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Thursday, September 04, 2008

A Python in the White House?


The US Presidential race just gets wackier and wackier. Now it transpires that Republican hopeful John McCain has selected former Monty Python star Michael Palin (above) as his running mate. When I first saw the newspaper headlines: 'McCain opts for Palin', I was somewhat surprised. I didn't know that Palin even possessed an American passport (I suppose he must have picked one up during his around the world travels). But on reflection, I suppose the choice makes perfect sense. McCain has clearly chosen Palin for four reasons: 1. he's trying desperately to get the all-important lumberjack vote; 2. he's after the support of die-hard Monty Python fans, 3. Palin is an expert on 'New Europe' haven't recently travelled there for his new BBC series. He'll be able to explain to McCain the difference between Slovakia and Slovenia and where Latvia is. 4. McCain is showing that he deplores, unequivocally, the Spanish Inquisition.

Against that, Palin's role in the controversial film 'Life of Brian', may lose McCain the support of some Christian voters, while Palin's support of Sheffield Wednesday FC will obviously alienate Republican-leaning Sheffield United fans (all six of them).

If McCain does defeat Barack Obama in November, then Palin will be only a heart-beat away from the White House. And given McCain's advanced age, we could well witness the first ever Python to become President of the United States of America. John Cleese must be going green with envy. Well, I suppose a glittering career in American politics could have been his too if he hadn't gone away to run a hotel in Torquay......

UPDATE:
The news headlines inform us that 'Palin is to make a speech at the Republican Convention tonight'. How many times do you think he'll mention lumberjacks?

FURTHER UPDATE: I've just watched a video of Palin's speech at the Republican Convention. It seems that he is now taken to dressing up as a woman. I thought that was Terry Jones territory, but there you go. I must say I enjoyed Palin's joke about 'hockey moms' and lipstick, but was disappointed that he didn't mention lumberjacks once.....

7 comments:

Roland Hulme said...

All is forgiven, Neil. That made me laugh so hard, I snorted beer out of my nose!

Anonymous said...

I was hoping Sarah Palin would come down the center aisle of the Republican National Convention on this, but it was not to be.

Seriously, I believe Sarah Palin is an excellent choice, and the fact that the media has engaged in full-blast attempt to crucify her only confirms my opinion.

I've told you about my disagreements with Senator McCain about various things in the past, and if I thought he had made a bad choice, I would tell you so. But I'm happy with this choice for multiple reasons.

I'm happy that Palin is a Governor, as opposed to another Senator.

I'm happy that Palin is not only pro-life in policy, but walks the walk in her own family.

I'm happy with her reputation for combating corruption in Alaska.

I'm happy that she's a woman whose success isn't a function of being married to someone else, like Hillary Clinton.

I don't know how much you saw of her speech tonight, but the Republican Party loved her before the speech even started, and heartily demonstrated that love during the speech.

ematejoca said...

I am very interested about the USA Presidential Race. I posted a lot about it on my blog.
Today I read your amazing article and I took it away.
Thanks, dear Neil.

David Lindsay said...

It was good to see Palin's future son-in-law standing next to McCain on stage and chewing gum. How splendidly unsuitable this boy is. It is almost worth hoping that the GOP wins, so that we can watch him during McCain's one term and his own mother-in-law's subsequent two, wending his merry way from 18 to 30.

Also, suggestions, together with punchlines, are invited for A and B in the following:

"What is the difference between a hockey mom and A?"

and

"What is the difference between B and a pit bull?"

Also invited are jokes with the punchline: "Lipstick."

Anonymous said...

I prefer Palin to Joe Biden. Biden just might be the most hawkish senator around.

ematejoca said...

I am sorry to use your blog to reply "douglasbass", but I did not find his blog, and I am mad about this subject.

"Seriously, I believe Sarah Palin is an excellent choice, and the fact that the media has engaged in full-blast attempt to crucify her only confirms my opinion."
I am not sure if Sarah Palin is a good choice. One is right: to choose the Sarah Palin was clever from McCain. Many women are disappointed with the choise of Obama for Vize. They will vote on The Republicans. I was also very
disappointed, but I cannot vote.

"I'm happy that Palin is not only pro-life in policy, but walks the walk in her own family."
About her own family is hard to say anything. But the walk seems not to be so successful!

"I'm happy with her reputation for combating corruption in Alaska."
Are you sure about it?

"I'm happy that she's a woman whose success isn't a function of being married to someone else, like Hillary Clinton."
HERE YOU ARE COMPLETELY WRONG!!!
Clinton was President of USA, because he has so a strong woman like Hillary. She knows a lot about politics. All of us know how weak is Clinton, of course nicht as President. But she is the better one, and the most clever. If she has an affair with a good-looking man, she would be clever enough ... and nobody would know about it. One thing is 100% sure: Hillary Clinton does not need her husband at all to be the best Candidate for President of USA.
In four years, when noboby knows who was Sarah Palin, Hillary will be President of the USA.

"I don't know how much you saw of her speech tonight, but the Republican Party loved her before the speech even started, and heartily demonstrated that love during the speech."

Her speech was cute. McCain made an
excellent choise. Many women will vote The Republicans because of her, I am sure.

I am sorry, I am not able to express myself in your language.

So long!

Anonymous said...

That Hilary is probably smarter than her husband does not mean she has his oleaginous charm that got him the top job. To say that it was not the fact that here husband had been President which made he a contender is to place a bet with odds of close to 300 million to one.

It is not COMPLETELT WRONG (even without capitals) to say that Palin didn't get her job because of her husband.

Biden is on record as saying that all Serbs should be put in "Nazi style concentration camps". The very nicest one can say about Obama is that , in choosing such a person to beef up his lack of foreign policy experience he has shown himself unfit for office in a decent state.