Election 2008: After a little more than a tenth of the states have held primaries, the presidential candidate field has been winnowed dramatically. Today’s shocker: John Edwards is dropping out on a day when it was expected that Rudy Giuliani would drop out, too. This takes much of the wind out of Tsunami Tuesday, essentially turning it into a McCain (who won Florida handily)/Romney vs. Obama/Clinton match.
World: The New York Times has a report that portends of trouble ahead for pre-Olympics China. A dissident advocating for human rights was arrested as he chatted on the Internet via Skype on Dec. 27. Legal expert Teng Biao tells the Times, “All the troublemakers — including potential troublemakers — are being silenced before the Olympic Games.” So much for Olympic spirit.
Nation: The Washington Post reports on a battle brewing on whether the monument over the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery should be repaired or outright replaced. The monument has two large cracks in it, the report says.
Environment: You may not have realized this, but Exxon is still appealing an award made in 1994 for the oil spill of the Valdez in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The Anchorage Daily News reports that Alaska’s Attorney General Talis Colberg filed a friends-of-the-court brief on behalf of 30,000 who have claims against Exxon with the Supreme Court. Next month, the Supreme Court will begin hearing Exxon’s appeal to throw out the award.
Life: “Laissez les bon temps rouler,” say hotel and motel owners in New Orleans. According to The Times Picayune, rooms are expected to be at about 92 percent occupancy for this year’s Mardi Gras next week — “the earliest Carnival since 1983.”
O P I N I O N
It appears the next presidential election is anyone’s game. All the predictions of experts a few months ago have been thrown out. Unless a definitive contender comes out of Tsunami Tuesday on either side, the conventions could be very interesting for the first time in decades.
In such an environment, the slightest news bite sways the fickle voters. On Monday, Sen. Barack Obama was riding high on the key endorsement of three high-profile Kennedys. But later that evening at the State of the Union address, Obama seemed to snub Sen. Hillary Clinton when she extended her hand to greet Sen. Ted Kennedy and Obama would have been next. If you look at the photos, it’s obvious he knew she was heading his way and he turned away to speak with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, who clearly had her eyes on Clinton.
Some would argue that focusing on such minutiae is a waste of time. But is it? In a race so close, voters are looking for every hint they can to the candidates’ character. Who knows how many votes Obama might have lost by simply not extending his hand? He might not have snubbed her at all, but the whole world was watching and an extended handshake of good will would have spoken well for him. No candidate can afford to miss such opportunities as they arise.
♣ Nation/world news tally in my local paper today: 1½ pages
Feed me 5 Under the Radar
