Borders? Manana, Manana! How damn refreshing! Only artistic genius like W could have realized how unhealthy a thing like thinking is to the average “red” blooded American, who eschews prickly thoughts as the bulwark of their happiness.

In August 2005, Blyler appeared again at The Raw Story to offer an answer to a literary mystery surrounding the death of Gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson. Before committing suicide, Thompson had typed the single word “Counselor” in the center of a blank page. Prior the publication of Blyler's essasy, journalists and friends of the author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas expressed confusion as to the word's meaning, comparing it to the mysterious “Rosebud” of Citizen Kane. Citing the strong, and often overlooked, influence that the Bible had on Thompson's work, Blyler argued that "counselor" referred to the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John:

“16 And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.”