Best of Denver

Things are looking up for Barack Obama to become the next President in November. Although there is still a long way to go, including the presidential debates, it seems like the Democrats’ Convention served its purpose of reuniting and reenergising a campaign that was losing some steam in the past few weeks. On the other hand McCain has had to cut short his show due to Hurricane Gustav and his running mate, Sarah Palin, seems to have not been vetted properly by the campaign team (whatever McCain spinners say). So all in all Obama is up 8 points with 50% to McCain’s 42% and we are in the middle of the Republican Convention.

I leave you here with my two favourite speeches from Denver, those of John Kerry and Dennis Kucinich:

And finally…if Pat Buchanan likes it something spells trouble for McCain:

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Stressful times

Hello there! as Bill Bailey said in Black Books, long time no speaky! I haven’t been very good at multitasking these days. My best mate came down to visit us in London the past two weeks, I haven’t seen him in five years so catching up with him has been my main activity lately. On top of this I’m finally on the last days of my dissertation writing marathon and trying to get a job starting this September. So all in all as you’ve guessed if you’ve come around these days to the blog I’ve not been writing much here (at all probably a better description). It will stay like this probably until Tuesday next week once my dissertation is handed in and the subsequent hangover clears from my mind to give way to the brilliant stuff you’ve experienced in this blog in the past few months.

Until then have a look at this very interesting report by The Politico on Obama’s path to the nomination. See you all back here in less than a week!

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Friday round-up

Well the weekend is upon us. Today it’s been an extremely unproductive day. I have watched most of the Olympics Inauguration Ceremony (really really impressive), failed to finish off the methodology section of my dissertation and not much inspiration for blogging today either. But just a quick post with a couple of interesting things I found around on the internet just as an excuse to wish you all a happy weekend.

First of all this report in TechPresident on McCain’s ‘The one’ attack ad on Obama. According to a group of progressive evangelicals that has endorsed Obama for president the ad (that at first sight seems pretty ineffectual) is full of coded language for evangelicals that portrays Obama as the anti-christ. Strange to say the least, but on a second viewing you can see slight hints I guess (not a religious man myself so can’t really tell if it’s emotionally compelling). The video is below for you to judge.

And the second interesting piece of infomation is this online version of the book ‘Rebooting America’. A compilation of short essays on the potential a relationship between web 2.0 and government could have for transparency, efficiency, etc… I just got a copy of the book delivered to me by Amazon and hopefully I’ll get to read it soon and definitely will put  the review out here when I’m finished with it.

Nothing else, happy weekend! and I leave you with ‘The one’…

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New Obama video

Good work on the McSame front from Obama’s camp, message discipline is key in a race where both candidates’s political profiles haven’t yet been fully defined in the mind of the electorate.

Hat tip from TOK.

UPDATE: OK, so Paris Hilton isn’t precisely part of my top five all times favourite celebrities. But you got to appreciate self-deprecation when you see it. For once I actually liked this girl, even if it’s just for duration of the 1:50 minutes of this video. Good work Paris!

Hat tip from Sadie’s Tavern.

Oh! and what Hilton actually says in the video on energy policy isn’t far from the truth, if you don’t believe me have a look at this.

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Slogans done ‘right’

Guido Fawkes seems to think that Barack Obama is in trouble because The Huffington Post seems to be less happy with Obama today than it was a couple of months ago during primary season. He even predicts his candidacy will unravel by November… well if Obama is in trouble, what do you call these two beauties for John McCain’s chances?

This article by The Wall Street Journal (not precisely the most liberal of papers) wonders if John McCain is stupid (yes, it actually uses the word ‘stupid’).

And the Republicans new election slogan ‘The change you deserve’ that they seem to have stolen from… an antidepressant called Effexor XR which by the way the company that produces it has it registered as a trademark.

I don’t agree with Guido’s analysis, I think Obama is building up a winning coalition of liberals (which will be voting for him no matter what) and moderate independents (hence his move to the centre these days). On the other hand McCain is failing to put out a message to explain why people should vote for him and already conservative hardliners aren’t fully happy with him, without their GOTV operation McCain is going to find it really hard to win in November. But we all know how American races can change very quicly so this is all just pure speculation until the conventions have passed and the proper campaign starts.

Thanks to Marcus for the hat tip.

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Did you know that…

Exactly 100 years ago today, on 26th of July 1908 US Attorney General, Charles J. Bonaparte, set up a police force formed by 34 agents with powers to fight organised crime throughout the Union. An act of Congress allowed the newly formed FBI to use firearms and chase criminals across state borders.

The FBI has been the focus of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters, many of which are based on real events. Al Capone, John Dillinger or Bonnie & Clyde were all FBI targets that later appeared on the big screen.

But not everything in the first 100 years of the FBI has been glamorous law and order. It’s most famous director, J. Edgar Hoover, who served for 48 years from the Coolidge to the Nixon administration, led the Bureau in the Cold War years down the path of extreme anti-communism. Under Hoover, the FBI abused its powers to harass US citizens it suspected to sympathise with the USSR. Illegal house searches, mail and call interceptions became customary practices during the ‘paranoia’ years of the 50s and 60s. A clear case was that of the National Lawyers Guild which was broken in by the FBI in 14 different times during those years as Hoover aimed at declaring it a subversive organisation with links to communism.

In recent years and especially after the 9/11 attacks the Bureau has reformed itself to adapt better to new terrorist threats. The 9/11 Commission accused the FBI of failing to prevent the World Trade Centre attacks. Sadly, George W. Bush used the Commission’s report and the attacks in themselves to enact the Patriot Act which devolved the FBI similar powers in relation to individual liberties’ violations that they had during the Cold War years.

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Pulling no punches- Bush and US media

A friend of mine has just emailed me this video from MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann‘s. I have heard of him before but never got to watch any of the ‘special commment’ section on his show.

Watch this clip on Bush and the Iraq War, it’s absolutely brutal! definitely will keep an eye on his show as the November election nears.

P.S.: my apologies, I seem to be unable to embed the video into the blog, found a shorter clip on YouTube, but thought it’s worth to listen to the whole thing so just click on the link and enjoy.

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Another White House cock-up

I know of someone at the White House’s press office who’s not going to keep his or her job for too long. The White House has had to apologise to Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi for distributing a less than flattering biography of him to the press.

As part of its press kit the White House distributed a four pages long biography of Berlusconi who is described as one of the most controversial leaders of the country’s history. It goes on to describe Italy as a historically corrupt country full of vice. The biography also claims that Berlusconi’s electoral victories are very much dependent on his control of the Italian media.

Well, for once in his life Bush isn’t lying. Not sure he’ll be getting an invitation to Berlusconi’s Sardegna villa this summer though.

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The case for the welfare state

This is how a broken society really looks like…

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Fortune cookie politics

What is it with American politicians making the most absurd arguments without even a blink of an eye? I keep reading this nonsense about Iraq over and over again. McCain did it the other day, yesterday it was Joe Lieberman and of course Bush is done it about a zillion times. Gentlemen, Iran is Shia, Al-Qaeda is Suni, they aren’t business partners, they oppose each other.

Moreover, why is it that US media is unable to confront the politician in the moment instead of let him make an absurd argument? they have a responsibility to their audience, you know that whole watchdog role and the provision of verifiable information. False arguments like this on Iran and Al-Qaeda simply encourage social constructions about Islam that simplify it into black or white. This is fortune cookie politics and its pretty embarrasing to see two senior US senators and a US President spreading prejudice like that and the media allowing it to happen.

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