Presidential miscellaneous

I am so so so glad that Rudy Giuliani went down in flames in the primaries. Man, what a terrible President he would have been. The New McCain ain't much better (and the old one was no picnic), but Giuliani gave me chills. It was a huge relief that he was wiped out early.

Barack Obama has goofy ears.

Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State? Two in a box with Bill...

It would be pretty funny if Michael Bloomberg got his term limit law change through and then ran off to be Treasury Secretary. We certainly need someone of his caliber.

I would love to see Russell Feingold as Secretary of Homeland Security.

John McCain would be a disaster as President. I predict Barack Obama will be merely a disappointment. Part of it is that we have no real idea what he'll do; what he's said he'll do isn't something I think is worth a lot. What's more significant is that the problems are huge. It may be the America has peaked, and the best he can do is to slow the decline. People tend to over-estimate what the President can do*, and this next President is going to be severely hamstrung by broader forces.

* With the exception of George W. Bush. Say what you will about Bush (and I will, oh will I), the man's "imperial presidency" was a thing unlike any other.

If Barack Obama is elected, I'm worried what that will do in combination with a strong Democratic majority in Congress. On the other hand, maybe some things will be more likely to happen. Maybe only a strong Democratic majority can touch Social Security. The easiest, simplest way to defer its financial problems is to push the retirement age back to 67 or 68. Maybe there will be a large turnout of younger voters, making politicians a little more likely to buck the AARP legions. Also, I want a pony.