McCain has chosen Alaska’s brand new governor, Sarah Palin, as his V.P. pick. It’s an interesting choice, most likely seeking to poach disgruntled Clinton supporters from Obama. But, other than the fact that both Clinton and Palin have two X chromosomes, the similarities are few.
Clinton has been doing politics on the national level for quite some time. Palin has been governor of Alaska (population 683,000) for less than two years. Before that, she was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (population 2,000). She is currently embroiled in a scandal in Alaska related to questions over whether she exerted undue influence to get her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as a state trooper and then fired the Department of Public Safety Commissioner for questioning her use of influence.
Aside from gender, this seems a little like nominating Greg Ballard, mayor of Indianapolis (population 795,000) as a Vice-Presidential running mate. It’s probably a little rude to point out, but Gov. Palin probably has a higher-than-average chance of ascending from the Vice-Presidency to the Presidency due to McCain’s actuarial higher chances of not being able to serve out his term. So, while a Vice-Presidential pick is not generally an earth-shaking part of a Presidential campaign (despite the quadrennial obsession of the news media), it’s probably a little more important than usual in this case.
In any case, the McCain campaign has just blunted the “experience” arrow in its quiver in favor of trying to attract women who will vote solely on the issue of gender despite Palin’s staunch opposition to reproductive rights. We’ll see if the gamble works.
How tactful to say “two X chromosomes”. I should borrow some of that tactfulness sometimes.
It does appear that the vaunted list of qualifications for the presidency just got a helluva lot smaller. If any “3 a.m. phone call” Clinton voters switch solely due to this veep pick, then they were talking out of their backsides the whole time.
Kay Bailey Huchison would have been a different matter. Probably all of the same policy stances, but without losing the experience argument.
This pick just smacks of desperation. They’re hoping everyone looks at the shiny new bauble and doesn’t ask any of the questions THEY’ve been asking about their opponent’s level of experience for months.
Pandering,Conniving,Calculating,Desperate,Last Ditch.
Just some of the words that come to mind.
I wonder if she was a POW. I heard somewhere he was.
I can’t wait to see her in a debate with Joe Biden…
McCain presumes Senator Clinton’s supporters were voting for the pantsuit and not the person. He’s betting that women won’t be offended by that presumption. He thinks they’re so one-dimensional that any woman will do.
Republicans online are saying she has “more experience” than Obama. Republicans aren’t so good at math. But we knew that already.
She did get runner-up in a beauty pageant, though. So she does have some experience being ready to step in in the event someone couldn’t complete a term.
I can’t fail to notice Senator McCain is a fan of the attractive women many years his junior.
And Ballard has national security experience!
Of course, national security experience is not necessarily a strength for Obama–although he has loads of it compared to someone who two years ago was the mayor of a town less than half the size of Seymour.
“I can’t fail to notice Senator McCain is a fan of the attractive women many years his junior.”
that’s funny stuff
I suppose they’d better avoid saying that McCain “tapped” her for Vice President.
Then again, he was a POW for 5 years, so we can’t criticize him.
snort – chortle – drink spewing from nose!
Regardless on ones political affiliation this a disastrous VP pick. It can only be salvaged by McCain affirming his whispered pledge to serve only one term.
Gov. Sarah Palin is the mother of 5 teenagers. The oldest is headed to Iraq in a month, the youngest is a 6 mouth old with Downs Syndrome. I know it is politically incorrect to question the viability of the “SUPERMOM” mythic ideal but this is ridiculous, it is beyond Comic book superhero proportions. Special needs child require two parents who put them first over their ambitions.
It is absolutely delusional and cynical to the bone that McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin. Conventional wisdom is that Religious conservative will flock to the McCain ticket. I have my doubts. Palin will not hurt in that regard but I think all but the most delusional Religious Conservatives will have mixed feelings.
Does anybody believe in completing at least one elected term in office, hell half a term, before reaching for the next rung on the ladder? Sarah Palin might make an outstanding VP for the Republicans someday but not today.
That said I believe that Palin is perfectly capable of
of taking apart an too often fatuous gas bag like Sen. Joe Biden.
The Obama campaign is still in deep deep trouble. For Obama to win in November polls should be showing him with a double digit lead. The race is a dead heat, Obama is particularly weak in the must win battle ground states that Hillary Clinton won.
But what is going sink Obama overnight is his 20 – 24 year relationship with unrepentent Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohern. That and a pile more videos involving Rev. Wright. Your fellow Democracts tried to warn you Obamabots but you would not listen.
Jim Webb – Sherod Brown 2012.
She might have some conservative creds, but most of the right-wingnuts I know (men and women) won’t vote for a woman in a position of leadership like this.
Many of them will be upset she isn’t at home taking care of her 6 month old, as llamajockey suggests.
When Obama chose Biden, I moved my maker from well inside the Obama camp to “undecided” but leaning Obama. The more I’ve seen Biden, the more I’ve moved back to Obama.
This stupid decision by McCain has just pushed me all the way back into the Obama side.
As Doug said, VP isn’t all the importantant usually, but I read more into the decision, not the person. I disagree with Obama’s thinking on Biden, but I disagree with McCain’s more.
“24 year relationship” with Ayers? Man, what are you smoking? I serve on a board, and I don’t have a “relationship” with the other board members. If one of them bombed the Capitol, what would it say about me? The answer, in the United States of America, is “nothing.”
Oh, yeah. Totally moving from McCain. This is the crazy lady that thinks polar bears really are not having population issues, and is suing the federal government because putting polar bears on the endangered list will hurt the oil companies.
Yeah, eff the polar bear, I want cheap gas. Home run, Johnny.
Her bold anti-bear stance will endear her to the Colbert Nation.
Jason,
Gov. Sarah Palin is already from the second most distant, by a hair, state from Washington DC. Her infant has Downs syndrome that can involve all sorts of serious developmental medical complications on top of the disability.
Last what the hell is the job of Vice Presidency traditionally been about except as a surrogate for the President when he can not make far flung political and diplomatic appearances.
There a aspect of living with in limits based on the most basic moral responsibilities that is being broken here.
This is absolutely nuts!!!
That said. Obama is an even worse disaster. The Republicans are going to rip him to shreds.
None of the Above 2008 – Unless Obama drops out due to scandal
James Webb – Sherod Brown 2012.
The infant with Down syndrome in a tough one. I’m not going to knock her for continuing to work. The argument could be made. But that’s not my main concern.
Her personal decision to have the child despite the abnormality is a personal one for her to make. My concern is that that, combined with her strong anti-choice stance, may signal the extent to which she would seek to limit access to abortion. What fetal anomalies would she consider appropriate to abort (some of which are incompatible with life)? She needs to be made to answer that question during the campaign. It goes without saying that she opposes access to abortion. But some extremists would also oppose it for abnormalities that are incompatible with life, and for cases of rape, incest, or increased maternal health risk. Is she in that category?
OK– just checked and she’s opposed to all abortion except to save the life of the mother. OH, and how about some of that creationism in the public schools?
She already has something in common with John McCain. They both make George W. Bush look good in comparison.
“in favor of trying to attract women who will vote solely on the issue of gender despite Palin’s staunch opposition to reproductive rights. ”
And illustrating how truly sexist the McCain camp is, if they believe that they only reason Hillary supporters were voting for her was the XX factor, and that any old XX will do.
As much as I want to see a female President or VP, voting for this one would be the equivalent of taking a dump on Alice Paul’s grave. The first woman in the Oval office must be first and foremost a progressive candidate.
They’re going to rip him to shreds? When? They better get to gettin’ on with it, already. They’re still down in the polls, right?
So far they’ve called Obama a celebrity.
Oh, and then there was the time they really got fired up and called him a celebrity.
Then there was that other time, too, where shockingly they *went there* and called Barack Obama a celebrity.
He’s lost my vote for prom king, because he is so stuck up. But he still has my vote for president, because his ideas don’t suck.
Funny you should mention it, Serena Freewomyn at bilerico seems to be arguing in favor of just such a vote.
OMG.. Llama– are you delusional? McCain just shot himself in the foot, like Mondale with Ferarro in 1984. And even his Rethug buddies are goin over the wall. They won’t have to cancel next week for the hurricane, they’ll be lucky to find speakers.
Then serena is NUTS. Period. I can see Hillary Clinton coming unglued on this woman.. and rightly so.. where is Pelosi? Boxer? Feinstein? Can anyone channel the spirits of Betty Friedan and Susan B Anthony???
I am totally confused by the people who are opposed to abortion except in the case of saving the life of the mother.
Either you are killing babies or you aren’t. If you believe that abortion is killing babies, then it shouldn’t matter if the mother’s life is in danger. It doesn’t stop being a baby because the woman is in danger. If abortion is murdering tiny babies, then it’s still murdering a tiny baby regardless of the mother’s condition. Does a sick mom just make it acceptable to murder tiny babies?
And another point here – when it’s said that the mother’s life is in danger, does that count in danger from being murdered? Murder is the number one cause of death of pregnant women, so if the pro-lifers who are okay with killing babies to save mothers, does it count when the baby killing is saving her from murder?
I think giving that “exception” is just a cop out. If you want to be pro-life, then be pro-life, but don’t give out the “except in the case of rape or the mom’s health” crap. All that says is that you think it’s okay to murder rapist’s babies.
As for Palin, I’m so torn about the whole mother VP thing. I consider myself to be a feminist as well as a mom, but I just can’t imagine even considering a job that would take me away from my kids for that amount of time, especially if my child was a baby – even without having special needs. I realize not everyone is the stellar portrait of motherhood that I am, so maybe I just don’t get it. (I think all the breast feeding zealots need to jump on this one – clearly she can’t be exclusively nursing her baby if she’s running for vice president, and from everything I’d heard, that if you don’t exclusively nurse for the first year, then your baby will die. I swear I read that somewhere.)
T,
The Obamas – Ayer/Dohern story is breaking as we speak. There were apparently some emergency meetings among major Democratic leaders in Denver on how to handle the story.
Reports are that David Alexrod Obama’s Campaign manager is front and center on the emerging scandal.
http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/08/29/breaking-news-david-axelrod-talking-regularly-with-bill-ayers/
Sorry Obamabots, You were warned. This is a massive thermonuclear DEAL BREAKER.
Short of the Republicans spending 4 days in Twin Cities doing nothing but strangling puppies with their bare hands there no way that Obama can recover from the revelation of his 20+ year professional relationship with unrepentant the Weather Underground domestic terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohern.
Game over, I don’t care how pathetic a candidate John McCain is. Even after this Sarah Palin fiasco.
The Ayers scandal which honest life long Democrats pleaded with the DNC leadership to take seriously is going to really hurt the party. If there is any justice Howard Dean, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi must be removed from any future leadership positions. They forced Obama on the party instead of allowing for a brokered convention that would have picked HRC as the nominee as the party bylaws mandated.
The choice of Sarah Pahin shows poor judgment on McCain’s part.
Any intelligent person knows when you choose to have a baby at 43 you have a very high probability of having a child with Downs Syndrome. She used poor judgment not using birth control. Would she use better judgment dealing with our economy? Would she use better judgment dealing with our enemies?
I for one am not willing to take a chance.
Holy shit! You linked to something that says Obama was on a board. That is *breaking news*. Like a year ago.
Let me know when you have something showing Obama bombing the Capitol. Until then, you’re just jerking off.
Amy said:
Self-defense. While it does not know what it is doing, the baby is killing the mother. Days old or 30 years old, we don’t allow that, and it is acceptable to defend yourself. The secondary part is that if the mother dies, so does the baby in most cases, so the baby is dead regardless.
I put myself in that group, but I do not support incest or rape exceptions. That isn’t the baby’s fault.
As to your point about murder, I’m fully in support of very late term abortions of those who attempt to murder pregnant women. Again, self defense, but take that self defense against the person who is causing harm. That baby doesn’t make the murderer do what he does.
Now, I don’t want to get into a debate about it; I don’t expect I’m going to change any minds. Just trying to help you alleviate some of your confusion.
To expound on the Ayers thing a bit. According to the link, Ayers appointed Obama to a board, which distributed funds to schools. One school is alleged by the linked article to be “Maoist”, the other “Marxist”. I’m sure those definitions are relative, as some consider Democrats all to be socialists. People like to throw those terms around.
So he was on a board.
He has repudiated the previous actions of Ayers (when Obama was a young boy).
But we already knew that.
Let’s talk about McCain and G.Gordon Liddy a bit. Liddy broke into a political opponent’s psychiatrist’s office and the DNC headquarters. He had plans to kill an American journalist for political reasons. He had plans to firebomb Brookings. More recently, he advocating shooting ATF agents in the head. “Head shots. Head shots. Kill the sons of bitches.” (8/26/94).
In 1998, Liddy’s home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. On Liddy’s radio show, McCain said, “I’m proud of you. I’m proud of your family. It’s always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great.”
So Obama served on a board with an unrepentent terrorist, but repudiates the guy’s actions.
But McCain fundraises at the home of an unrepentent felon, thief, would-be terrorist, and advocate of murdering federal agents, and then goes on his radio show and verbally fellates the guy.
Who comes out worse by comparison?
If you say Obama, you’re unhinged.
Jason–
By what logic would you compel a woman to carry a rapist’s baby to term? Sure it’s not the fetus’ fault. But I think you’ve kind of got to defer to the wishes of the woman who was, say, walking down the street living her life before she was involuntarily impregnated in a brutal rape. Her wishes have to take precedence over an inchlong blob that is 100% dependent on her for its existence. There’s no way a woman should be compelled to relive the rape day by day, watching the product of that attack slowly grow over nine months, and then eighteen years, if it is not her will. What an absolute horror that would be.
The same Obamabot talking points I have seen elsewhere in defense of the Obama/Ayers-Dohen relationship.
Was John McCain personally at the fund raiser at G. Gordon Liddy’s house???
So McCain took campaign money from a right-wing kook and convicted felon who served time. You think Obama has not?
Was G. Gordon Liddy part of an organization that planted bombs on federal property including the Pentagon? Did Liddy advocate the violent overthrow of the US Government and the establishment of a Communist Totalitarian state. Did Liddy found a terrorist organization. Did Liddy recruit members who later committed a string of robberies that took the live of two security guards and a policemen. Robberies that were intended to raise money to buy explosives. Did Liddy have a girlfriend who died in a bomb making accident in NYC that killed two other Weathermen. The bomb they were making was intended for use at an military recreation club.
Ayers was and is today a dangerous nut-job.
Keep trying and drinking the Kool-aid.
Hey, leave it to Jason to decide whether to carry his rapist’s baby to full term! It’s his choice to make … other human beings might make different choices.
But what will the RR do with the fact that she appears to be pro gay rights?!?
BTW I had to pick up my twins at school when her speech was being made. The first station I listened to had Rush on. He was making little comments throughout the speech, but I had to turn the channel after about two minutes. Felt a little too guilty listening to him getting close to an on-air orgasm;-)
Check out Natasha Chart’s brutal assessment of Palin over at MyDD.
Lots of other hard hitting stuff in there as well.
When I heard about Palin, I was reminded of Karl Rove’s inane comment from about a week ago regarding ‘intensely political choices’ for Veep. Rove got it exactly right. He just got the party wrong.
Doug,
Look my parents were/are fundamentalist Catholics. The thing is like Gov. Palin apparently they walked the talk. Liberal Democrats who attempt to go after Sarah Palin for her stridently pro-life viewpoints may find themselves in trouble. There just may be not be the expected country club/fraternity row Republican hypocrisy on social issues with Palin. In that regard she could offset McCain’s notorious ego-maniac ex-fighter jock shirt chasing past reputation.
The question is would Gov. Palin disown her teenage daughter for deciding she could not carry to term a pregnancy caused by rape. I would assume not. Instead the Palin’s would offer to do all they could to financially support her and their unintended grandchild.
Alaska is an odd state. Very socially conservative but also fiercely anti- big government, although the state historically receives generous federal support, anti-orthodox, anti-establishment, a live and let life place.
Palin is anti-gay marriage, but she apparently also vetoed legislation that would have denied state benefits to gay couples.
The real question with Palin is just how far would she be willing to go to deny access to abortion for women, or criminalize it if Roe Vs Wade was ever over turned.
Somebody’s selectively reading.
McCain was on Liddy’s radio show. He endorsed the guy’s views, actions, life story. He didn’t just take money. The opposite of Obama, who has condemned Ayers.
Liddy didn’t have to violently overthrow the government. He was a tool OF the government. He had plans to use violence/terrorism to further the aims of the government. Nixon telling him his ideas where nuts was the only thing that stopped him. Otherwise he would have been off on his killing/firebombing spree. He remains unrepentent.
These two guys are opposite sides of the same coin. Same tactics, but just for different political aims.
I think it’s reasonable to say Liddy is equally as dangerous as Ayers today. They’re both aging old delusion braggards who say stupid things, but whose criminal actions were three decades ago. Neither has apologized or expressed regrets.
So we’re left with Obama condemning Ayers, and McCain thinking Liddy is just swell.
So what was your point again?
i am so appalled by these posts. get real people. this is a presidential election. her decision to have a downs baby is 100% irrelevant. how sick are you. i am thrilled she is in the running it brings flavor to the process. all voices should be heard and the american voters should decide. it is that simple. by the way, if anyone can give me an actual description of the change obama intends to make it would be appreciated. to this moment it has all been rhetoric. i am yearning for a real plan. my ears, heart and brain are open and ready to receive details of a specific change plan.
BarackObama.com has lots and lots of reading on his policy proposals. Don’t just open your organs – do some homework, citizen.
Less demanding, of course, is simply asking which Presidential nominee is most likely to maintain the course set by George W. Bush which clearly doesn’t work.
The partisans are fun to watch- immediate attacks on Palin for inexperience, even though she’s the one of the four P/VP candidates for the Ds & Rs who has any executive experience. They’re all very inexperienced in that sense, but she’s more experienced than the others by 100%.
It is absolutely true that there are female voters who indeed vote for women, regardless of party. Readers here a political junkies and are generally interested in policy, so they cannot fathom that people vote that way, but Americans do a lot of unfathomable things: vote against any candidate with a black sounding name, figuring out who they’re going to vote for only on the day of the election, voting for a female candidate, etc.
Now, I think it was deeply cynical of McCain to pick Palin on this basis, but it’s strategy- just as picking Biden was strategic for shoring up foreign policy weakness.
marle–
You should have taken the time to listen to his acceptance speech. Come on, educate yourself. It’s not that hard. As Doug suggested, do some reading. Or, settle for “flavor”.
As the father of a young child with a developmental disability, I am giving Palin some slack. But it is not “100% irrelevant.” I think my wife would make a fantastic vice president. But there’s no way she could devote the necessary time to our son and fulfill the role of veep. There are just so many hours in a day. I’m not sick for pointing that out. If Palin can make it work, good for her.
Oh, the other relevant thing is Palin thinks YOU (should you become pregnant with one) should have a Down’s baby. Or worse, one with Trisomy 13 or Trisomy 18 that are incompatible with life, or anencephaly (no brain formation). She only believes in the “exception for the health of the mother” abortion exception. So if you know in the first trimester that your child will be doomed to death in the immediate postnatal period, she would still have you carry to term.
My very first baptism was when I was doing my chaplaincy at a hospital in Minneapolis. The mom was about five months along, and an ultrasound showed that the baby would be born without any lungs. The parents decided to induce labor immediately, and I was in the delivery room when she delivered. Erin Elizabeth (still remember the little girl’s name) lived about three minutes or less. If she had gone full term 1. the mom would have had to live with the knowledge for four months that the baby she was carrying would have never lived and 2. the doctors said Erin could have fought for as long as ten to fifteeen minutes before dying.
I was the only one who had time to hold her while she was alive. She would have been 15 years old in October. I’m glad her parents had the choice…
Palin is inexperienced although she has ran a state for a few years.I believe the McCain camp welcomes the inexperienced angle being played up right now since they’ll simply say our inexperienced candidate is at the bottom of the ticket and Obama is at the top of the democratic ticket.Lets face it Obama is not the most experienced guy around state senator and community organizer with a short stint in the U.S. senate where he’s been running for president most of the time.
Very risky pick(Palin) and I just don’t see how the campaign figures that because they put a woman on the ticket that will get Clinton voters who are women.Maybe a samll fraction but Ms.Palin is the opposite on the issues these voters are concerned about in my opinion.
This election will be decided by the debates in my opinion.If I were the republicans I’d postpone my convention for two weeks since much media attention will be focused on huricane Gustav.Palin did do one thing for the McCain campaign it fired up the conservative base who do not like McCain and he took in around 4.5 million $ yesterday.
It will be interesting to see how Ms.Palin holds up to the national spot light the next few weeks.I’m looking forward to the debates.
Rassmussen has their poll up today the first since Obama’s speech.It has him leading by 4 points.I saw Gallup yesterday that showed Obama by 8 points but I don’t know if it was pre or post speech.I saw some report that said the average bounce out of all the conventions to date is 5 points.I thought Obama’s speech would give him around 10 points but we’ll have to look at some polls Monday and see.
I’d have to give Obama an A on that speech it was something.All these speeches are scripted theatre and vague but it was quite a spectacle.If your a person who hadn’t ever heard the man speak or didn’t know anything about him I would think you’d come away with a good opinion of the man.Since 38 million watched I figued he’d get a big bounce out of the convention.Time will tell.
The problem with Palin is what she has done with the limited experience she has. The small town where she was the part-time mayor was left in debt to the tune of 20 million dollars after she mismanaged a land acquisition and built a minor sports complex.
In less than 2 years as Governor, she managed to trigger an investigation for abuse of power after she fired the Public Safety Director. The man she appointed to fill the position was forced to resign 2 weeks later after he was found to have been reprimanded for sexual harassment.
After 8 years of Buckshot Cheney, the last thing we need in the VP office is someone who has very brazenly shown a willingness to abuse her power for personal gain. The republican PR machine is already out trying to “firm up” the accusations against Palin’s ex-brother-in-law Trooper Wooten. Advance Indiana even did its part by prancing out the “very troubling” accusations in a divorce filing. Never-mind the former Public Safety Director found “no new evidence” of these accusations, thus leading to his dismissal.
I encourage each of you to read up on Ms. Palin and the actions of her, her office staff, and her family during this scandal. The divorce battle between her family and Trooper Wooten is something straight off Jerry Springer.
That and she thinks Adam and Eve should be taught in science class, and burning fossil fuels doesn’t have a role in global warming.
A comment from a foreigner. (Italy)
I wonder how a country – by the way a country armed to the teeth like Usa – can have such a candidate! How one can trust a person that trumpets the defense of live, and then appears on newspapers while shooting with a semiautomatic rifle!
According to me it is quite clear she is a puppet controlled by oil companies, like Bush himself. And like almost all your so called politicians who are controlled by several lobbies (American Rifle Association, pharmacy industries and so on…)
Have you ever asked yourselves why so many milions of people all over the world hate Usa?
Have you ever asked yourselves why the whole wolrd has to depend on such absurd politicians like yours?
Even a baby can see that all this stupid talks about superficial subjects hide the real interests of United Stated: economical supremacy, and military control on the rest of the world.
We are fed up with that!!
Think about it.
As the father of a young child with a developmental disability, I am giving Palin some slack. But it is not “100% irrelevant.†I think my wife would make a fantastic vice president. But there’s no way she could devote the necessary time to our son and fulfill the role of veep. There are just so many hours in a day. I’m not sick for pointing that out. If Palin can make it work, good for her.
But you, maybe you have the time to fulfill the role of veep? Are there that many hours in your day?
What’s good for the gander is good for the goose — women are not more responsible for taking care of their kids than men are. You could stay home and take care of your son and let your wife win the bread or be the VP.
Seriously, if Palin were a man, no one would even bring up the “but the baby!” arguments — and the fact that they don’t makes the people who are doing it now completely sexist asshats.
Not that I am in any way in favor of Palin – I just think people should support or oppose her on the basis of her policies and political experience, not on her gender or family situations.
I think the key here is 100% irrelevant.
Personally, I don’t care if she or any public official ignores their kids (so long as they aren’t pounding the ‘family values’ drum) if they’re doing their job well. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t campaign for national office and be a good father. If the candidate can be a good parent while campaigning or doesn’t care to be a good parent while campaigning, it’s no concern of mine (again, absent some sort of ‘family values’ hypocrisy.)
Italy’
I could care a less what you think of my country,who we elect as our president or our second amendment freedoms.Palin actually stood up to the oil companies and is something of a reformer.No one I know cared about the big crowd Obama drew in Germany either in fact he went down in the polls soon after.We care about his speech last Thursday night and what he will do for the United States.NATO and the United Nations are the most inept do nothing bunch around,RAWANDA,DARFUR you name it.When Europe needed bailed out in WW two we did the bailing.