Is Obama thinking of choosing Wes Clark?
August 11th, 2008
There’s speculation on the US site, VP Watch, this evening that Barack Obama might be considering the former general and 2004 contender for the presidential nomination - Wes Clarke - for the VP slot.
This is the report: “Gen. Wes Clark’s slogan — “Securing America’s Future” — is the theme for the night Barack Obama’s running mate is scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
Clark’s political action committee is called WESPAC — Securing America’s Future.
It could just be a coincidence. After all, Clark appeared to dash his hopes of running with Obama in late June when he said getting shot down in Vietnam did not qualify John McCain to be president.
But if Obama believes Clark has strong enough military credentials to snipe at McCain effectively, he might still be in the mix.
On Monday, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Obama adviser Anita Dunn announced the themes for the various nights of the convention, including “Securing America’s Future” for the third night, when the vice presidential candidate will speak. “
Given McCain’s strong military connections Wes Clark seems to make a lot of sense - reinforcing Obama’s position in an area where he’s vulnerable.
Wes Clark, a Rhodes Scholar who was at Oxford, commanded Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo War during his term as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000.
You could get 25/1 with both PaddyPower and Ladbrokes.
Mike Smithson
MessageSpace Advertising
Interesting that Bush may be making a televised address on Georgia.
Where is the French televised address..the German televised address and so on?
For all people slag off the Americans I suspect they’ll be the only ones to front up and possibly draw a line, as is usual, while Europe farts about.
But we shall in a couple of hours what Bush is going to say.
We condemn Russia but seem keen to emulate it in one respect — don’t forget Meg Hillier said it was fair to describe Labour’s ID cards as “internal passports”.
What’s Russian for “Your papers, please!”?
Remember Jack W’s forty second rule of punting on the US Veep selection :
DON’T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the other forty one rules, see above.
2. A hundred rouble note !
1. Come on the US. are really the only people with the miltary hardware to be able to do this! Plus Germany and France are suseptible to the oil and gas tape being turned off.
Now it’s official; only I and some guy in El Paso remain as Americans whose names have not been floated as possible Obama VP’s. Always a bridesmaid…
1 — the Americans can draw a line all they want. How are they going to *hold* the line?
7. They are not powerless. They can apply pressure though various means.
5. Whos fault is that? It isnt the American’s fault. Its the Europeans for piddling about with their high minded ideas and not actually putting together a coherent diplomatic, economic and military option for itself.
New Rasmussen Poll for Oregon :
McCain 42% .. Obama 52%
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/oregon/election_2008_oregon_presidential_election
7- That’s what I was talking about in the previous thread; containment only means something if it is credible. Russia knows that nobody is in a position to take them on right now, and they’re bold enough to seize the opportunity. It will be interesting to see what position Bush takes, but I don’t expect anything tangible.
New Rasmussen poll for Iowa :
McCain 44% .. Obama 49%
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/iowa/election_2008_iowa_presidential_election
Might be a good choice to cover the military flank in these turbulent times.
To respond to Socrates and others on the last thread (including Percy, who seems to have taken a personal dislike to me, though I don’t think this is actually the Labour vs Tory issue that he seems to believe): I think we should make a sharp distinction between protecting Georgia’s right to exist as a free democracy and protecting Georgia’s right to kill its citizens if they try to secede. We all (I think?) accept that South Ossetians mostly want to be separate. Sending in the Georgian army to suppress them by armed force because of historical claims to the territory is not acceptable behaviour - it’s not simply a dumb thing to do but a bad thing to do.
If it proves that Russia is indeed taking the opportunity to reoccupy Georgia, that’s equally wrong for exactly the same reason - it’s perfectly clear that most Georgians outside the disputed areas don’t want them. So yes we should be taking a hard line to deter that and demanding that they stop right now - I don’t think military retaliation is realistic, but trade sanctions would be. But whatever we say, it should be different from a blank cheque for the Georgian government to do anything it likes and then ask for protection.
“Georgia overreached themselves and their action in S.O strikes me as being a totally irresponsible gamble that they could blitzkrieg the Russian passport holders out in one fell swoop, without retaliation.
Over the past months, Georgia has suffered regular attacks from S.Ossettia. They did what any government would do in their own territory.
Russian passports were issued so that ‘useful idiots’ could regurgitate that line.
Tory Boy’s lines could have come from Pravda.
12- Do you really expect trade sanctions, Dr. Palmer? The Russians know as well as anybody how to play hardball; the European democracies are completely outclassed in this regard. Are you and your Labour Party colleagues prepared to unilaterally impose sanctions against Russia? As far as I know, you are the one and only person here on PB who can play a direct role in creating such an outcome.
12: Nick, any idea why the UK and US blocked Russia’s UNSC request for a ceasefire on Thursday, when Georgia initially attacked?
12 Largely agree with Nick Palmer on this issue.
Many of the states spun out of the fomer Soviet Union have boundaries that are little more than meaningless squiggles on the map, with no regard to ethinc or historical boundaries (e.g., Ukraine has no real claim on the Crimea).
The boundaries probably have to be re-drawn one way or another. Unfortunately, if countries behave like Georgia, then war is the way of re-drawing the boundaries.
Nick, lets drop the “MP” shall we, I dont dislike you.
You are however a Labour MP. At the very best you have allowed yourself to become an irrelevent vote-puppet. At worse you have contributed to Labour’s assault on Britain. Your party closed Britain’s Military Hospital and cut the defence budget - during wartime.
Politics aside, cutting the Armed Forces during Wartime is a definition of Treason.
Stand up for Britain’s interests. Show courage, honour and leadership. If not, step aside.
12. If the British government could articulate such a line, distinct from that of both Bush on one side and the Russians on the other, then I think that would carry a lot of weight. Essentially saying to Russia - let’s send an international (civilian) team in preside over South Ossetian independence. Maybe this could be made conditional on Russia ceding North Ossetia to this independent state, and on allowing Georgia to join NATO.
Of course many would question is whether South Ossetian identity has simply been fostered by the Kremlin as a means of destabilizing Russia. We don’t want to preside over a Sudeten-style dismembering of Georgia.
But if the British government did put forward the line you suggest, Nick, that would be an admirable step forward from the shambles of Iraq and the Lebanon crisis.
14: I can only speak for myself, S&S, but I stand by what I said.
15: I’ve not heard about that. I don’t think there can have been a formal proposal? - if we’d vetoed it, it would have been a very prominent story.
16: “Many of the states spun out of the fomer Soviet Union have boundaries that are little more than meaningless squiggles on the map…..”
If the borders of the Kyrgyrz borders are anything to go by, those meaningless squiggles were drawn with the aid of a _lot_ of vodka.
Having watched Never so Good on Friday (Highly recommended BTW if you can get tickets) I wondered if the US could pull the Suez option. If the US started selling Russian stock surely it could worry them.
Sky are starting to take a realtively incredulous line on Georgian statements - ‘or so Georgia would have us believe’ and the like
On topic - I think Clark would be a good choice in these troubled times. Maybe Obama will see how the Ossetian crisis develops before deciding whether Clark is necessary. But the General seems to be the best insulation the Democrats have against the possibility of an October surprise.
Also - does anyone know why Clark managed to carry Oklahoma in the 2004 primaries? Any suggestions about what states he might strengthen Obama in this time around?
12.Just an objective point but did not Britain send troops into NI in the late 60’s under instruction from some chap called Jim Callaghen (home Secretary? - Not sure why it was the Home Sec. can only conclude it was becasause it was within the UK.) Indeed whilst not under a Labour Govt. Bloody Sunday?!! A less bloody quelling of civil unrest.
Whilst not wanting to personaise this Nick; you have strong personal/ family link to Russia!
I’d be surprised if it’s Clark, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s Colin Powell however.
19- OK, I’ll take you at your word. For the sake of a lot of people around the world, I hope there is serious will behind the expressed sentiments that Russia cannot be allowed to simply abuse or absorb its neighbors as it sees fit. I’m only skeptical that the expressed will to act can be genuine because it seems Russia can quickly deliver more pain to its adversaries than vice versa, and the Russians would be more willing to absorb the pain as well.
25. Oh - yes i can really see that going down well in some parts of the US! Obama- Powell!
Tabbacco chewing redneck “I ain’t voting for XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX cotten picking XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!
25. But Clark would be a better choice than Colin Powell. He offers a sharper break from the Bush years, brings a Clintonista onto the team, and reassures whites in a way that Powell might not.
You can take the ‘Bush lied to us before over Iraq’ line and wimp out.
Or you can take him at his word that threat tpo Georgia is real. I do.
13 Do you read or watch independent newspapers or are you as thick as your post suggests ?
15 Perhaps they considered it an internal Georgian affair?
Like Indira Ghandi ordering the assault on Amritsar.
Perhaps you think Georgia should turn a blind eye to Ossetian attacks? Perhaps India should have ignored the Sihk extremist attacks?
Perhaps not.
26. Personally i think theat the US/UK should start a miltary build-up. The Frog’s and Germans (Rest of Nato)can join in as well. At least it will stimulate demand in the economy!
Mind you the Georgians were stupid in not keeping some of the Nuclear weapons that were more than likely stationed there. Even if they were tactical Nuclear devices - this would have.
It has long been known that the Russians have continued to construct massive nuclear bunker complexes since the end of the Cold war: Indeed as recently as 2000! What’s happened in the west - we let are infrestructure rot.
I read all newspapers, including Pravda. Do you?
Why use insults. It looks like your argument failed - that is what lefties do.
Perhaps Hitler had a right to Sudetenland. I’m sure you would have said so.
Was it my imagination or did George mispeak and suggest somebody was trying to remove Russia’s democratically elected government rather than Georgia’s
31: When armies start indiscriminately shelling cities, it ceases to be an interal affair. Georgia also long since lost de facto sovereignty over S Ossetia - 99% in an independence referendum tends to do that.
Useful idiots will always take the side of the bully - it makes them less of a target.
At a national level, this is know as Finlandisation but also appeasement.
Write out fifty times ‘Betting on VP choices is a mug’s game’ then go to bed without any supper…..
The dark side of Russia:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=17518
http://www.fas.org/news/russia/1997/bmd970404a.htm
Truelly Horrifying:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1217-01.htm
32
Martin! just a thought, next xmas, could you ask mummy to buy you a dictionary.
31 Indiscriminate? Like Russian bombing of appartment blocks in Georgia. Or perhaps that doesnt count. Hypocrite
99% Referendum said YES - in typical Soviet style. Funny, I cant imagine the Georgian population in Ossetia (1/3rd) voting yes. But that is where the useful idiots come in
31 Shame on you for quoting a Referendum so clearly fraudulent.
24: Yes, my mother was Russian-born (though the family left when she was an infant). All the more reason for me not to support unacceptable Russian behaviour. But I’d like to see confirmation that Russia *is* trying to take over Georgia as a whole - not seen any hard evidence yet.
Martin, whatever the rights and wrongs of the Army deployment in Ulster, it wasn’t to prevent a wish of 90+% of the population to join Ireland. If that had been the case, we’d simply have agreed (as we would if Scotland eventually decided it did want to go its own way - can you see British tanks rolling into Edinburgh?). And it’s always possible to find parallels that justify doing nothing, but that doesn’t mean that inaction is always best. Sometimes it is, but not always.
39. Problem with dictionaries is i find it takes ages to look up the words sometimes: the spelling is so far out on some days!
I’ll have to reinstall a spell checker on here - I have not got round to it since replacing the crock of shite computer i had before!
I see the ghost of Kenny Everett lives and breathes.
40 Percy, Percy, if you feel so strongly, why not go go to the Caucases and fight?
Please take Martin Day with you as he has been looking for something to do for a long time.
41 - Has anyone got any clue who this guy’s argiung with?
42. Fair enough! I understand what you are saying!
re 28 I agree with that - it is hard to see an Obama-Powell ticket.
re 37 You are absolutely right - this is a mug’s game and I might be being a mug. The odd bet at 25-1 and 33-1 might just come up and you are not risking much.
40: “Indiscriminate? Like Russian bombing of appartment blocks in Georgia. Or perhaps that doesnt count. Hypocrite”
That was disgraceful too. How does this make me hypocritical? More importantly, what relevance is it in justifying Georgia?
Try arguing with what’s in front of you, rather than what you imagine. I’m no Putin sympathiser - have been arguing for years that he’s extremely dangerous (especially around the time Bush “looked into his eyes” and fell for it).
hmmmmm BBC line appears to be in the main that thre Georgian government got it wrong, and there are comments ‘off camera’ criticising the Georgian government.
The media narrative seems to be shifting a bit tonight.
50 - There is someone in the Georgian government, or someone advising them, who is, at this very moment, realising they have made a cock up of almighty proportions.
Someone somewhere told them that sending troops in is a good way to win friends and deal with a simmering problem.
45 Looks like Russia has plenty of stooges much closer.
45.
I don’t think i would be much good!
I don’t like violence - I don’t think i could kill someone personally! You would think about how upset that person’s mother, father, wife, children would be. I’m a bit of a puss*y cat at heart! Maybe i should go and live in some kennels! Meow!!!
My wish for a miltary build-up is to counter any Russian attempt at anexation of other connected countries and contain the threat!
52 - let’s hope you are not a Tory frontbencher under an alias. If so, I think the Tories would take us to Armageddon.
The odds on some potential VP candidates are so tempting and I expect somebody will come in at 25-1. Doesn’t stop it being a mugs game though. I am green on Edwards (falls off chair laughing), Warner (climbs back on chair then falls off again) and Bayh (actually reasonably possible). But I suspect I will lose big time.
54. I can just imagine Liam Fox being like that guy in Dr Strangelove stradled on the bomb as it is released from the B52! Yeah-hay!
Eric Pickells kinda fits the image better!
Percy Percy is probably one of those in a bunker who needs 10 nubile weman to help rebuild the human race!
A Conservative like Winston Churchill or Chamberlain?
Much better to feed others to the crocodile and hope it eats you last.
Yes. Courage, Honour and Leadership can be so very dangerous. Much better to cower and let bullies free range.
Sorry if already posted but I see that per UK Polling Report, the NOTW YouGov poll contains the following finding:
Q: Who would be the best Labour leader?
Labour voters say: Brown 32%, Miliband 15%
That would appear noteworthy for 2 reasons:
1) Brown has a clear lead
2) Miliband support level is low
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/
George Bush seems to think that things are rapidly going pear shape, but what can he do?
“Mein Fuehrer, I can walk!”
The only odds I can find right now on Wes Clark becoming the Democratic Veep pick is 10/1 from Betfair - has anyone found better?
Where the hell is the British Government on Georgia?
33 I can’t be bothered Percy. You’re not worth the key strokes.
Georgia (who I normally empathise with) f****d this up big time.
They took a major gamble and came distictly last
If you can’t see or accept that and want to engage in an anti Russian rant carry on boring yourself…………
58 This is not surprising at all since Miliband has had very little media exposure thus far. Ask the average man or woman to name as many Cabinet ministers as they were able and most would struggle to get past 3 or 4.
62. What are the Britich Government going to send the Boy Scouts out to Georgia, because the UK hasn’t much of a spare army left.
64. I can only think of about 14-15 off the top of my head!
64: Millipede made a statement with his characteristic stature and gravitas. In other words, none at all, and the statement was more or less ignored as meaningless waffle in Britain and elsewhere.
66. you’re clever.
66 Martin - as an ever-present on this site, I’m disappointed you can’t name all 22 cabinet ministers!
65. They could always some tents and Blankets out there!
If the LD’s were in government they would bomb them with’food’!
Well I’m off to bed. Lets hope that Brown dosn’t send the Scouts to Tbilisi before I wake in the morning. Night, night.
Seems the Georgians have been doing a fair bit of mis-speaking:
BBC News online - “The conflict over South Ossetia also appeared to have widened when Georgia accused Russia of capturing the town of Gori, just 76km (47 miles) from Tbilisi…
Russia’s defence ministry quickly issued a statement rejecting the claim, saying there were none of its troops in Gori.
Later, a spokesman for the Georgian interior ministry told the BBC that there had never been Russian troops in Gori.”
69. I probably could but it’s do you include ones like Flint who attend meetings but are not cabinet ministers! Then their is Geoff Hoon as chief Whip - include him or not?
I probably know of the person but not what role they have as some of them are obscure people! The 14-15 included the role they have!
61. PfP I got 25/1 from Ladbrokes (max £50) and 20/1 from Paddypower (max £20), both over the phone. The websites took down the market pages pretty quickly after Mike posted.
72. Welcome to the real world, SBS. Now I really must sleep.
&1. Night!
63 You use plenty of keystrokes - so clearly that’s not the reason.
I am back at my desk after a very emotional afternoon with terrified Georgians. Personally the scale of the casualties inflicted by the Russian military certainly puts them in a different league.
The league of barbarians.
If we can not recognise that Putin is in exactly the same mould as the criminal Soviet regime which he glorifies: the regime we were prepared to risk MAD to defy, then it may well be that the West is too decadent to face this down.
I really hope not.
Russia is our enemy- if we continue to engage with them as a civilised state, we are wholly mistaken and will pay a price that could include the victory of tyranny we thought we had thwarted in 1989.
69. OK, as a so-called Labourite I’m going to see how many I can name from memory:-
PM:- Brown
Deputy:- Harman
Home:- Smith
Foreign:- Miliband
Chancellor:- Darling
Schools:- Balls
Culture:- Burnham
Defence:- Browne
Health:- Johnson
Justice:- Straw
Others I know but not their jobs
Purnell
Kelly
Cooper
Wow that’s a poor effort.
72 Yes. Those evil Georgians. See how they lie.
Unlike the Russian minister saying there are no assaults on Georgia while Russian planes were bombing civilian apartment blocks.
74 Thanks for the info Wanderer, I never think of telephoning - what time did you get on btw?
I must say the “coincidence” to which Mike refers looks pretty convincing.
78. Quite agree - there are some interesting web sites that point to the Russians playing a very long term game to reassert themselves. When i read them i just thought they were anti-communist propoganda but indeed it looks like their assertions have some basis!
[72] SBS- Georgian troops withdrew from Gori so did not know what happened. Russian troops were already much further in- in Sendaki- and this was confirmed by the BBC. The latest rather interesting lie is “Georgian terrorists attacking Russian targets”. This is pure Stalinist bullspiel.
Does anyone know where I can buy coverage of the 97 general election?
These conversations were carried out in the 1930s.
History repeats itself. Human nature doesnt change. Fools never learn.
There are the Good, the Bad and the Sheeple. The Bad need the Sheeple.
Still amazed at the passionate arguments over the SO conflict - I’m still being genuinely torn over where I stand, but I am shifting towards Socrates position.
I disagreed with Georgia sending troops into SO, but then given that it is their territory I also struggle to see how that is different to Northern Ireland. It certianly doesn’t justify what the response has become. I was (naively) prepared to believe the best of the Russian action because it was Russia’s citizens in the region, but clearly Russia has now gone too far, and is not stopping, and that makes it our problem too.
Percy Percy - I’d agree with you on defence spending (which I think should be higher), but not on the military hospital closure. I know plenty of Army medics (I lived with some) and they all said that the best solution was army wards in regular hospitals. Otherwise, the doctors only see a limited type of case (fit, 20-35 year olds, with trauma injuries) which actually undermines their fitness to practice over time. To keep medical skills fresh in the mind across the board requires a variagated patient list to deal with the less common conditions (eg early onset testicular cancer is rare, but would be more obvious to a doctor who had recent oncological experience). Every medic I have spoken to, military or civilian, has said that it is better to have separate wards, but not separate hospitals or separate staff.
83. Sendaki isn’t ‘much further in’. It’s near Abkhazia, not South Ossetia.
86 In other countries, Military hospitals are turned over to civilian use during peacetime - with priority given to service personel.
In Wartime, Labour put injured soldiers at the mercy of agrivated foreigners and assorted hostile individuals. Wounded personel deserve security whilst recovering in wartime.
Wes Clark as Veep? I am just imagining Shadsy rubbing his hands with glee, as yet another Dem VP hopeful gets to have their day in the in the sun. Still, as Mike says, what’s a few more quid at long odds, having backed 6 or 7 others previously.
He’s right though, it’s a mugs game - just like trying to pick a Grand National winner, except that there’s no form book and an unlimited number of runners and riders.
86: Russian citizens as an excuse was never very credible - they’ve been spraying those passports around like confetti whenever they wanted to forment separatism (same trick in Abkhazia, and half of Transdniester has a Russian passport).
However, Russian troops/peacekeepers were deployed there, with the agreement of Georgia, and a fair few apparently got killed in the initial Georgian attack. Once that happened, and it got into the news, this was only going to play out one way.
88 - There’s no need to have separate military hospitals at all, especially given our casualty rates.
There need to be secure military wards at public/private hospitals - in war time and in peace time.
Percy Percy: have you been invented just to make Martin Day sound more normal?
The Brown/Milliband poll is VERY significant if true.
On Topic - Clark + Obama, looks temping. Obama + Powell, while I would love it, just aint gonna happen. Anyone seriously think the US is ready to turn the nation over to a pair of eloquent brothers??
night all
[87] Please look at a map!
[12] Nick, You don’t “re-occupy”, that kind of implies that Russia was there before. I *think* you mean “invade”.
Personally, I think the Mrs Pringle, newly appointed British Ambassador in Moscow obviously has much to do in London- and as her predecessor was attacked by Russian “Nashi” stormtroopers, perhaps Mr. Milliband should delay the appointment until Russia guarantees her safety and dignity. Meanwhile I really do think that large numbers of the FSB “diplomats” here in London might find a better home back in Moscow- and several so-connected “private citizens” should not get visas to enter the UK.
I suggest other things we might do -at the risk of sounding like Benedict White- “on my blog…” (see link)
24 ‘Bloody Sunday’ is firstly,condemned by modern members of the Para Regiment,who regard it as a slur,blemish upon their nobility,honour.
To actually watch an ITN re-make of it is to,in legal terms that friend in legality would term,witness a ‘war crime’-scenario:
(a)A group of mouthy young men behaving like some football fans behaved in the 1980s-difference being they got,at worst bitten by a police dog and a smack with a wooden truncheon
(b)The Paras response? As I understand,to wildly shoot for 5-10 minutes,with many eye-witnesses lying on the ground in terror.
13 deaths,or 14 with one later casualty.
Others retaliated in utter fury at this barbaric act,and whilst I celebrate the long-term restoration of peace,democracy in NI,I,to this day,struggle to talk to a Para;unless they condemn Bloody Sunday
The result of Labour running the education system:
“Sixth-formers of the same ability awarded C grades in the late 1980s can now expect to gain As”
“Researchers found that average results improved by more than two grades in most subjects, even though students were no brighter. In mathematics, scores jumped by three-and-a-half grades.”
“The IoD report also warned that university admissions tutors have seen no rise in the quality of new undergraduates, despite steadily improving A-level results in the past decade. Seven in 10 tutors believe standards either stayed the same or deteriorated in recent years”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/education/2540628/A-levels-now-two-grades-easier-than-20-years-ago.html
Result = Grades mean very little.
Result of that = Companies just set their own tests anyway before employing people.
95. Your comment implied that Russian troops had advanced past Gori to Sanaki but Sanaki is in a totally different part of the country close to Abkhazia so it’s irrelevent to the question you addressed of whether or not Russian troops had occupied Gori.
On thread. This nugget might support the theory:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/11/1259377.aspx
Wednesday at the convention - when the VP traditionally speaks - will be having a “veterans” theme.
Speaking as someone who started school in 1989 the National Curriculum is responsible for an incredible frustrating trait which I share with many people of generation which is an inability to pay attention to something without effort. The NC meant that we would drop what we were doing even at a primary school level to start something else and not see things through to completion. That is as much to blame for the current situation as anything done or not since 1997.
Re 58
Seems to confirm my thinking about David Miliband. I’ve posted that I feel that the PM will hang on until the next election but may step down as Labour leader before, so leaving his successor time to prepare. Straw, Johnson, Harman? After the election a new leader from a different generation might emerge.
Long time lurker and very occasional poster here - I jumped into the Obama Veep market tonight with £10 on Hagel at 18-1 on Betfair. Hagel is a ‘gamechanger’. MSNBC’s Chuck Todd tipped him a couple of weeks ago, and I rate his analysis. I can see Bayh, or even Biden or Kane, getting the nod, but there’s no fun in betting at those kind of short odds.
101. I feel that the PM will hang on until the next election but may step down as Labour leader before, so leaving his successor time to prepare.
You really expect the Tories, LD’s, SNP & Co. not to put a confidence motion down on him if he was no longer Labour leader! Brown is finished: End of!
That Bollocks about him writing another book is the final nail in his coffin - He needs to be despatched asap. He has no idea how to do the job and will end up making things much worse!
OT
I hadn’t realised just how ready the Russian side was for confrontation with Georgia.
At almost the same hour the Georgian army first opened artillery fire around the OS capital (on Thurs 7/8), the RBN* took down practically the entire official Georgian government internet presence.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/11/georgia_ddos_attack_reloaded/
http://rbnexploit.blogspot.com/2008/08/rbn-georgia-cyberwarfare.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/31/storm_worm_protection/
*Russian Business Network: a very large criminal - &officially unchallenged - hacking organisation that controls servers and botnets all over the planet (including quite possibly the pc you are reading this on if you haven’t got a decent firewall and virus checker!)
102 - David, new commenters always welcome, especially if they are long-time lurkers.
I wonder if the Democratic Party would be seriously annoyed if Obama gave the VP slot to a Republican, when we’ve just had 8 years of Republicans. Gore could have done it, but not Obama.
Also, the VP cannot be fired. A Cabinet job at best I reckon, but probably worth the odds that you paid.
And Hagel disagrees with the Democrats on most domestic issues.
I’d been wondering about a speculative punt on Clark for a couple of days - this might have ruined the odds for a while though
Clark also has pretty good liberal credentials - you don’t get backed by Michael Moore if you don’t - so would be a better fit for Obama than some that have been mentioned.
By all accounts the problem with his 2004 Presidential campaign was that he isn’t terribly charismatic on the stump. That’s less of a problem when your the VP candidate to Obama!
It also slightly fits the recent “Washington insider” attacks on McCain - it’s harder to sustain such a line if he picks (say) Evan Bayh.