Troopergate

AOG, Madrid

Last weekend I was in Barcelona. I went to the Sitges Film Festival and had a swell time. On the flight back, I found, much to my chagrin, that I had to fly back to Madrid on an international flight.

This means a long boarding process, having to show ID at all points of access and again exit points (God forbid one should try to enter Spain illegally!) on what was, for me, a domestic flight.


Whilst boarding, I befriended, briefly, a lovely lady from New York City whose husband, named Richard, was a couple of decades older than herself. Given Iberia’s usual customer service, and the lack of announcements, I had to reassure them that they were on the right flight, and that in Madrid they would be redirected unto their NYC flight.

The lady’s husband went to sit down since he “really hates people making a fuss”, as she told me when I suggested they got a wheelchair and, thus, priority boarding. Good on him, but then he was a prime candidate for this, and by choosing to be independent and stalwart, his wife must bear the brunt of his care. Nonetheless, I kept that to myself.

She told me of her son's plans to be a writer. He and his newlywed wife are going to live in Italy for a year to try and kick-start him (and her) into writing. She said she hoped the money lasted. Later on I discovered she flew 1st class to Madrid, and probably to New York. I assume the money will last. He is, after all, an Attorney.

But this is nothing to do with his dream. I wish I had the possibility to live in Italy rent-free for a year and just write. Instead I work as a journalist in Madrid, pay rent, and write, albeit occasionally.

Anyway...



Soon enough, after discussing Madrid’s new airport, we got unto the subject of Sarah Palin and the elections.

How Bush got re-elected a second time was beyond her understanding (I happen to think that if enough uneducated people vote, and the chattering classes choose not to vote in protest, then people like Bush get elected, simple as that really). And she found it hard to find anything good about Mrs. Palin.

Mostly she found her scary. I had to, in a McCain-defends-Obama kind of way, tell her that Palin was not too bad a candidate because her only sin was a lack of education, not intelligence. She agreed to that point of view, but discerned that McCain-Palin was not the best ticket for America’s future.

I have to agree. Especially since news about her alleged abuse of power back in Alaska. To say nothing of Creationism....

But I digress. I was watching Fox news last night, and was appalled to see just how biased they are in favor of the Republicans.

A panel was analyzing the news, and one of the commentators (a black lady whose name I can’t recall at present) said that these days the electorate does not care about things like what’s happened in Alaska, that other issues were of more importance. So corruption is not on America's electoral agenda.

Right.

One of two things may happen if Sarah Palin is elected- 1- that that abuse of power (Troopergate) is merely anecdotal and will never happen again, or 2- that she means to go on as she started. In which case, we are all "F'd" big time.

Once bitten, twice shy, I think is the popular saying.

It's the Presidential debate, Stupid!

AOG, Madrid

So, Mr. McCain has finally acceded to debate with Mr. Obama. The suspense is over.

I'm surprised he said no in the first place.

Hesitation on such a small scale appears to be only symptomatic of hesitation and nerves to come. Like, when he sits in the White House. And there is a crisis. And he flip flops just as he has done now. This tendency to mimic Charlie Brown's wishy washyness is funny only when serious issues are not at stake.

I think now, more than ever, the US needs a leader who does not hesitate in public, especially not over something as set in stone as a presidential debate.

If his intention was to appear like a leader, he failed.

The media report that his presence in the meeting with President Bush last night was, to say the least, that of a spectator and not a leader.

Furthermore, Congressmen have asked both candidates to stay away and get on with the election and leave them to sort out the economic crisis, bailout, no bailout, rescue plan or whatever euphemism is being used.

If nothing else, it appears like the frenzy over Ms. Palin has passed and we are back on important issues. We all think it is kinda cool she can cook a moose after shooting it from a helicopter. Yes. But can she find Tashkent on a map? As VP she probably does not need to know straight away. George W. Bush has proven that as President, she better do. For all our sakes.

Tonight America will be one step closer to making its mind up in this election.

Can't wait!

This can only be good.

John McCain's speech

AOG, Madrid

Last night, here in Madrid, I stayed up until 2 AM to watch and listen to John McCain on Fox. Thank you satellites.

What a dissapointment it turnedout to be.

As he spoke long and hard about nothing, here an American, there an American, everywhere an American American, I began analysing his body language, since his verbal language bordered on the soporiphic.

For the first time since 1952, the party holding the White House has nominated someone other than the sitting president or vice president, someone without a vested interest in running on continuity, and at a moment when the party finds it difficult to defend its record from the last eight years.

Here's some of my thoughts:

1- Has he had cosmetic surgery? He does not look like any 72 year old I've ever met.

2- Why, when I look at him, do I think he moves like a hand puppet? He moves his arms with less grace than would a Muppett. Is he ill?

3- The style of his delivery was lacklustre to say the least. His message? Well, aside from the "vote for me" attitude, which is to be expected, I can't say I recall much else.

I do, however, recall his smirk at a protesting woman who was forcibly escorted off the convention.

She has a right to speak. He is not some God. I didn't like the way he laughed at her, at the situation, and at the little people. Nor did I like the way the security guards manhandled her. Was that meant to be a show of grace under pressure or a show of strength?

Either way it was neither civilised nor was it humane. The lady in question was not a criminal.

I was surprised; shocked. If that is how he behaves at a convention, and he is only a Senator, how will he laugh at the country if he becomes president?

Palin's looks

AOG, Madrid

Presence. As much an asset to have as it is a liability to lack it; in theater and film as it is in politics.

In the Republican convention it is plainly obvious, after Sarah Palin’s performance yesterday, that it is she, and not McCain who has it. Palin has a great presence. Strong. Confident. Savvy.

Her image has all the things Hillary Clinton lacked, she instils in you the strength of her personality only by standing there, doing nothing.

It might be her beauty queen background or perhaps she was wearing power heels, but when compared to an enfeebled McCain who had to hold the microphone with both hands one can’t help but think “yes, there stands the next President of the United States, and she looks great”.

Is John McCain sick? He certainly looked frail just before introducing Palin.

This is not an image which instils security in the electorate.

Perhaps this election, more so than any other ever before, when thinking of the Republican candidate, one has to consider the very real possibility that said candidate might die in office, and it will be his VP who takes charge of the Executive branch of Government.

As she stood there, next to McCain, Sarah Palin certainly looked like the next president, as much as does Barack Obama.

This is not to say that she can actually pull it off, though when placed on the spot she might surprise us all.

However, for starters, she certainly looks like America’s first Madam President. The British press is already calling her "America's Margaret Thatcher". I hope for America's sake that they are wrong in this respect. She looks nothing like her.

Looks, however, can always be deceiving.

Sarah Palin

AOG, Madrid

In the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans this coming November, both the Republicans and the Democrats are keen on finding the best candidate. It's always said that the most important decision a presidential candidate makes is their pick for Vice President. It shows their thinking and judgment.

This 2008, events in the Caucus region between Russia and Georgia have, according to some, pushed/forced/cleared up the way for Obama’s choice as a running mate in the form of Joe Biden, a man earmarked for his expertise in foreign affairs, something which the general media in the US is adamant Mr. Obama lacks. Biden, a Delaware senator, is known as a skilled and tactful debater, and is a foreign policy expert, chairing the Senate foreign relations committee.

On the other side of the spectrum, for reasons known only to himself, McCain has chosen Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, to be his running mate. She is the first woman to do so under a Republican ticket. So that, and only that, is good news.

The rest is just abysmal, to say the least.

Flip flops over the Ketchikan bridge aside (also known as the Bridge to Nowhere), Ms. Palin is there, I would venture, to appease the party’s right, as well as its extreme right, wings.

Senator John Kerry, presidential candidate in 2004 also thinks this is the case since, according to him, the party is “suspicious” of McCain.

As if that were not bad enough, according to Senator Kerry, "He's chosen somebody who doesn't believe climate change is man-made", as he declared on ABC news.

She also does not believe in abortion, something which will make the McCain camp loose more votes, especially amongst women, but supports expanded drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. According to Wikipedia's much discussed and amended entry for her, she is said to support teaching creationism, alongside sicence.

This is what I find scariest. Whilst the rest of the worl forges forward in scientic research, blowing away the clouds of religion, the potential Vice President of the US believes in Creationism. It is one thing to be an Evangelical Christian, but to believe in Creationsim is just too much for me. But there's more.

Rush Limbaugh, whose radio show attracts millions of rightwing listeners, has enthusiastically welcomed the Governor of Alaska.

"Palin equals guns, babies, Jesus ... Obama just lost blue-collar, white Democratic voters in Pennsylvania and other states," Limbaugh said.

James Dobson, the conservative Christian leader who had been opposed to McCain, said the selection of Palin had won him over.

Amazingly, and catastrophically for the Republicans, by bringing in someone with very little experience, they have, ironically, washed over their main quip at Obama- lack of experience.

When it comes to experience, compared with Ms. Palin, Mr. Obama looks like Winston Churchill.

The Daily News-Miner, an Alaskan paper, wrote in an editorial: “Republicans rightfully have criticised the Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama, for his lack of experience but Palin is a neophyte in comparison. Palin is not ready for the top job. It’s clear that McCain picked Palin for reasons of image, not substance.”

A good omen?

After appearing with McCain at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, last Friday, Palin made her second campaign speech on Saturday near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Her stop there showed a vulnerability that could be a worry for McCain: some of the audience left as she was speaking and there was booing when, in an appeal to Democratic voters to switch to McCain, she mentioned Hillary Clinton, something Senator Kerry said was insulting to Hillary Clinton supporters, given her anti-abortion and other socially conservative views.

Palin, 44, is Alaska's first female governor. She was sworn in December 2006, making her one of the least experienced people to run for vice-president in recent memory - she has been governor for just a bit over 18 months. Alaska is one of the smallest states in the US, with only 670,000 residents; this would only make it the 17th most populous city in the United States. Just ahead of Fort Worth. Before becoming governor, Palin served two terms as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 9,800 people, and was on the city's council before that.

Do you know what the first two "powers and duties" are for the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska? Check their municipal code:

1. Preside at council meetings. The mayor may take part in the discussion of matters before the council, but may not vote, except that the mayor may vote in the case of a tie;

2. Act as ceremonial head of the city;

In the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial race, Palin bested the incumbent Republican governor during the primary election. As for foreign policy experience, she has none, but she was runner-up in the Miss Alaska pageant.

Nonetheless the final outcome in November will give the US one of two new paradigms, either a Black President, or a Woman Vice President for the first time ever.

Given McCain’s advanced age- he just turned 72-, and his not ironclad health, it may even give America its first-ever woman President. But for all the wrong reasons, of course.

Hillary Clinton as Ceasar's wife...

AOG, Madrid

I remember listening in a radio interview in Spain a couple of years ago a quote which I agreed with wholeheartedly. Although in Spanish, it went along these lines:

"Ceasar's wife must not only be his wife, she also has to look like she is his wife"

The quote was a reference to a scandal which happened to Ceasar's second wife, Pompeia, whereby she was accused of doing something which brought great shame to Ceasar: a scandal that occurred during the rites of Bona Dea.

Although, as it turned out, she was innocent, nevertheless, the whole episode was used as ammunition to deliver a divorce veredict. It is from that court case that in the English-speaking world we say "Ceasar's wife must be above suspicion".

Caesar divorced Pompeia and an inquiry was held. Although several members of Caesar's family gave evidence, Caesar himself did not and the court asked him why he had demanded a divorce when so much uncertainty surrounded the incident. "Caesar's wife," he replied, "must be above suspicion."

I mention this because I have been paying a bit more attention to the Democratic primaries in the US. And in particular to Hillary Clinton.

On paper, she is a super candidate. She has (or claims to have), great experience. She certainly is intelligent and she has some good ideas to help the country.

But then, I look at her. How she speaks. How she moves. Her appearance. And then I don't buy it. Especially when compared to the package Mr. Obama sells.

When I listen to them debate, I often think I am witnessing a debate between a PTA Mom and a politician. Silly. Untrue. Unfounded, because they are both great candidates.

But...

Ms. Clinton does not look the part. She does not look like the President of the US. He does. And so does McCain.

Am I the only one who thinks this? Surely not.

May the best person win, of course, but this will not be the case. The best person will not win. The person who most looks like the President of the US will win. Like Reagan did. Like Bush Sr. did. Like Gore did- although we all know what happened there. Like Bush did the second time around.

I am not for a second suggesting Ms. Clinton is not a great candidate. She is. And I would vote for her over McCain any day. But I would have trouble picturing her in the White House sitting as Madam President.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Obama, despite Tuesday's 10-point defeat, appears all but certain to finish the primary season with more popular votes and more pledged delegates than Clinton.

And then, there's this: