Oct 20 2009
No Surprises as Week Begins
I’m not surprised Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has agreed to a Nov. 7 runoff election against second-place finisher Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai got somewhere between 48 and 58 percent of the vote, depending on the fraud monitor one asks. Abdullah received about half that total. He’ll get some anti-Karzai support in a heads-up contest but the incumbent will likely get a majority.
The U.S. government is divided about what to do. Sen. John Kerry, chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, wants to wait until the electoral outcome is decided. President Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, advocates waiting until there’s a credible partner. That sounds more nebulous. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and military honchos say any delay could irreversibly damage the war effort in Afghanistan.
Speaking of divided, White House officials are meeting with top Senate Democrats privately to reconcile a health-care reform bill. Considering how well the town hall meetings went in August, who is shocked Obama’s campaign promise of transparency is fading faster than an overexposed photo negative? His goal is to pass a bill. He must calculate Americans will be more satisfied than not if legislation is passed. Perhaps more accurately, he may fear voters will be disillusioned if Obama joins the list of presidents who tried and failed to restructure the U.S. health care system.
Miss California USA pageant officials are suing Carrie Prejean for $5,200. They must figure since they paid for the breast implants that made Prejean into a beauty queen, they are entitled to the implants’ return since Prejean has burned her bridges with the organization.
Leaders for both Miss USA, the head organization led by Donald Trump, and Miss America, probably the best-known pageant circuit, would certainly prefer to talk about the millions of dollars in scholarships their work has generated. It’s hard to talk about college when such petty squabbles are on display.
For anyone who thought the Balloon Boy saga was true, I have bridges to sell. It’s sad the kids are being manipulated in hopes of gaining a “Jon and Kate”-style reality show. Jail would be better for the parents.
It’s mid-October so it must be time to begin holiday sales. I know last year’s Christmas retail sales were sluggish but extending the shopping season to 70 days doesn’t seem a good option. I like holiday songs and I’ll enjoy watching the Yule Log on Christmas morning. However, Dec. 25 is far from here. I think Halloween is far from here. The day after my birthday, Dec. 5, is a good time to start the holiday shopping blitz.
