As IF Times

link Men Held By Dutch Said to Be Unlikely to Plot Attack Update1 – Bloomberg.com.

It’s all a misunderstanding.  The circumstantial evidence is something you’d find in a Seinfeld episode.  Two Yemeni men, both on FBI databases hop on board planes to Amsterdam.  Purely by coincidence, their luggage is found to contain cellphones taped to a Pepto Bismol bottle.  “Officer, I can explain…”  In addition, watches strapped together along with numerous knives and box cutters were dismissed as ‘no evidence’ of any terrorist intents.  Luckily for our heroes, the map of Amsterdam with an X marking a spot labelled ‘kaboom’ was left inadvertently at a McDonald’s before they boarded. 

Also luckily, our heroes were not caught wearing dangerous items like belt buckles, wedding rings, coins, prosthetic limbs or wheelchairs which are all high on the dangerous items list of airport screeners.  Pepto Bismol bottles with cellphones strapped to them are so much more benign, how else do people transport them?  In fact, this is probably the best way to get bottles of shampoo or contact lens fluids through the checkpoints.  “It’s ok Joe, there’s a cellphone strapped to the bottle, it’s all fine…Just to be sure though, check the grandmother for rings and pendants…and her walker too…”

link Poll: Six in 10 say Sarah Palin would be ineffective as president – On Politics: Covering the US Congress, Governors, and the 2010 Election – USATODAY.com.

Not that this is surprising given the source of the poll.  CBS and Vanity Fair are not normally known for their unbiased reportage.  Nevertheless, let’s take the poll at face value.  Let’s accept that 60% do not think that Palin would be an effective President.  We don’t know exactly what the qualifier of ‘effective’ means. 

Does the measure of effectiveness mean the ability to communicate with the people?  If so, this flies in the face of observed events since Palin commands large boisterous crowds wherever she speaks.  She still dominates headlines whenever she makes a policy statement and she’s not even holding elected office.  Her messages are widely popular as manifest by the election of candidates that she endorses.  More importantly, she connects with the people at an emotional level with her simple, unconfused messages about values which resonate with Americans.  Her messages are consistent and do not contradict each other depending on her audience.  In addition, she does this without the famous teleprompter of another famous politician so renowned for eloquence.

Does effective mean the ability to run and administer a government?  She actually HAS done that and by all accounts, very successfully.  While the affairs of a single state do not equate with the affairs of an entire country, there at least is a track record of success and experience. 

Does effective mean the ability to negotiate the U.S.’s position on the international stage?  This issue may be a leap of faith, but given the rhetoric offered by Palin over the past 2 years on the national stage, it’s a fair guess that she would not be as accommodating to nations that are openly hostile to American interests.  It’s a safe bet that the interests of Americans would take priority over the wants and bleatings of some belligerent nation states.   It’s unlikely that there would be equivocation on the position of America on major issues involving its security.

Does effective mean the ability to restore America’s employment picture and to revive old industries and stimulate new ones?  That’s iffy, but in fairness, that unknown is faced by every President.  From the perspective of how jobs are created and what has made the U.S. the dominant economy for the past 80 or 90 years however, Palin’s capitalist views are more likely to nurture confidence  than the socialist, redistributive policies pushed by the present incumbent. 

Does effective mean the ability to rally Americans and restore the pride and confidence of a nation rather than cowering in regret and apology?  Again, a leap of faith, but judging by the present circumstances however, the bar there is set pretty low. 

Finally, according to the left leaning Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/29/AR2010082903848.html  the President’s approval rating hovers somewhere between 34 and 40 percent, about the same or less than those that approve Palin.  So therefore, as many people think Palin is as qualified as the President!  This is after showing the goods for 2 years.  I’d say the poll should read, “Palin equally qualified as the President”.