Sneaky Bills, Wussy Seahawks, Religion, Politics and Moose Meat- Is Governor Palin Shi'a or Salafi?- Seward's Folly and God
Picture imperfect
"She is the governor of Alaska, and that is near Russia...." Thus spake John McCain, no less, the foreign policy expert to ABC's Charlie Gibson on Sarah Palin's national security qualifications to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Gibson did not press his sudden advantage: it is unseemly to be tough with a 72 year old man who could easily whip out his POW card in self defense.
These guys really stick to their talking points: first it was Fox News anchor Doocey (Ducey) with this doozey one, then Cindy McCain repeated it on TV, now the old honcho himself.
Sunday, as I watched the Bills demolish the Seahawks who looked quite wussy in Buffalo, I predictably sought refuge and comfort in religion and politics. That was when the Bills played a Karl Rove trick by opting for a risky touchdown instead of a certain field goal, and I became more determined to block out the awful game and seek another diversion. (It turns out that, against the Seahawks, no play is risky this season). Religion and politics are intermingled in the USA, as in no other country this side of Saudi Arabia, Iran and the rest of the moderate New Middle East that looks exactly like the Old Middle East, only more so. Those Frenchmen did not know what they'd be missing when they took religion, and hence one type of primeval passion, out of their politics. Nor did the normally clever Swedes who managed to send most of their funda-mental-ists to America 150 years ago (can that be the genesis of what we saw at the GOP convention?).
I mused about the thing they all are musing about nowadays: Sarah Palin. But I gave it a Middle Eastern twist- this time I put on my Middle Eastern hat, or ghutra (kaffiyya if you will): is she a Salafi Wahhabi, a Shi'a, a secret pentecostal, or a combination of all? Lack of a burqa'a and loose pantsuit denies a Salafi affiliation. The governor believes in a 'coming', a Christian Mahdi if you will. She also believes that God wants the Alaska pipeline, that He wants his own creation to be in the service of the oil giants and politicians. It is almost certain she believes that 'Seward's Folly' was ordained by God, and I find this last one an almost credible thing given the beauty of the place and what was discovered under its ice and soil.
So, she seems to have some elements of Shi'a doctrine (the coming of the Mahdi), and some Salafi Wahhabi traits as well- not a natural thing for a moose-hunting, moose-gutting, moose-skinning, moose-cooking, moose-eating, halibut-wrestling, tongue-speaking Alaska girl. Or maybe it is, although these exotic Islamic sects normally don't speak in tongue, especially not frozen tongue.
Besides she firmly believes that God, as she opined to her church recently, was fully behind the invasion of Eyeraq. Call it the Fourth Crusade. So the Neocons have been maligned after all. George W Bush probably agrees with her secretly, but he won't say it loud for fear of offending his pals in the moderate New Middle East.
At least the governor has a head's up on God's Christmas list. She apparently has some access to divinity, even if she did not sell the airplane on Ebay for a profit after all, despite her and McCain's repeated claims. Apparently the plane was sold the old-fashioned way: to someone she knew and at a huge loss (over $600,000 or about 22% discount- almost garage-sale levels).
As for John McCain, I believe divinity is the last thing on his aged mind. He is too busy trying to win the graveyard shift in Washington. And Sarah, buoyed by crowds of the faithful and the not-so-faithful, is already looking beyond the old fart, toward 2012 or perhaps earlier if fate decides to be cooperative- should the Democrats fall apart again because they still don't seem to have the fire in their belly. They need to get more religion, as they say, metaphorically speaking, sort of like Karl Rove, Rick Davis, George Bush (fils) and, yes, John McCain of late. They speak in tongue, but it is forked tongue.
Cheers
mhg
m.h.ghuloum@gmil.com
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