Putin as Person of the Year in Time?

I was somewhat surprised to see that Time had selected Russian President Putin as "Person of the Year." Though I sent them a Letter to the Editor it wasn't accepted, and therefore I release my comment on this blog for anyone subsequently interested:

Choosing Putin as POY was somewhat a surprise. Noone can blame him for following the political ideals that he has, but it has to be said that his steel hand has been behind much suffering in many states. Many conspiracies have been weaved and much has been done to twist events to fit the "brand" that the Putin regime has tried to build.
Condoleeza Rice would have been my choice for POY any time. She is so darn popular and has still withstood the temptation to run for President. So truly a special lady that would have been much more worthy of the attention of your magazine.

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Hillary won Florida, and congratulations with that. Looking forward to Super-Tuesday and hope Sen. Obama will get a fair chance - despite the mudthrowing from some.

Barack Obama Wins South Carolina

It was truly a convincing victory for Sen. Barack Obama tonight. A very good speech thanking the people of South Carolina. There is no doubt indeed that Sen. Obama is te voice for change and the voice for the new generation.

Thankfully, Sen. Obama doesn't fall for the temptation to run the same smear campaign as the Clinton arena has done. Keep up the good work, and kick her backside. :-)

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Barack Obama on Good Morning America

Diane Sawyer interviews Barack in New Hampshire. Aired as "Good Morning America" on January 7^th, 2008.

Is George Bush a puppet on a string?

When Sen. Hillary Clinton begins her morning speech with saying the President should assure people could stay in their homes, and repeating her words on "freezing" interest rates, and soon-gone-on-retirement President Bush gets a decrease in national interest rates, one must ask: Is George Bush a puppet on a string?

Or, thinking back to the Chaos book I mentioned earlier this month, one might also read this as preparing (paving) the way for Hillary....

Well, the best thing is actually that getting positive attention from an unpopular President is like a Judas kiss - the ultimate sign one should beware.

Remember to think carefully about what you decide to do on Super-Tuesday. That vote may decide what happens in the next four years - or at least a serious indication of what will happen on National Election Day.

Looking Forward To Super-Tuesday

I won't hide the fact that I am looking forward to the super-primary when 22 states get involved in making a decision about who they want as candidate in their parties. I like some of Huckabees' moral lessons, but I still think Sen. McCain will win when the going gets tough...

On the democratic scene, Sen. Clinton is performing surprisingly well in single states. The question remains how she will handle many states in one day? Will she be able to come across as a leader? I fully admit I don't like the perspective of her becoming a presidential candidate, but I do admire her tenacity. She does keep at it, and she gets fine results.

The challenge is therefore, for Sen. Barack Obama, to focus more fully on unity both nationally and globally. There are great challenges ahead in foreign policies, and IF Sen. Obama's advice on Iraq had been followed things would truly have looked a bit differently. Noone defends the late dictator Saddam Hussein by saying that, but it is simply a matter of fact that civil unrest has been all too rampant.

A complete strategy in that region will require a strong leader of America imho. :-)

US Presidency - The Future Role

In light of the recent comments concerning fighting abilities of European troops from Mr. Gates it will be highly important for a future President to restore good relations with European nations who have [need I remind Americans? ;-)] been very supportive of numerous missions. Not only Iraq and Afghanistan but also in Security Council decisions.

Instilling doubts into people won't decrease stress factors for families and will also deteriorate team morale in those soldiers who are on missions.

Need I remind politicians how detrimental a lack of political backing really IS on military people? This ain't no Rambo movie. It's bloody real for the many who are doing their level best instead of sitting on their rears in DC with bitter comments...

Worth remembering, I think.

Yes AND No, or Yes Or No?

When seeing how Hillary Clinton originally voted regarding the Iraq invasion, it would seem highly improbable that she will be any clearer on other subjects. Reference: http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/21/iraq.hillary/.

Barack Obama Was Clear From The Start

Although Hillary seems bent on overlooking this, Senator Barack Obama has been clear from the beginning. He was against the invasion, and today we can all see that it was the right opinion because, once again, the US has been totally unable and unprepared to create any lasting solutions.

Anyone with any knowledge of the Middle East would have known that a military invasion had to be followed by strong democratic education of a nation that was accustomed to simply just doing as they were told under Saddam. One would truly have to be naive to ever believe that such a deep adjustment from dictatorship towards democracy would happen automatically...

Democracy Lessons

One feels tempted to almost suggest democracy lessons online so other countries could also get a foretaste of what democracy is all about. It is such a modern venture to use YouTube, but in areas such as this fast solutions are apparently prioritized over lasting solutions.