1.23.2006 | The clock is ticking

"24" with Kiefer Sutherland as agent Jack Bauer is what I wish my government service could've been like.

That is to say, action-packed, extreme clarity of vision as to who the bad guys were (except, of course, the moles and insiders who turned), and minimal remorse about doing what had to be done. Oh, and all of it accompanied by essentially zero paperwork, which is the actual grinding reality of most government service.

Jack Bauer gets it done. Period. He is not given to internal conflicts and dithering, although the character clearly shows he knows the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil. Jack is a man of action, as anyone who ever served anywhere near the sharp end of our national security biz wished they could be.

I've no idea to what extent, if any, George Bush is a fan of the show, or has ever watched it. If I had to guess, I'd guess that to watch such moral clarity at work might be frustrating for the commander-in-chief, who knows that the government, and the wider world, is just chock full of much smarter folks who dwell in the analysts' world of nuance and contingency plans without end.

Well, "24" is fiction. More's the pity. But it's the best action show I've ever seen, and it's maintained its sterling quality from its debut in 2001.