Mike, Terry: Yes, Albright is ineligible, as has been mentioned. Thanks.
Terry, McCain is eligible, I believe. IIRC the importance of birthplace is a common misconception; Constitutionally, it's birth-citizenship that matters.
Andrew #72: "She was born in Czechoslovakia."
(sorry, I missed your post). What, nobody likes surprises anymore?
Minor point, doesn't change anything here: I believe birthplace is not actually a requirement for President or VP (McCain wasn't born in the States IIRC). The wording of the Constitution is they have to be born U.S. citizens.
Either way, you're correct. Albright is ineligible. But if the Republicans ever change the law so Schwarzenegger can run, I do hope the Democrats put Albright up against him.
Ethan #41: "Madeleine Albright? The woman who, when asked how she felt about her policies having killed over half a million children in Iraq, said she thought "the price was worth it"? No thanks.
I didn't like her much either at first, due to this and some other things she said and did, mostly early in her term (and I think she said the above before she was even Secretary of State). But Albright's also someone who has admitted and learned from her mistakes (both while she was Secretary and after), which is something I value quite highly in government officials, much moreso than unbelievable stubbornness in fear of being labeled a flip-flopper. Absolutely not a perfect choice, but I like her better than most of the Democrats who ran for president this cycle.
Now, it's kind of a moot point, because she wasn't born a U.S. citizen (and couldn't be VP), but about that specific remark: "I must have been crazy … As soon as I had spoken, I wished for the power to freeze time and take back those words. My reply had been a terrible mistake, hasty, clumsy, and wrong … I had fallen into a trap and said something that I simply did not mean. That is no one’s fault but my own."
Hmm. With all this talk about those itching to go third party, I find myself hoping VotePair starts organizing again this year. Poor substitute for something like instant runoff, but it's something.
In 2004 I voted for Kerry over my preferred candidate Cobb, and a Kerry supporter in a non-swing state agreed to vote for Cobb (no way of verifying that he did, but it's not like Cobb was one vote shy of taking either state...). I did Gore it in 2000, and, while Obama's not a perfect candidate for me, I will be voting for him without holding my nose. Hell, this independent might even send money to a major party candidate for the first time in his life.
Fine choice, not perfect. A bit to the left of most of the Democrats who ran this year, thankfully. The guy makes mistakes, but tends to owns up to them with less bullshit and artful dodging. Biden, Sharpton and others continue to be heavily criticized and dismissed for small mistakes or gaffs made early in their careers, and it's nice to see someone like Biden being taken seriously again.
I remember in 2005 or so--before McCain shelved those parts of his head that were level--when there was buzz around a possible Biden-McCain ticket, I was interested.
But I was secretly hoping for a surprise choice in Madeleine Albright. Ah well.
Inspired by an SNL mock-commercial?
Looks like Kingston will be releasing an updated MP3 version of it from her site next month, if you haven't placed an order for the expensive OOP tapes yet:
http://www.spaceclearing.com/html/kk-blog/clutter-clearing/audio-recordings-of-clear-your-clutter.html
(see the comments section for the updated TBA)
Alex.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 9 |
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