Thank you, Bush

Last night George W. Bush made history. Yes, we have to give it to him, were it not for the failed policies enacted in the past eight years, the US would not have elected Barack Obama president.
Bush will go into history as the president that passed the helm on to a black man. But also as the man who paved the way for this man to come to power.
Sure, I do not mean to take away all the merits of the great orator and politician that Obama has proven himself. But let's face it: if the US had not slumped into a recession months before the election and our people were not sick and tired of fighting a war for oil companies, it is unlikely Obama would have made it past the primaries, and certainly not to the White House.
Now let me make a digression, by the way. Throughout this year, I have been remembering a tune by Parliament called Chocolate City. In that song, at one point, the great George Clinton starts naming several cities he says have become chocolate city, or CCs. Then he blasts out: It is still called the White House, but that is a temporary condition. Visionary.
Back to the thanks. We cannot forget to extend the warmest thanks to senator John McCain, whose temper and gut-feeling-driven politics caused him to commit fatal blunders as saying the economy was strong in the week when the third Black Monday in history happened and to choose Sarah Palin as his running mate without first properly vetting her.
And, yes, let's say thank you to Sarah Palin. If she were not such a colorful character and did not have such a deep disconnect with anything outside Wasilla Main Street, she might have even captivated Americans enough to sway them toward the Republican ticket.
But now let's be serious. Tonight I am proud to be American.
Thank you USA.

The battle against fear

I cannot let last night's debate go without quickly commenting on it. I saw a desperate John McCain, fear-mongering to try and catch-up with Obama's quickly widening lead.
Barack Obama took the (too) cautious position of avoiding excessive confrontation. McCain's tack was expected and was just a watered-down version of what he has been doing on the campaign trail. I wish I had seen Obama a bit more combative, though. There were some very clear moments in which he could have stood-up to McCain with more vehemence.
But in the end, one thing was clear: McCain managed to explain very little about what he wants to do and how. Obama was as clear as it gets in the time assigned.
The division between the two also was made clearer. McCain is obviously a free-market guy, who believes nothing beats private intiative.
In some ways I agree with the Republican candidate on that one. I do think that government is usually a bad manager and more government intervention often translates into more bureaucracy and higher costs for everyone.
However, unlike McCain, I think the government has to exert strong oversight on the market. I think regulatory agencies need more power and funding to make sure the market is functioning as it should.
Anyway, theories apart, what also became clear is that Obama does really hold a very strong chance to win this election by now. The reason for that is a sad one: the economy is going down the drain fast.
And with his job on the line and collectors knocking on his door all day, the average American does not want to hear about how Obama was on the same board as a former American revolutionary who thought he could make his point get across by bombing public buidlings. He wants to know how on Earth the next president is going to get him out of this bind. And McCain simply did not answer that question. Besides, at this point it is clear that leaving it all completely in the hands of free-market does not work.
In fact, I believe McCain is hitting the wrong note. As Americans see the economy crumbling after decades of laissez-faire policies, they do not want to be given the choice on everything. For the first time since World War II, I daresay, Americans want a strong hand on the helm. They want the government to be there for them, and not the opposite as McCain suggests and assumes.
The problem is that Obama is likely to swing the pendulum too far and overshoot the government clout in his first term. And, as I said before, that is not good.
Finally, there is one thing in all this that makes me sad. I wish we were electing our first black president just because of his merits - which he has now proven -, not because we are desperate.

And McCain's running mate is... Who is that again?

It sounded grand. When he started the speech I was sure he was going to make a huge announcement. And then John McCain told the nation that his running mate will be Sarah Palin. Immediately a co-worker of mine told me: "He chose her because Tootsie was not available."
His justification: she has a proven track record of fighting big oil and executive experience. OK, I do think that the Democratic ticket lacks executive experience as both nominees have only legislative seats in their resumé. But, with all due respect, being the mayor of a 9,000 strong town in Alaska and then becoming governor of a state with less than 700,000 inhabitants does not necessarily qualify as executive experience in my opinion. The mayor of Newark has more experience than her, if you stop to think about it.
The bottom-line is, why on Earth did McCain choose Palin? Sure, the obvious answer is, she is a woman so with her he can round-up all those Hillary Clinton votes who are not so sure about Barack Obama. And she is young, so he slaps back those who point at his age as a problem for him to become president.
Which, by the way, reminds me: when McCain was born Alaska was not even a state yet. In fact, its statehood completes 50 years in 2009.
Anyway, my point is, did he really choose her for those reasons alone? I mean, seriously, this woman will become president if McCain is elected and dies suddenly - something not that impossible considering he just turned 72.
I am not sure I want to have our first woman president coming from Alaska. And, more important, I am sure I do not want to have a president who chooses his deputy based on gender and electoral appeal.
As Eric Cartman would say, screw you guys, I'm going home.

The vice-presidential race

OK. So Hillary Clinton is out, Barack Obama is in - oh, what a surprise! On the other camp, John McCain. So, now starts what is probably the most important part of this campaign: choosing the vice-president.
For a long time the deputy spot has not been so relevant. And not because Obama needs to round-up all those white conservative votes or because McCain has to convince everybody who wants change that he will not be perpetuating the status quo. For a much simpler reason.
Though few will admit it, there is a general feeling that if either of the two is elected he might not serve his term.
The case against McCain is obvious. On August 29 the senator becomes 72. And while living an active life until 90 is nothing extrarodinary these days - just look at Maurice Hank Greenberg, from AIG! - being the president of the world's most important country can take a toll even on the healthiest, youngest person.
And in Obama's case I have heard a lot of people say they think he could be assassinated before completing his term. And I do not mean paranoid, conspiracy-theory obsessed people. Young, balanced, reasonable professionals have been telling me that.
It is eery how even the media coverage seems to be setting the stage for such a tragedy, often comparing Obama to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
So, everyone wants to know who will be the nominees for the second spot. Chances are, that will be our next president.