A history lesson

I haven't written too much on the US election, not because I haven't been following it but more my underwhelming cynicism on who America choses as the next leader of the "free world".

Most of my peers seem to be in the Obama camp, to the point where at a dinner recently, a close acquaintance mentioned something about the brand of Obama's walkman, musical choice, or some such inane 'fact' about the (potential) next US president.

Since when did knowing the brand of anything of a US presidential nominee uses, confer any sort of suitability to run the biggest economy in the world???Who cares if Obama eats the same brand of baked beans as me??!?!

This is a dude who will potentially have to sit down with the following characters and negotiate:

Vladimir Putin	Hu Jintao	Mahmoud Ahmanadinejad	Kim Jong-Il
(president of USSR Russia, ex-KGB, loves fishing, judo, the great outdoors and the odd extremely bloody territorial conflict. Also has a lot of nukes, not entirely sure where all of them are...)	(president of China, with a 1.3billion population and a proud 3,000 year history of which about 100 years have been spent opposing the US in almost everyway possible)	(president of Iran, desperately trying to acquire offensive nuclear capability, believer in the resurrection of the 12th Imam, who's return will mean the end of days)	(semi-retarded son of previous leader of Nth Korea, currently starving his population as he spends too much money trying to spread North Korean missile and nuclear technology across the world)

Some history:

Jimmy Carter was the American President from 1977-1981. In November 1979, some "students" took the 52 people hostage in the American embassy in Tehran and kept them hostage all the way through to the day before Pres. Jimmy left office in 1981 (coincidence? ya think?). There are rumours that Ahmadinejad was one of the hostage takers. Now tell me he isn't just itching to smack the US in the face again..

What does this have to do with Obama? This:

"The lesson of being strong in defending interests and combating enemies has not quite been learned. Today, the opposite is the mainstream prescription for success and the United States may be about to elect a president whose world view parallels the way Carter worked."

From the Obama campaign website (viewed on 11th October, 2008):

"Making clear that he planned to talk to Iran without preconditions, Mr. Obama emphasized further that "changes in behavior" by Iran could possibly be rewarded with membership in the World Trade Organization, other economic benefits and security guarantees."

Oooooooh Membership in the WTO, what an awesome carrot as inducement away from "wiping Israel off the map". Because all the previous dealings with Iran have been so...fruitful.

There is sooo much wrong with the political positions (and acquaintances) of Obama that are being glossed over in the media. What I see in the world is Gen X and Ys desperate for salvation from the 'sins' of Bush, thus putting all their goodwill, media organisations, and votes behind a man who stands for...what exactly?

Just don't be surprised if he does get elected that his actual politics will come to the fore, and then, Space Monkey help us all.....

Afterword:
Pootie really is a black belt in Judo....