Politics Smolitics

Ahhh, so let's do a weekly wrap up of what went down in my political world this week: PM Fukuda resigned. Sarah Palin was trumped as the V-P candidate for the Republican ticket. Her daughter is pregnant and not married. John McCain accepted the Republican nomination (what? like he was going to reject it?).

First things first. In a stunning move Monday night a 9:30 PM Japan Time, Prime Minister Fukuda resigned after under tweleve months in office. And aside from staring at Sakurai Sho on News Zero while I was trying to figure out exactly what everyone was freaking out about, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Not to say at some point I should have seen it coming, his polls are as close to rock bottom as you can get, his recently policy and cabinet shakes ups did nothing to help that.

But according to media reports he basically didn't tell anyone about his decision to resign. Can you do that? Seriously, as the head of the party that has been in power since the occupation ended and Prime Minister of Japan, can you pretty much blow off everyone and just hold a press conference to say, "Yo. Peace out." ? It boggles my mind.

Aside from Fukuda's amazing resilence to modern gossip, I do not like the look of the new PM. For one thing he just looks conservative. He scares me the same way Sarah Palin's seemingly unshakable hair does. And that whole not supporting a female ascending the throne kind of irks me too. I think it's really funny that Japan freaks out about women being emperor, when as far as most people are concerned they remember the first emperor being an emperoress. And I know I'm going all Western in a matter that really shouldn't be any of our cultural business, but arguably one of the most famous monarchs of Europe is Queen Elizabeth I. I mean, for her day and age, she kind of kicked ass. And that was after Henry VIII have six wives to try and get him more sons than just poor sickly Edward, it was in fact the girls he so desperately wanted to be men that actually ended up becoming some of the most important women in history. Irony is a bitch, no? At any rate, Aso scares me.

NEXT TOPIC. Sarah Palin. Ahhh. The weath of scrambling and head scratching and gasps the McCain camp got from picking her. Hell, up until he did pick here no one had really considered her as a viable option. But she sure did stick it to those wondering if McCain had lost his flair for reform, didn't she? Of course, she might of stuck it to them a little too hard. After all Mrs. Abstience Education might want to look at where it landed her daughter. And no, I'm not trying to attack her daughter or her parenting skills or whatever (not that anyone doesn't hesitate with anyone else's), but let's face it, in a media obsessed with Jamie-Lynn Spears' pregnancy and the galmourization of the Hollywood life style, do not tell me that Ok! and US aren't pounding at the doors of the campaign shops wanting to know if they can get the first picture exclusive. Which, if they allow, I will make serious judgements on her parenting skills. But until that day happens, I will patiently hold all of my criticism.

Oh, yeah, and she scares me. Have I mentioned that. Her hair. Her lack of depth with anything that McCain doesn't seem to whisper the answer to in her ear. Obama make lack experience, but at least he's been up front for the most part on media reports. Can I also comment that I really want to see her and Hillary Clinton go at it? That'd be a riot.

Oh and that other old fogey on the ticket. Poor guy, he's the one running for president, but you'd think it was Ms. Palin. And another thing I don't get, why exactly is the Republican party trying to make themselves the underdogs? How does that work?

AND this "All these right wingers complaining about left wing bias protest too much.

This Palin person is clearly an idiot - she is opposed to the core principles of the Enlightenment. She is opposed to the rules of logic, of reason, of science, of liberty, and freedom." From a random BBC forum post. Okay, I agree on several of those points, but the principles of the Enlightenment? Come on now. We're seriously noy going to argue over the founding principles of out country that seriously were probably deviated from as quickly as the 1860s. Sorry, just pointing it out. The Enlightment is way back there as far as the government of the United States is concerned.

And finally, not mentioned earlier, but just as important. WELCOME BACK TO THE COLD WAR!!!!! Oh how we missed the posturing of the U.S./West and the USS err, Russia. Hurrah for that. Seriously. And Washington and the EU are pathetically responding. And the scary thing is? Most of my students don't think it's all that important to them. Hello North Korea, anybody? Granted North Korea isn't exactly buddy buddy with China or Russia and nor are they very friendly towards each other. But at any rate. The Japanese seem perfectly content in fretting over whether their new prime minister will be Mr. A1, Mr. A2, Mr. A3, or Ms. A4. Sad.

On a good note, I get a Japanese cell phone Sunday.