[Politics] Vote '08 - McCain Vs Obama (peripheral discussion)

[LesMTS]

In other news, Palin tries to defend herself from allegations that she didn't know Africa was a country...

"I think if there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about Nafta or about the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context and that is cruel," she told reporters in her home state of Alaska.

Now she thinks there're two places called Africa?

[endless psych]

In fairness to her the impression I always get from news broadcasts from Africa is that individual countries are fairly irrelevent. It seems to always be about either starvation or civil war the actual countries involved seem to be treated us an irrelevent detail in the grander scheme of reporting on why the continent has gone to shit.

[LesMTS]

Originally Posted by endless psych

In fairness to her the impression I always get from news broadcasts from Africa is that individual countries are fairly irrelevent. It seems to always be about either starvation or civil war the actual countries involved seem to be treated us an irrelevent detail in the grander scheme of reporting on why the continent has gone to shit.

I don't know about that. I can't think of any crisis in Africa where the news has simply referred to Africa. The current crisis in DR Congo, for example, or Zimbabwe. I don't think there's much excuse for anyone with an education, let alone vice presidential candidate for the US, not to know that Africa is made up of many, many countries with vast differences in their politics, demographics and tales of success/woe.

[Dario]

Originally Posted by LesMTS

When I read this story, I thought it was perhaps a bit of an over the top reaction. Berlusconi's a vile, slimy individual, but there's nothing particularly racist or ridiculous about what he said (it's not funny, either, but I don't think it was meant to be side-splitting). It's maybe an ill-judged thing to say, given the sensitivity of the press to what they (often frothingly and thoughtlessly) decry as racism, and Berlusconi's history as, well, a bit of a political Bernard Manning. But I'm struggling to see the racism here without a bit of sophist gymnastics.

He compared Obama favourably with the Russian president in a light hearted quip which happened to include an innocuous observation about skin tone. Like I said, there are a thousand reasons that Berlusconi is a dick, but when he says that the remark had all been in fun I'm inclined to believe him, and when he says people are over-reacting about it, I'm inclined to agree.

No, it's the kind of idiotic near-racist remark that actually passes for humour in Italy among certain generations. Cringeworthy.
Nowhere near as bad as his colleague Gasparri saying that with Obama in the White House, Al Qaeda will be much happier, of course.

[djtoast]

Originally Posted by Dario

Nowhere near as bad as his colleague Gasparri saying that with Obama in the White House, Al Qaeda will be much happier, of course.

Not quite sure that that's necessarily a bad comment - the Bush administration sending thousands of American soldiers to the middle east in response to Al Qaeda attacking america for sending american troops to the middle east presumably made Al Qaeda unhappy, and Obama talking about removing them again ought by rights to please the terrorists...

Though whether they're happier when they have an "excuse" to bomb people, or when they get what they claim to want, is a matter of debate I suppose.

[LesMTS]

Obama wants Guantanamo bay prisoners to be released or relocated to the US.
Encouraging.

[AWESOMEUS MAXIMUS]

Berlusconi is a fucking cunt.

[Dario]

True story.

[endless psych]

Stooge:-