I just watched this programme in Dubai. If you get the chance, watch it. it's a very thought provoking programme on the degree of stability, development and success of Middle Eastern countries from Abu-Dhabi / Dubai to Iraq and Palestine; and why democracy isn't suited to the Arab mentality.

http://www.bbcworld.com/Pages/ProgrammeFeature.aspx?id=106&FeatureID=680

Cheers,
Whiskey

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democracy isn't suited to the Arab mentality.

Democracy isn't suited to the American mentality either... ;)

(That's why we are a capitalist republic. Maybe the Arabs just don't want that.)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

democracy isn't suited to the Arab mentality.
Democracy isn't suited to the American mentality either... ;).

Was it Churchill who said "Democracy isn't perfect but it's the best that we have?"

On the subject of the Middle east problems....What are we going to talk about next year? George WMD Bush is going to solve the problems before he leaves office I believe!

I heard a good one yesterday...
Q.....So, what do you think George WMD Bushes legacy will be?
A.....Well if you forget about the Iraq War, he always has Hurricane Katrina, The Sub Prime Mortgage fiasco, the recession and increasing unemployment to fall back on. Not to mention the National Debt.
Cheers.

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democracy isn't suited to the Arab mentality.
Democracy isn't suited to the American mentality either... ;).

Was it Churchill who said "Democracy isn't perfect but it's the best that we have?"

On the subject of the Middle east problems....What are we going to talk about next year? George WMD Bush is going to solve the problems before he leaves office I believe!

I heard a good one yesterday...
Q.....So, what do you think George WMD Bushes legacy will be?
A.....Well if you forget about the Iraq War, he always has Hurricane Katrina, The Sub Prime Mortgage fiasco, the recession and increasing unemployment to fall back on. Not to mention the National Debt.
Cheers.

Don't forget.......the economy has not fully tanked yet either........

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Who is your money on for the next resident of #1600?
I think McCaine has shot himself in the foot over his stance on Iraq.
My money is on Hillary; and Bill for VP!
He already has 8 years experience in the job.
Cheers

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Who is your money on for the next resident of #1600?
I think McCaine has shot himself in the foot over his stance on Iraq.
My money is on Hillary; and Bill for VP!
He already has 8 years experience in the job.
Cheers

. . . done

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BOINC Wiki . . .

Science Status Page . . .

Don't forget.......the economy has not fully tanked yet either........

Give it time... We're not out of the woods yet... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

My money is on Hillary; and Bill for VP!

Was there ever any doubt? ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

No on Bill ... can't serve again as president which is the one qualification for VP ...

So, he cannot be VP ... he has already served two terms. Had he only served one, he could have been VP ... though I can't see him take the #2 spot even if he could ...

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If you want to watch Democracy in Middle East, look at Yemen as it has been until late 90's. Though living the Islamic law, they tried to be as democratic as possible (for their culture), until they got a "one party government" and changed from democracy to tyranny. IIRC, when South Yemen was seperate back until the early 90's(?) they even used plebiscites for the more important decisions of their government. Like: if the decision regards all people, all people should have a say in it.

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Account frozen...

Who is your money on for the next resident of #1600?
I think McCaine has shot himself in the foot over his stance on Iraq.
My money is on Hillary; and Bill for VP!
He already has 8 years experience in the job.
Cheers

That's an interesting question. I don't think it's as simple as a straight-up Iraq war issue election.


The United States of today is (among many other things) also a country of racial, sexist and religious rivalries covered over with a thin veneer of togetherness called "the American melting-pot".


So here is "The X Factor": a brief assessment based on these intolerance factors.


1. Obama v McCain

The blacks versus the whites, Christians versus Jews. I think that the race card trumps the religion card and McCain wins.


2. Clinton v McCain

Women versus men, Christians versus Jews. I think that sexism trumps religion (which is also patriarchical) and Clinton will lose. This assumes that more men will vote than women.



So I initially expect McCain to win, unless the Democrats succeed in making the issues the actual focal point of the election. McCain has gotten a pass on being a Jew so far, because he has underplayed it, but will "Low-bridging" last? Or will the Democrats succeed in convincing Americans that McCain will do what's best for Israel at any cost, on a religious bias? Will the Republicans succeed in tainting Obama as too squeemish to tackle the muslim world?

Will this post be deleted as being politically incorrect, rather than an actual attempt to consider some real factors?



Then there are also the unpredicted variables: who will the running mates be? will McCain end up in the hospital for any reason, however briefly? will black Americans turn on Clinton if she wins, or against McCain? Will women come forward on mass for Clinton? This one is still too early to call: I'll hold off laying money until I can see the actual campaigns in action. :]]

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No on Bill ... can't serve again as president which is the one qualification for VP ...

So, he cannot be VP ... he has already served two terms. Had he only served one, he could have been VP ... though I can't see him take the #2 spot even if he could ...

Is this true?
I know that Bill can't stand for; or be elected to; the office of President ever again.
If Gerald Ford "The accidental President" can become President without ever having been elected to public office then maybe there is nothing to prevent Bill from becoming VP and an occasional stand-in for Hillary as President.
Cheers,
Whiskey.

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As I understand it, a President can be elected to serve a maximum of 2 terms and never any more.

This means the possibility of serving as Persident from a VP position will also be ruled out. A VP, in the event of the death of the elected President, could serve as the President. If this happened to Bill, the he has broken the 2 term maximum law.

Pity a similar law did not exist in the Uk and be applied to our glorious Prime Minister. Also, we should have fixed terms of 4 years, and no provision to go to the country early (as we currently do).

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

As I understand it, a President can be elected to serve a maximum of 2 terms and never any more.

This means the possibility of serving as Persident from a VP position will also be ruled out. A VP, in the event of the death of the elected President, could serve as the President. If this happened to Bill, the he has broken the 2 term maximum law.

Pity a similar law did not exist in the Uk and be applied to our glorious Prime Minister. Also, we should have fixed terms of 4 years, and no provision to go to the country early (as we currently do).

According to the text of the amendment concerning this, there is nothing there to say that a person could not be elected to the position of vice-president after two terms as president. The amendment only specifically mentions being "elected president". If the person were elected vice-president and something caused the president to become unable to continue with their term then the vice president could theoretically take over the post of president until a new president were elected, since they would not be "voted into" the presidency, but would earn the title by succession. However this has not been tested. It specifically states in the Wikipedia entry that this would have to be tried and if objections were raised the legality of it would have to be tried by the US Supreme Court. The specific wording of the (26th?) amendment would have to be clarified in this case.

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Jim

Some people plan their life out and look back at the wealth they've had.
Others live life day by day and look back at the wealth of experiences and enjoyment they've had.

As I understand it, a President can be elected to serve a maximum of 2 terms and never any more.

This means the possibility of serving as Persident from a VP position will also be ruled out. A VP, in the event of the death of the elected President, could serve as the President. If this happened to Bill, the he has broken the 2 term maximum law.

Pity a similar law did not exist in the Uk and be applied to our glorious Prime Minister. Also, we should have fixed terms of 4 years, and no provision to go to the country early (as we currently do).

According to the text of the amendment concerning this, there is nothing there to say that a person could not be elected to the position of vice-president after two terms as president. The amendment only specifically mentions being "elected president". If the person were elected vice-president and something caused the president to become unable to continue with their term then the vice president could theoretically take over the post of president until a new president were elected, since they would not be "voted into" the presidency, but would earn the title by succession. However this has not been tested. It specifically states in the Wikipedia entry that this would have to be tried and if objections were raised the legality of it would have to be tried by the US Supreme Court. The specific wording of the (26th?) amendment would have to be clarified in this case.

Yes. This is what I thought. As I said earlier...He cannot be ELECTED again to serve but he can be chosen to serve as VP by his peers just as Ford was chosen to serve as VP.
Cheers.
Whiskey.

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Pity a similar law did not exist in the Uk and be applied to our glorious Prime Minister. Also, we should have fixed terms of 4 years, and no provision to go to the country early (as we currently do).

GOD forbid that we do this. Do you really want a four year run for the Premiership as United Statsians have?
The British system is the envy of many voters in the USA.
Six weeks from start to finish, equal funding and air-time for all candidates, all votes counted and returns announced within two days and Government continues with hardly a hiccup!
Cheers

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As I understand it, a President can be elected to serve a maximum of 2 terms and never any more.

This means the possibility of serving as Persident from a VP position will also be ruled out. A VP, in the event of the death of the elected President, could serve as the President. If this happened to Bill, the he has broken the 2 term maximum law.

Pity a similar law did not exist in the Uk and be applied to our glorious Prime Minister. Also, we should have fixed terms of 4 years, and no provision to go to the country early (as we currently do).

According to the text of the amendment concerning this, there is nothing there to say that a person could not be elected to the position of vice-president after two terms as president. The amendment only specifically mentions being "elected president". If the person were elected vice-president and something caused the president to become unable to continue with their term then the vice president could theoretically take over the post of president until a new president were elected, since they would not be "voted into" the presidency, but would earn the title by succession. However this has not been tested. It specifically states in the Wikipedia entry that this would have to be tried and if objections were raised the legality of it would have to be tried by the US Supreme Court. The specific wording of the (26th?) amendment would have to be clarified in this case.

Yes. This is what I thought. As I said earlier...He cannot be ELECTED again to serve but he can be chosen to serve as VP by his peers just as Ford was chosen to serve as VP.
Cheers.
Whiskey.

I don't think so, at least in the context of running for Vice President. Even if brought before our current 'activist' Supreme Court, they would have a hard time getting around the last line of the 12th Amendment which deals specifically with the election of the President and Vice President.

I quote:

"But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

Don't forget that once an amendment is ratified, it becomes part of and subject to the Constitution as a whole.

Alinator

U.S. Constitution: Twenty-Second Amendment


Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2. This Article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.



Given the language they could try it but I imagine they would lose the fight. Congress' clear intent was to prevent anyone from serving more than 2 terms. And the Twelth Amendment says "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States".


edit/ Alinator beat me to it

U.S. Constitution: Twenty-Second Amendment


Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2. This Article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.



Given the language they could try it but I imagine they would lose the fight. Congress' clear intent was to prevent anyone from serving more than 2 terms. And the Twelth Amendment says "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States".

Agreed, and looking at the Constitution without all the 'interpretation' given in the Wiki and other web sites, you could see that the Supreme Court could choose to interpret the 12th Amendment as applying to the extraordinary case of appointments to office as well.

Alinator

"But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States".

There's the nub.
So Bill can't serve as VP, only as #1 Presidential Advisor!

Have you yet resolved what his title might be if Hilary becomes President?

First Man? First Husband? First what?
Cheers

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