There are several ways a politician can have his campaign derailed before it has even got going. In America the smallest thing can result in plummeting down the popularity stakes and before you know it you have as much chance of reaching the top job as Fred West has of winning landlord of the year.
Howard Dean's primal scream and John Kerry 'looking French' sent them tumbling last time so Rudy Giuliani should fall so far he will wake up in Australia after the latest revelations concerning his wife's antics in the canine world.
Judith Giuliani demonstrated surgical products for a controversial medical-supply company that used dogs to demonstrate their instruments by needlessly operating on them and then destroying the unwilling patient. Hundreds of pooches were either put to death following the sales demonstrations to sell medical stapling tools, or died during them.
Granted, it was his wife and not him massacring dogs for profit, but the fallout should have a negative effect on his chances unless he comes out and condemns her actions or she breaks down and pleads for forgiveness.
At least it will take the spotlight off his 'interesting' private life which includes a 14 year marriage to his own cousin.
Saturday, 7 July 2007
Happy Birthday Dubya
It is a certain American Presidents 61st Birthday today so three cheers and the bumps to old Dubya.
I hope that my presents turned up safe and sound and i want pictures of you riding that bicycle, eating that years supply of pretzels and reading the copy of 'The Idiots guide to retiring early'.
Enjoy.
I hope that my presents turned up safe and sound and i want pictures of you riding that bicycle, eating that years supply of pretzels and reading the copy of 'The Idiots guide to retiring early'.
Enjoy.
Friday, 6 July 2007
Only 16 Months To Go
My blog stats suddenly exploded, appears a few media outlets are using paragraphs from this
blog or linking to it, some big hitters as well, such as the online version of the Wall Street Journal are linking here from their stories.
As it seems the posts that are interesting the American press is the Presidential race, i guess i will have to make it a regular feature so expect a series of 'A Europeans Look At The Presidential Race ' or some similiar titled posts for the next.....16 months!! Blimey.
blog or linking to it, some big hitters as well, such as the online version of the Wall Street Journal are linking here from their stories.
As it seems the posts that are interesting the American press is the Presidential race, i guess i will have to make it a regular feature so expect a series of 'A Europeans Look At The Presidential Race ' or some similiar titled posts for the next.....16 months!! Blimey.
Great Aussie Oil Grab
Most famous for inventing a bent stick that you can throw which then comes back and smashes you in the face, it would be fair to say that Australia doesn't really figure in our thoughts as much as some other nations.
That would probably explain why the Australian Prime Minister John Howard is usually left out of the bile reserved for Iraq War architects Bush and Blair. A firm supporter of the invasion in 2003, Howard rejected the anti-war call of the war being about oil by stating "We are not there because of oil and we didn’t go there because of oil, we want to give the people of Iraq a possibility of embracing democracy." A pretty conclusive denial from the balding Aussie so one can only imagine the colour he turned the air when his Defence minister swung his big size 9's straight into his plums by saying that access to Iraq’s oil was a key reason for sending and keeping Australian troops there.
"Iraq is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the rest of the world, and Australians need to think what would happen if there were a premature withdrawal from Iraq," Dr Nelson said. "We need to ensure, notwithstanding the significant natural resources that our country has been blessed with, that we are able to access the energy requirements in our region and throughout the world."
I sense a fact finding trip to the outback in this ministers near future as Mr Howard tries to fend off the outcry over his decision to help his pals liberate the Iraqi people not only from Saddam, but more importantly, from their oil.
That would probably explain why the Australian Prime Minister John Howard is usually left out of the bile reserved for Iraq War architects Bush and Blair. A firm supporter of the invasion in 2003, Howard rejected the anti-war call of the war being about oil by stating "We are not there because of oil and we didn’t go there because of oil, we want to give the people of Iraq a possibility of embracing democracy." A pretty conclusive denial from the balding Aussie so one can only imagine the colour he turned the air when his Defence minister swung his big size 9's straight into his plums by saying that access to Iraq’s oil was a key reason for sending and keeping Australian troops there.
"Iraq is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the rest of the world, and Australians need to think what would happen if there were a premature withdrawal from Iraq," Dr Nelson said. "We need to ensure, notwithstanding the significant natural resources that our country has been blessed with, that we are able to access the energy requirements in our region and throughout the world."
I sense a fact finding trip to the outback in this ministers near future as Mr Howard tries to fend off the outcry over his decision to help his pals liberate the Iraqi people not only from Saddam, but more importantly, from their oil.
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Roswell Debate Goes On
Probably the most debated extra-terrestrial event happened today in 1947 when either a UFO or a weather balloon crash-landed on a farm near Roswell Air Base.
A rather large group of people believe that the 'weather balloon' was actually an Unidentified Flying Object from outer space. In fact, they believe the military actually recovered three or four alien bodies, and recovered the UFO and point to the press release put out by the Military Authorities at the time which stated that they had indeed recovered a UFO. Only for it to then be retracted 24 hours later.
With excellent timing, Lieutenant Walter Haut, who was the PR man at the base in 1947, and who issued both the press releases after the crash, died and left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death.
The text was released and asserts that the weather balloon claim was a cover story, and that the real object had been recovered by the military and stored in a hangar. He described seeing not just the craft, but alien bodies. Local undertaker Glenn Dennis had long claimed that he was contacted by authorities at Roswell shortly after the crash and asked to provide a number of child-sized coffins.
The arguments over whether it was a cover up or just fanciful thinking will continue for some time yet, but 60 years on it still has the power to divide opinion and that's the hallmark of a truly great conspiracy theory.
A rather large group of people believe that the 'weather balloon' was actually an Unidentified Flying Object from outer space. In fact, they believe the military actually recovered three or four alien bodies, and recovered the UFO and point to the press release put out by the Military Authorities at the time which stated that they had indeed recovered a UFO. Only for it to then be retracted 24 hours later.
With excellent timing, Lieutenant Walter Haut, who was the PR man at the base in 1947, and who issued both the press releases after the crash, died and left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death.
The text was released and asserts that the weather balloon claim was a cover story, and that the real object had been recovered by the military and stored in a hangar. He described seeing not just the craft, but alien bodies. Local undertaker Glenn Dennis had long claimed that he was contacted by authorities at Roswell shortly after the crash and asked to provide a number of child-sized coffins.
The arguments over whether it was a cover up or just fanciful thinking will continue for some time yet, but 60 years on it still has the power to divide opinion and that's the hallmark of a truly great conspiracy theory.
Wednesday, 4 July 2007
We Don't Do 4th July Here
July 4th is not mentioned over here, it is a dirty little secret we keep hidden because Britain don't like to admit losing wars, it is bad for our ego so we pretend that America just sort of came into existence and then concentrate on how we bashed the Hun.
Twice.
Then won a Football World Cup against them as well.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Twice.
Then won a Football World Cup against them as well.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Forces Struggling To Recruit
There are some vacancies that must be notoriously hard to recruit for. I cannot see an orderly queue forming for a career as a suppository tester for example and the applications for OJ Simpson's escort must be pretty thin on the ground.
Another job that they seem to be having problems with is recruiting for the UK Armed Forces, hence the Government stating today that Britain's armed forces have staff shortages of almost 6,000 people, leaving personnel overstretched and unable to meet the demands placed on them.
"Recruitment is down and we are desperately failing to replace the numbers that leave" stated the Army Recruitment Officer with surprise in his voice.
So what could possibly be the problem encouraging young people to join the Armed Forces? Personally, i believe that anyone who actually wants a career killing people is the last person we should be handing over a loaded weapon to, which is probably why i am not in charge of recruitment, but what can the Army, Navy and RAF do to boost their numbers?
I would play down very real possibility of getting killed while being sent on missions to replace leaders of other countries on trumped up charges.
The chance to join the War on Terror might be best kept quiet, especially if you are hoping to recruit ethnic minorities who might take offence to a policy that seems centred on targeting Muslims.
So the angle i would concentrate on is that you get a really smart uniform.
That's what i would go with.
Another job that they seem to be having problems with is recruiting for the UK Armed Forces, hence the Government stating today that Britain's armed forces have staff shortages of almost 6,000 people, leaving personnel overstretched and unable to meet the demands placed on them.
"Recruitment is down and we are desperately failing to replace the numbers that leave" stated the Army Recruitment Officer with surprise in his voice.
So what could possibly be the problem encouraging young people to join the Armed Forces? Personally, i believe that anyone who actually wants a career killing people is the last person we should be handing over a loaded weapon to, which is probably why i am not in charge of recruitment, but what can the Army, Navy and RAF do to boost their numbers?
I would play down very real possibility of getting killed while being sent on missions to replace leaders of other countries on trumped up charges.
The chance to join the War on Terror might be best kept quiet, especially if you are hoping to recruit ethnic minorities who might take offence to a policy that seems centred on targeting Muslims.
So the angle i would concentrate on is that you get a really smart uniform.
That's what i would go with.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Name That Kid
The 3 girls may not be so difficult but the first 2 boys i had to double check. So which famous music artists did these youngsters grow up to be?
Terror Threat Britain
Welcome to the top post Mr Brown. Our top priorities are the Postal Strike, the Prison overcrowding crisis and the fact that there have been 4 terrorist attempts in the last 2 days.
Gordy sure has to hit the ground running as the pictures of a flaming 4x4 firmly embedded in the side of Glasgow Airport and car bombs being taken away on lorries emanate from our TV Screens.
Blair's reaction to terrorism was a strange beast. He held talks with the IRA and released all the convicted terrorists early under the Good Friday Agreement and then changed tact completely following the July 8 bombings and went steaming into the Muslim Community with all guns blazing. Literally in many cases.
Don't know what Browns reaction is going to be but we can just thank our lucky stars that the only person seriously injured this weekend was the driver of the jeep who is in hospital with serious burns.
Will Brown react with the knee jerking clamp down on all as his predecessor did or attempt to engage with a section of community angry enough to take the lives of innocent countrymen along with their own.
Prevention is always a better option than cure.
Gordy sure has to hit the ground running as the pictures of a flaming 4x4 firmly embedded in the side of Glasgow Airport and car bombs being taken away on lorries emanate from our TV Screens.
Blair's reaction to terrorism was a strange beast. He held talks with the IRA and released all the convicted terrorists early under the Good Friday Agreement and then changed tact completely following the July 8 bombings and went steaming into the Muslim Community with all guns blazing. Literally in many cases.
Don't know what Browns reaction is going to be but we can just thank our lucky stars that the only person seriously injured this weekend was the driver of the jeep who is in hospital with serious burns.
Will Brown react with the knee jerking clamp down on all as his predecessor did or attempt to engage with a section of community angry enough to take the lives of innocent countrymen along with their own.
Prevention is always a better option than cure.
Al Gore For President?
To most Brits, Al Gore is that guy with the environmental film. To others he is also the one who got more votes than Bush but still lost anyway.
I don't know the subtle differences between Republican and Democrat policy, it always seems more personality driven, but from what i can gather, i would fall into the Democrat camp. Hillary Clinton is the current Democrat favourite but a new poll by 7news seems to suggest that Democratic voters would prefer former vice-president Al Gore to any of the declared contenders.
I have mentioned a few times how much better off the World would be if Gore had beaten Bush those few elections ago and Gore has spoke previously that he had no plans to put himself forward for nomination but he may have a change of heart with the poll showing that 29% of Ms Clinton's backers would switch their support to him.
I don't know what Gore reputation is in the States, but he has an enhanced reputation as an environmental campaigner in Europe where man-made climate change is given a much higher priority than in his homeland.
He is likely to bump up his reputation again with the Live Earth concerts which he helped to organise with eight shows held simultaneously around the world to raise awareness and funds to combat global warming.
Al Gore as President may yet become possible and the healing of the destructive Bush years can begin for both America's reputation and the environment.
I don't know the subtle differences between Republican and Democrat policy, it always seems more personality driven, but from what i can gather, i would fall into the Democrat camp. Hillary Clinton is the current Democrat favourite but a new poll by 7news seems to suggest that Democratic voters would prefer former vice-president Al Gore to any of the declared contenders.
I have mentioned a few times how much better off the World would be if Gore had beaten Bush those few elections ago and Gore has spoke previously that he had no plans to put himself forward for nomination but he may have a change of heart with the poll showing that 29% of Ms Clinton's backers would switch their support to him.
I don't know what Gore reputation is in the States, but he has an enhanced reputation as an environmental campaigner in Europe where man-made climate change is given a much higher priority than in his homeland.
He is likely to bump up his reputation again with the Live Earth concerts which he helped to organise with eight shows held simultaneously around the world to raise awareness and funds to combat global warming.
Al Gore as President may yet become possible and the healing of the destructive Bush years can begin for both America's reputation and the environment.
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