Sarah Palin...

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...and thank God for that. A woman who refused to abort her Down's Syndrome baby is my kind of politician. It seems that McCain has escaped the traps laid for him by his Republican "friends" and selected the ideal candidate: a reformer, a person of impeccable honesty, a high-achieving married woman and mother (that will rub salt into the wounds of Hillary's supporters), a woman with the vigour of youth still about her to balance McCain's white hair, and an outsider. As if that wasn't enough, she is even a former beauty queen! Thinking about it, she was the obvious choice, and it is only the navel-gazing self-regard of the Republican rumour mill that could have distracted us from her obvious merits to worrying about machine candidates like Romney or Liebermann.

Especially for jamesenge: I have come to respect and admire Senator Obama, but as an opponent. He is an opponent worth having; one can hardly wonder that grizzled old machine politicians grown grey in local struggles identified him at once as a coming superstar. It was like the grandees of the barely-founded Republican party sending each other enthusiastic messages after the Cooper Union speech: "We have the perfect candidate, and never mind that you never heard his name before". But there is one fundamental issue that separates me from him; namely, abortion. If the Republicans had nominated an abortionist such as Giuliani or Romney, I would have said that Obama is the better man. But Senator McCain, apart from himself leaving the impression that he hs "a fully paid-up member of the human race" (to quote a quip about a British politician), has shown himself his own man even when that could have made him unpopular, and has now made a selection of running mate that is as good as a statement. And while Senator Obama remains an impressive candidate, I will now be cheering for his opponent.

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It is also, I guess, that more people on my f-list are American than of any other nationality. I had a bunch of German ladies once, but they vanished from the scene, and I would imagine it was largely because of politics. And there are a number of people who are either Chinese or interested in China, but as my position on Chinese politics is one of unchanging detestation, there is not much to be said. Those who feel that country-love matters more than the hatred of tyranny will not talk politics with me (and I am speaking of people whose friendship I value), and those who do not will know more than I do.