9.7.04
Politics: John Edwards was picked by John Kerry to be his running mate in this election. I can't say as I see why. Edwards and Kerry are, in many ways, the same person. Kerry and Edwards both supported the resolution authorising the use of force against Saddam Hussein's regime, but both voted against the $87bn to fund it. Both are multimillionaires, one through sugar mamas and one through bad science. Both, as multimillionaires, suggest that the tax burden on the rich is low. Both assert that they are champions of the common man. And both think that the only way to remedy many, if not all, social ills of this land is through the Imperial Federal Government (thanks to Neal Boortz for the moniker).
I still am baffled by the Edwards pick. Of course, the 2nd spot in the Kerry campaign would have been a consolation prize; John McCain repeatedly turned it down. However, in this day and age I fail to see why someone else wasn't picked. Sure, John Kerry is a war hero (or a self proclaimed war criminal), but as a policymaker, he has repeatedly voted against any and all new defence systems. He has voted against many pro-military bills. And, of course, he voted to fund the Iraq conflict before he voted against funding it. So I fail to see how he has a lot of credibility on national security. In this post 9/11 age (cliched, I know, but there's something to be said for it; people think more of security threats than they did before), John Edwards has little to no credibility with national defence and security issues. Did he serve? Not of which I'm aware. He represents military communities in Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Cherry Point and Goldsboro, but as a first-term senator, what experience does he have with military issues?
Why not pick Wes Clark (who has experience running a modern war in the Balkans)? Why not pick Bob Kerrey (Medal of Honor winner as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam, and U.S. Senator who, if memory serves, was on the Armed Services committee)? Why not go for a bipartisan nod and pick John McCain (whoops...never mind)?
Or considering the "red state/blue state" divide, why would you pick a running mate that is (a) from a solidly blue state and (b) not particularly popular in his own state? Wes Clark could, with his connection to the Clintons, possibly win his home state of Arkansas. Bob Graham could, very possibly, counter George Bush's advantage (namely governor and brother Jeb) in Florida. Dick Gephardt might even help Kerry win Missouri without illegally keeping the polls open in St. Louis for several hours after closing time. But Edwards won't win his home state of North Carolina. He'll do less in his birth state of South Carolina. And Bill Richardson (...whoops...he declined the invitation too...moving on...)
As near as I can tell, Edwards may help gain more women for the Kerry camp with his good looks (he does look better than Vice President Cheney; this is, quite possibly, the only advantage he has). But, when some reporter asked about Edwards, listing positive adjectives related to his looks, Bush spoke of Cheney's difference from Edwards thusly: "He can be president. Next."
College Football: So here's my question: will Mike Williams of USC be reinstated to the Trojans before Marcus Vick is reinstated to the Hokies? I don't know. I haven't been following Williams' case too closely. Personally, had he not hired an agent, I would let him in if I had the power to do so. But here's the thing. He did hire an agent, and one assumes that he was well aware of the consequences of such an action, and one assumes that he was also aware of the fact that his eligibility to enter the NFL draft was being contested by the NFL and the players' union. In other words, go pull a Tamarack Vanover and play in Canada until you're eligible.
Which takes me to addressing the Zuerst. Marcus Vick is a dumbass. I would have thought that his brother and cousin would have better prepared him for what stardom in college is like. And I thought that his coach would have prepared him better, too, considering what a good job he did preparing his brother and cousin. But then he goes to a party where he apparently serves some 14 or 15 year old chick booze. And then, allegedly has sex with her. The commonwealth's attorney never proved the sex charge, but he was convicted of serving to a minor. So he was suspended for 3 games. On the same day as his suspension was announced, he was caught driving recklessly down I-64 east of Richmond (I don't know this for certain, but I think it was not too far from Allen Iverson was stopped a few years ago) and, when while stopped, the arresting officer found some weed in his car! Dumbass. Tommy Reamon (the aforementioned coach) says he feels like his heart is shattered. Considering his potential, I can understand. I can't imagine how brother Michael and cousin Aaron Brooks feel. Or Frank Beamer (the college coach, unmentioned to this point). They certainly don't feel too good about it, I reckon. I, as a rather distant party, sure don't. And were someone to say that that was because of hit that the team took by losing him for 3 games (and certainly more with this incident), I would have to concede that that is a reason, but considering that Marcus was Bryan Randall's backup, it wasn't the primary one.
Comments:
Post a Comment
