Too Old? A Little History

Some are skeptical of a 72 year old McCain in the White House. Here is a little history lesson for those suffering from ageism. If above link doesn't work, click here (look for "Is McCain Too Old?")

Winston Churchill was 65 when he became prime minister of Great Britain in 1940. When the curtain fell on the European theater of World War II in 1945, he was 70. He became prime minister again in 1951 at the age of 76; when he left office in 1955 he was 80. In his tenures, he rallied and inspired Britain to victory in World War II, and set the West's course in another battle against totalitarianism at the dawn of the Cold War.

Konrad Adenauer became the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949 at the age of 73. He remained chancellor until his retirement in 1963 at the age of 87. As the first postwar German head of state, he sired the modern democratic Germany from the ashes of Nazism. He helped resurrect that nation from the devastation and destruction of World War II while presiding over West Germany's reconciliation with and reincorporation into the West.

In 1958, at 68, Charles de Gaulle was elected the first president of the Fifth Republic of France. He held this office until retiring in 1969 at the age of 78. He oversaw the creation of modern France as an independent European power with an important role on the world stage. His economic policies stabilized the postwar French economy. It was de Gaulle who reached a cease fire with the Algerian National Liberation Front, paving the way for Algerian independence and defusing the great obstacle to peace in postwar France.

Golda Meir was 70 when she became the fourth prime minister of Israel. Serving until she was 76, she was in office during the massacre of the Israeli Soccer Team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It was Meir, frustrated by the lack of international action to address Palestinian terrorism, who marshaled the Mossad to strike back at the operatives who perpetrated the attacks. She also presided over Israel's victory in the Yom Kippur War.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela -- after 27 years in prison -- became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. He was 75 at the time. His was a presidency that witnessed that nation's transition from apartheid to integrated democratic rule. He managed the delicate and difficult task of reconciliation between black and white South Africans. Mr. Mandela served as president until his retirement at the age of 80.

What happened to the wise elder?

Where I found this article:
RealClearPolitics

The Purpose of Superdelegates

Geraldine Ferraro weighs in on Superdelegates.

AS the race for the Democratic presidential nomination nears its end and attention turns to the role of so-called superdelegates in choosing the nominee, it is instructive to look at why my party created this class of delegates.

Rules are rules.

Where I found this article:
RealClearPolitics

FP Magazine Interview w/ FBI Interrogator Jack Cloonan

On ticking time bomb scenario:

Any questions?

Where I found these videos:
Foreign Policy Magazine

Turkey and Iraq

Will it cause instability in Northern Iraq?

Kosovo Declares Independence

Kosovo is now an independent country.

Kosovo declared itself a nation on Sunday, mounting a historic bid to become an "independent and democratic state" backed by the U.S. and key European allies but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia.

"Kosovo is a republic _ an independent, democratic and sovereign state," parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi said as the chamber burst into applause. Krasniqi, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and President Fatmir Sejdiu signed the declaration, which was scripted on parchment.

Reuters segment:
Now all eyes are on Serbia. What will they do?

NY Times Looks at Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Here is a pretty interesting article about the Sec. of Defense Robert Gates.

One afternoon in late November, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was flying back to Washington from the Army base at Fort Hood, Tex., where he had spoken with soldiers and spouses about the future of Iraq. Sitting across from him at his desk in the back of the Pentagon’s jet, I asked him about the possibility of another military conflict: U.S. air strikes on Iran. “The last thing the Middle East needs now is another war,” he said quietly. “We have to keep all options on the table,” he went on, reciting the standard caveat. “But if Iraq has shown us anything, it’s the unpredictability of war. Once a conflict starts, the statesmen lose control.”

Rummy wasn't available for comment.

Where I found this article:
RealClearPolitics

More Conflict, Darfur/Sudan

Are things going to get worse before they get better?

Conan vs Stewart and Colbert

The fight carries on.

Recap of Super Tuesday

Exciting day.

McCain Sweeps, Huckabee Surprises, Clinton-Obama Dead Heat

McCain wins big.

John McCain won California's Republican primary, Fox News, CNN and NBC projected. Along with victories in Missouri, New York and five other states, the Arizona senator got a Super Tuesday sweep that puts him closer to winning his party's presidential nomination.

Mike Huckabee took Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee and his native Arkansas, dealing a blow to Mitt Romney, who was courting voters in Southern states to keep up with McCain. Romney prevailed in his home state of Massachusetts, along with contests in Utah, North Dakota, Montana, Colorado and Minnesota, according to projections by television networks and the Associated Press.

``I think we have to get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination,'' McCain said last night in Phoenix. ``And I don't really mind it that much.''

Also, Bill Kristol on McCain Derangement Syndrome:

McCain, clearly the candidate to win the nomination.

Where I found this article/video:
Bloomberg/HotAir

Serbia Votes for Pro-Europe Tadic

Serbia moves forward.

European leaders breathed a sigh of relief after Serbian democrat Boris Tadic eked out a victory Sunday over ultranationalist Tomislav Nikolic in a divisive election held days before the expected loss of Kosovo, often spoken of here as the soul of ancient Serbia.

The Serbian presidency does not carry great powers. But the election won by the incumbent Mr. Tadic with 50.5 percent and a record turnout was seen as a psychological crossroads at a point of crisis – a referendum on reprising the chauvinist spirit of the 1990s and a pro-Moscow tilt, or moving toward Europe's economic and open-travel regime and a greater emphasis on civil society norms.

Reuters segment:

EU membership coming soon?

Where I found this article/video:
The Christian Science Monitor/Reuters

Chad in Peril, Conflict Connected to Sudan?

Here is a link and an excerpt on the situation:

What's going on in Chad, the world's #5 failed state? The AP reports that rebel forces allegedly tied to the Sudanese government have resumed their bloody assault on N'Djamena. The Chadian capital is held by government troops backing strongman Idriss Déby. But what are they fighting about?

Reuters segment:

Conflict spreads like fire.

Where I found this video/article(w/picture):
Reuters/Foreign Policy Passport

The Iraq Agreement

Here is an article by Brett McGurk, the National Security Council's director for Iraq, about the US-Iraq agreement set to take place.

The Iraqi government has asked for an agreement with the United States, similar to ones we have with countries around the world, to help remove Iraq from U.N. Security Council oversight and normalize relations between our two countries.

The purpose of this agreement is to provide basic authorities and protections for U.S. military and civilian personnel serving in Iraq beyond Dec. 31, 2008, when our present U.N. authorizations are set to expire, and establish a basic framework for economic, diplomatic and security relations.

Reasonable or unreasonable, you be the judge.

The Psychology of Voting

When looking at a candidate, what do voters look for? Is it by the issues, or by pure emotion?

When confronted with that ballot, will emotion or thought guide that decision. Newsweek has an article that answers this interesting yet disturbing reality.

It is a core tenet of political psychology that voters know nothing. Or next to nothing. Or next to nothing about what civics classes (forgive the anachronism) told us really matters. In 1992, the one fact that almost every voter knew about George H. W. Bush, besides that he was the incumbent president, was that he loathed broccoli. A close second was the name of the Bushes' springer spaniel, Millie, which 86 percent of likely voters said they knew. But when it came to the positions of Bush and his opponent, Bill Clinton, on important issues, voters were, shall we say, a tad underinformed. Just 15 percent, for instance, knew that both candidates supported the death penalty.

Again, click here for a guide to the 2008 Presidential elections and choose by the issues, then by the heart.

Heart or Head?

The Oath of Office for President of the United States

Sooner than later.

McCain Going for Blood Feb. 5th, Democrats Divided Even

McCain is setting the stage for February 5th, and is hoping to score big, even going as far to battle Romney in his home state of Massachusetts.

John McCain plans to aggressively compete in Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney's Massachusetts, a bold move that reflects a deep desire not just to beat the former Massachusetts governor but bury him in his own backyard.

The Arizona senator will pick up the endorsement of former Gov. Paul Cellucci on Saturday, run radio ads in the state, and campaign in Boston on Monday. Another of the state's former governors, Jane Swift, also will make appearances on his behalf over the weekend, and volunteer phone calls will begin. McCain secured the endorsements of The Boston Globe and the Boston Herald weeks ago

Will McCain embarrass Romney (who has put his sweat, money and tears in this campaign) or will Romney make the biggest comeback since ...hell, John McCain. Don't know for sure, yet by the end of next week, the GOP ticket will be clear.

The Democratic ticket is a toss up right now between Clinton and Obama. The new vision of liberalism versus the old, the message of results versus the message of hope. After a respectable debate just the other day on CNN, both tried to give the impression they deserve the nomination. Some are even considering the duo to be so great, that a ticket with both of them would do the country well. We'll see.

Next week will be interesting.

The World is Watching

Pretty interesting article about people around the world looking the 2008 election.

Germans are gaga over Barack Obama. He's got Japan pretty jazzed, too, along with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Russia's leaders, not so much: They prefer a Republican — as long as it's not Kremlin critic John McCain.

And Mexico's president? He doesn't have much use for any of them.

America's extraordinary presidential campaign has captivated politicians and ordinary people around the globe. With so much at stake in the race for the White House, the world is watching with an intensity that hasn't been seen since the Clinton era began in 1992.

After eight years of President Bush, the latest mantra in U.S. politics — "transformational change" — is resonating across the rest of a planet desperate for a fresh start.

All eyes on 2008.