Tim Blair

He looks like he's about to say, "I just saved a whole lot of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico!"

Re: the nomination betting graph... who is represented by ROF_NOM? I can figure out the others...

meep - Rolling On Floor Nominee? It seems appropriate, but really, I was the one planning on ROFLMAO at the Dems. I wasn't really expecting the candidate to do the same, but hey, if the shoe fits . . . .

ROF = Rest Of Field. Refers to any candidate not listed.

Dean is really more of a fuscia than a pink, but we're still talking skin products.

Be sure to check out "Allah's" Dean-O pics: www.allahpundit.com

oops, click here: www.allahpundit.com

I continually struck by how much news coverage American politics gets in other countries...such as Australia. Why is this? Most Americans don't give a rats ass what is going on in the political races of other countries...and its not because we're stupid. Just ask a Frenchman or an Aussie about Finnish politics and they will exclaim "who cares?". But everyone cares about American politics...it seems a bit unhealthy to me.

I think it's partly because we have a large number of aircraft carriers the size of lesser African nations, and we can pretty much go anywhere and blow anything up if we get the itch.

Well, it's also because we have a $12 trillion GDP and a economic downturn here reverberates all around the world.

Hell, we lost $2 trillion in the stock market tech bubble burst, another $1 trillion or so after 9/11 and the two events were barely blips on the economic radar. Shortest and least painful recession in our history.

SMG

Everyone fears our crazy cowboy unilateralism, that's why MoveOn made the natural move to solicit foreign money to use to influence the election.

"But everyone cares about American politics...it seems a bit unhealthy to me."

I agree it's very unhealthy. If you think America is so all-important, it's natural to go a step further and conclude that everything is about America or because of America. Combine that with "if it bleeds, it leads," and you have the makings of a perpetual grievance machine.

Just pelase someone....beat BUSH

Just figured out the dream ticket for '04.

Bush-Dean

Pro-War, Anti-War, pro-gay marriage, anti-gay marriage, pro Bike path, Anti-Bike path.

Its got everything this partnership!

I also find it strange that the Dem. primary contenders are interesting to anyone outside the US. Inside the US I know many are bored to tears and can't wait until it's over.

Can't stand seeing their ads over and over and ...

Unfortunately I have to pay attention at some point. I'm a registered Ind. and can vote in any Primary Election. I intend to vote in the Dem. Primary. Just don't know for who yet.

So far, I like Pres. Bush. I don't like everything he's done, but I want him in the White House. He understands we are at war with a group of people who want to eradicate our way of life and subject us all to the rule of radical Islam.

I know he makes speeches about how Islam is not the religion of hate, but he understands that people who are following radical Islam need to be stopped before they attack us again.

I haven't seen any of the Democrats I'd trust to keep us safe. They seem to have placed their faith in the UN and with 'talking/negotiating'.

You can't negotiate with people who believe they have a holy duty to subjugate all of us to Islam.
There isn't anything we have that would cause them to cease their holy war. For the radical Islamists, they can't negotiate away their call from Allah to convert all by force.

That deanforamerica.biz website went offline about 10 hours ago. I wonder if foul play is involved?

"But everyone cares about American politics"

Because the United States is the most powerful country on the planet by a huge margin.

Population-wise, it's the third largest country; same with area. Economically, it's the largest, roughly the size of the next three combined, with a per-capita GDP second only to Luxembourg. Militarily, the U.S.'s annual military expenditures equal those of the next ten countries combined; its Navy could take on the combined navies of the rest of the world and have better-than-even odds, its Air Force could take any three rival air forces, and the strength of its ground forces are clearly superior to anybody but the Russians (who have the advantage of vastly more, if inferior-quality, tanks).

In short, it's rational for people in other countries to care about U.S. policies and leaders to a much greater degree than a U.S. citizen cares about any other country's policies and leaders; who is the leader of France is much less likely to have an affect on the life of an American than the leader of the U.S. is to have on a Frenchman.

"I haven't seen any of the Democrats I'd trust to keep us safe. They seem to have placed their faith in the UN and with 'talking/negotiating'."

Lieberman. He's the one Democrat that I'd trust on foreign policy; he's the one whose statements show he gets it. He's criticized Bush some, but not on the foreign policy fundamentals. My only concern would be that his White House staff wouldn't be as reliable as he's been. If he doesn't win the Democratic nomination, I'd actually like to see him in the VP slot on the Republican ticket (though he'd be personally smart to decline such an offer for the sake of his political career).