When all is said and done, Governor Palin is likely the most impactful Vice Presidential pick since Teddy Roosevelt in 1900. And ironically or perhaps not, they share a similar background. Both were or are young first-term governors, outside the Washington scene and best known for tackling corruption in their home states. And without question, Sarah Palin is injecting an energy into the McCain campaign that is hard to believe or even imagine a fortnight ago. From appearances in Cedarburg, WI and Sterling Heights, MI yesterday to Colorado Springs, CO and Albuquerque, NM today, the crowds have been overflow and electric. As much as people are there to see McCain, they are also there to see and meet Sarah.
The crowd that attended this evening’s rally in Albuquerque for the Republican presidential ticket were enthusiastic after hearing from John McCain and Sarah Palin.
Dawn Lowe and her husband Dan posted for a photograph holding McCain-Palin posters. Dawn said words couldn’t describe it, while Dan Lowe called the rally incredible. He says Palin motivated the couple and McCain spoke from the heart.
Others in the crowd said the speeches reinforced their backing of the Republican presidential ticket.
In the words of 71-year-old David Kelsey: “We’re more and more impressed.”
Below the fold, two more stories on the Palin factor. (more…)
Ask Senator McCain about offshore drilling and you’ll get a one word answer, “Drill.” Ask Senator Obama and you get this:
“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices.”
“I made a general point about the fact that we need to provide the American people some relief and that there has been constructive conversations between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate on this issue.”
“What I will not do, and this has always been my position, is to support a plan that suggests this drilling is the answer to our energy problems.”
“If we’ve got a plan on the table that I think meets the goals that America has to set and there are some things in there that I don’t like, then obviously that’s something that I would consider because that’s the nature of how we govern in a democracy.”
Which position is clearer? I have opposed offshore drilling but I also know a wall when I see one and we are up against one now. Every year, the United States is sending $700 billion USD to regimes that run from the friendly to unsavory to the openly hostile in order to pay for our energy bill. It’s not just a cash flow problem but a national security issue at this point. I will not dispute the fact the blame for this largely is due to the energy policies of Republican administrations since the 1980s but if we sit here and just blame the failures of the past nothing will get done to address the issue of what we need to do now.
The serious need to invest in alternative energy should be self-evident by now. I personally like T. Boone Pickens plan (please check the Energy & Peak Oil Category for previous posts on this subject) and there is much in both Senator Obama’s and Senator McCain’s proposals that I like. But there is one critical difference between them. McCain’s plan simply has an interval component. He tackles the energy needs of the near-term better because he is willing to drill because we have to. We had choices even as recently ten years ago. Now we have one. Drill Baby Drill.
An Overflow Crowd at the McCain Rally in Colorado Springs
Though many of us, the disaffected wing of the Democratic Party, have largely said the same thing for nine months now, this argument has for the most part fallen on the deaf ears of the Democratic Party’s leadership. Perhaps if it comes from a foreign observer, it might resonate. Today, Nick Cohen in an op-ed in the UK Guardian takes the supporters of Senator Obama, including the media, to task.
My colleagues in the American liberal press had little to fear at the start of the week. Their charismatic candidate was ahead in virtually every poll. George W Bush was so unpopular that conservatives were scrambling around for reasons not to invite the Republican President to the Republican convention. Democrats had only to maintain their composure and the White House would be theirs. During the 1997 British general election, the late Lord Jenkins said that Tony Blair was like a man walking down a shiny corridor carrying a precious vase. He was the favourite and held his fate in his hands. If he could just reach the end of the hall without a slip, a Labour victory was assured. The same could have been said of the American Democrats last week. But instead of protecting their precious advantage, they succumbed to a spasm of hatred and threw the vase, the crockery, the cutlery and the kitchen sink at an obscure politician from Alaska.
This is a repost of a post from August 25, 2008. It provides the background to the report from Al Jazeera.
If you have never heard of Transdniestria, you’re probably not alone. Transdniestria is a sliver of land with separatist aspirations inside the Republic of Moldova. Moldova itself is a small country wedged between the Ukraine and Romania. Unlike South Ossetia, it does not border Russia but like South Ossetia the history of the region is complicated. Moldova is ethnically Romanian and speak Romanian but people of Transdniestria are largely Slavic and speak Russian, a Slavic tongue.
Moldova was once an independent principality, the Principality of Moldavia but fell under the sphere of the Ottoman Turks during the 1600s. In 1812, most of the Principality of Moldavia was taken by Russia and about a third incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian province of Wallachia which would become the independent Kingdom of Romania in 1848. As part of the Russian Empire, the area was called Bessarabia. It is during this time that ethnic Russians began migrating to the rich soils of the Dniestria river valley.
Moldova would succeed in breaking away from the Russian Empire during the turmoil of the 1917 Russian Revolution to join Romania. The area would fall to Nazi hands in 1940 and by liberated by the Soviet Army in late 1944. After World War II, the Soviet Union reclaimed Moldova and its territory was split between the Ukrianian SSR and a new smaller Moldovan SSR. Moldova regained its indpendence in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Despite signing international obligations to withdraw, Russian military forces have remained on Moldovan territory. Since 1993 they have been stationed in the breakaway territory of Transdniestria against the will of the Moldovan Government. Moldova is somewhat ambivalent about nationhood. Many of the people in Moldova would like to join their kin as part of a greater Romania, a move that Russia opposes. (more…)
It was the loudest and most prolonged cheer since Barack Obama appeared on the podium last week in Denver. Very few people had heard of Sarah Palin when Mr Obama delivered his acceptance speech eight days ago. One vice-presidential announcement, several news cycles and countless debates about sexism later, Ms Palin had been catapulted into starring role at a rejuvenated Republican convention.
Given the fluid nature of this presidential race, most analysts say it is much too early to pronounce whether Ms Palin’s widely praised acceptance speech was the “game changer” that some Republicans claimed on Wednesday night. But in the near term Ms Palin’s “hockey mom” address has already accomplished three things. First it has energised the Republican party’s conservative base.
Self-declared evangelicals make up roughly a third of the Republican vote and a high turnout can make the important difference be-tween victory and defeat in swing states such as Ohio. Until recently, many social conservatives offered only lukewarm support for John McCain and some remained hostile. But Mr McCain’s unequivocal pronouncement last month that human life begins at conception and his selection of Ms Palin, a staunch opponent of abortion, have enthused the religious block to an extent few anticipated.
Angola Heads to the Polls
Angola’s first election in 16 years took place peacefully Friday, but it was marred by disorganization in Luanda, the capital, where 30 percent of the voters live. Voter turnout was ‘massive’ with voters queuing for hours in order to cast their ballots. Report from the BBC and from the New York Times. The Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA) has ruled since Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975 and is expected to remain in power. Angola is a large oil exporter. More background on the Angolan political scene from Radio Netherlands.
Russia Joins the Scramble for African Resources
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding on oil and gas exploration in Africa’s top crude producer. The full story from Afrol News.
Iranian-Nigerian Nuclear Cooperation
Iran has announced its plans to share nuclear technology with Nigeria to help Africa’s oil producer boost its electricity output. The details in Afrol News.
Tsvangirai Rejects Mugabe Ultimatum
The opposition in Zimbabwe has turned down President Mugabe’s power-sharing offer, which wasn’t much of one. The move paved way for Mugabe to announce a new cabinet, delayed since early July due to ongoing talks. Mugabe is now expected to announce his cabinet any day from today. The story in The Zimbabwe Independent.
Education Planning in Rwanda
World Economic Forum partners in the Global Education Alliance in Rwanda. Rwanda’s Director of Planning, Claver Yisa outlines how it is working with the partnership to improve education in the small Central African nation.
Africa’s Bio-Fuel Development
Western companies are pushing to acquire vast stretches of African land to meet the world’s biofuel needs. Local farmers and governments are being showered with promises. But is this just another form of economic colonialism? More from the Der Spiegel.
Here is the Saturday, September 6th, 2008 edition of what’s making news and interesting reads from around the world. Also please note that off to the left there are two widgets with updates on news from Asia and the world in a separate page: Around Asia & Around the World New Feeds.
An Already Battered Caribbean Braces for More Storms
The prospect of an onslaught by Hurricane Ike was grim news for the Caribbean, which was hit hard last week by Tropical Storm Hanna. More from the Miami Herald.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac To Be Seized by the US Government
Senior officials from the Bush administration and the Federal Reserve on Friday informed top executives of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that the government was preparing to seize the two companies and place them in a conservatorship. The plan, effectively a government bailout, was outlined in separate meetings that the chief executives were summoned to attend on Friday at the office of the companies’ new regulator. The executives were told that, under the plan, they and their boards would be replaced, shareholders would be virtually wiped out, but the companies would be able to continue functioning with the government generally standing behind their debt. More on this developing story from the New York Times.
Iran’s Diplomatic Campaign to Woo Russia and Latin America
The growing rift between the United States and Russia presents Tehran with options. Iran can seek to neutralize United Nations nuclear sanctions and explore strategic cooperation with Russia and Latin America’s leftist governments. It can also act as Moscow’s junior partner, rallying “rogue” nations in a front against the US. More from the Asia Times.
Taro Aso Throws His Hat in the Ring
Flamboyant front-runner Taro Aso formally announced his bid to become Japan’s next prime minister on Friday as younger rivals called for generational change in the ailing ruling party. More from Agence France Presse.
European Stocks Fall Broadly
European shares fell for a third day running on Friday finishing down over 2%. It was the worst weekly performance since January 2003. More from Euro News.
After Georgia: Europe Must Stand Up to Russia The Economist writes that the European Union has wobbled woefully, yet Russia too will pay dearly for its Georgian adventure.
