Economics Test
"It's the economy, stupid!" all over again.
And if not by university degree, the next president of the United States had better become an economist, and fast.
Leadership coach Stephen Xavier, whose list of clients includes Motorola, Goldman Sachs and Xerox, says the financial crisis now dominating everybody's attention presents an even "tougher challenge" for the presidential contenders.
"Both candidates have gone on to play it rather safe politically through this economic crisis so far," he says, adding that "the best leadership, whether in business or politics, is set by bold example, not words."
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, he continues, "have staked out strong and markedly different approaches on other key issues in this election such as health care and social policy, but the economy may be the ultimate test of their judgment as possible leaders of the free world."
Better to Lead
In a recent ceremony sponsored by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, former Republican Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker of Tennessee was presented with the prestigious 2008 Freedom Award.
Fittingly enough, Mr. Baker, who had served 18 years in the Senate, was introduced by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the still-energized West Virginia Democrat who will turn 91 next month.
"In an unusual - perhaps even unprecedented - set of circumstances, Senator Byrd and I served as each other's majority and minority leaders for eight very eventful years in the late 1970s and early 80s," Mr. Baker noted at one point. "And while there are some things Senator Byrd and I disagree on, one thing on which we're in absolute agreement is that being majority leader is better."
Taken to the Bank?
Among the Democrats not happy about bailing out Wall Street to the tune of $700 billion is former 2008 presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who says the country has come a great distance from "the New Deal to the raw deal."
"The golden rule of 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' is submerged by the rule of gold: 'Do unto others before they do unto you.'"
Bush to Obama?
In the category of what's remaining and what's on the horizon for the U.S. Supreme Court we turn to Curt Levey, executive director of the Washington-based Committee for Justice, who notes that this week marks "the beginning of the last Supreme Court term of the George W. Bush era."
The court's docket "includes important and colorful cases involving expletives broadcast live, marine mammals annoyed by Navy sonar, the 'Seven Aphorisms of Summum' vs. the Ten Commandments, and personally liability for former Attorney General John Ashcroft."
Less colorful, but equally important cases, he adds, involve Title IX, the Voting Rights Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Clean Water Act.
And what if Democrats led by Barack Obama storm the White House?
Mr. Levey suggests the three Supreme Court justices most likely to retire - liberals Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Paul Stevens and David Souter - "may well hold out for the next four years if John McCain becomes president."
That said, he presents the "Top Ten Things to Expect from an Obama Supreme Court."
10. Expanding racial preferences
9. Creating Constitutional rights to physician-assisted suicide/human cloning
8. Expanding judicial oversight of military detentions/CIA interrogations
7. Prohibiting tuition vouchers for religious schools
6. Banning the death penalty
5. Creating Constitutional rights to government welfare/medical care programs
4. Stripping "under God" from Pledge of Allegiance
3. Eroding property rights
2. Ordering 50 states to "bless" gay marriage
1. Requiring taxpayers to fund essentially unlimited abortion rights
Too Late
"I live a few blocks from the Fannie Mae building," writes John Lockwood of Northwest Washington. "I was passing by to go to the post office to pick up a letter when I saw that somebody had left in front, right next to the Fannie Mae sign, a homemade 'HELP WANTED' sign."
Mcmanus vs. Maher
Father Sean McManus, a veteran campaigner against anti-Catholic bigotry as president of the Irish National Caucus on Capitol Hill, is slamming comedian Bill Maher "whom I see as a malicious, vicious and ignorant anti-Catholic bigot."
The priest is angry about Mr. Maher's new movie, "Religulous," and speaks of his personal disgust in a letter to the Irish-America magazine in New York, which interviewed the popular HBO host for its latest issue.
"Even Northern Ireland has not produced worse bigots than Maher," writes Father Mc Manus, who forwarded a copy of his letter to this columnist. "And the fact that Maher was raised Catholic only makes his ugliness more offensive."
The movie is about Mr. Maher's personal take on organized religion, of which he is no fan.
Proof, By Golly
Who says Sarah Palin has no foreign-policy experience?
It was just over two years ago, in September 2006, that the then-Alaskan gubernatorial candidate-turned-Republican vice presidential candidate sent out a dinner invitation to none other than Britain's Prince Charles.
Having read that the Prince of Wales had been panned in Scotland for snubbing Scottish salmon in favor of Alaskan salmon, Mrs. Palin invited the future king to dinner in Alaska as a way of thanking him for his excellent taste in fish.
"The prince clearly has a taste for the real deal," Mrs. Palin was quoted as saying, recalling that Prince Charles had been taken to task throughout Scotland for ordering Alaskan fish to sell through his food company.
"Our salmon are the most spectacular in all of the world," Mrs. Palin agreed.
The candidate could not be specific in her invite as to where she might host the prince, who never showed up for dinner anyway.
"If we do it at the governor's mansion, that means the people of Alaska have honored me to host our guests in Juneau," she said at the time. "If not, we make a pretty mean grilled salmon in Wasilla, too."
Who knows, depending on her performance in last Thursday's debate against Democrat Joseph R. Biden Jr., Mrs. Palin in the not-so-distant future could be grilling her fish at the vice-presidential mansion on Massachusetts Avenue.
Good and Bad
Yes, Virginia, the hoopla surrounding the 2008 presidential race is genuine.
According to American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate, average voter turnout in the 2008 presidential primaries reached its second-highest level ever, barely a half percentage point short of its apex in 1972.
"The level of presidential-primary turnout speaks to the intense interest in this year's presidential election," said Curtis Gans, director of CSAE.
Sadly, however, average voter turnout in statewide primaries for governor and U.S. senator, which did not occur on the same day as presidential primaries, fell to a record low.
"The turnout level for the other primaries speaks to the poor health of American democracy and the diminishing religion of civic duty," he said. "That combination makes it difficult to predict the level of turnout in what is still likely to be a high turnout in November's general election."
Turnout in the presidential primaries was recorded at more than 57.3 million, or just over 30 percent of the eligible vote.
