“I’ll get right back at ya! I’m still adorable, America -- Gov. Sarah Palin

“Politics, like dust, never settles.”  Now, where did I hear that from?  Can’t seem to remember.  A lot of things I cannot seem to remember anymore.

What about this?  Who said it?  “In politics there are no permanent friends, only temporary allies.”  If my memory still serves me right, I believe it was Marcos … yeah, that’s right, former Philippine Dictator-President Ferdinand E. Marcos.  It was he, who also said: “I’ll die a thousand death for my country.”  Or did he merely dip his hands a thousand times in the cookie jar?      

Editor’s Note: It was not Ferdinand Marcos but Winston Churchill who said what Mr. Jose quoted. Here are the links:  There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies........

Churchill once said that countries did not have permanent friends and permanent enemies......just permanent objectives! How true! 

http://www.arguewitheveryone.com/u-s-foreign-policy-issues/33546-there-no-permanent-friends-no-permanent-enemies.html

Long dead, but his body not YET buried six feet under the ground; Mr. Marcos is still being blamed for the ills that presently beset our motherland. 

Why not blame Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, aka, Pandak, and her obese, baboy-like husband, Mike Arroyo, aka, First Kawatan?  They have dipped their fingers in the cookie jar NOT only a thousand times, but a million times, a trillion times.  They are the KLEPTO couple now who is looting the cookie jar.  It used to be the McCoy/Imelda partnership.  Now, it’s the Pandak/Baboy partnership.  Philippines, my Philippines, kawawa ka naman.  As Erap used to say: “Same-Same.” 

Good old Erap.  Pogi at macho pa rin hanggang ngayon.  It’s the magical wonder of Botox and Viagra.  I like Erap.  He used to be my hero when I was still a Kamias kanto boy in Quezon City.  Erap’s fall from grace came about when he became the President of the Philippines.  As an actor, he was superb.  As mayor of San Juan, he was prolific.  As VP to Ramos, he was fine.  When he became the President, he got drunk with power and fell flat on his face …      

But really, I don’t wanna talk about Erap or Pandak, or McCoy and Baboy.  I wanna talk about President-elect Barack H. Obama.  Yeah, let’s talk about him.  He’s the hottest news item right now.  Kung baga sa ice cream, he’s the flavor of the year, and for many years to come.  Everybody now wants to take a lick of him and taste him.  The whole world, in fact, wants to do that. 

OBAMA’S CABINET: A couple of days, while I was flipping and browsing through our local Sunday paper here in Seattle, I came across a political cartoon about Obama that was so hilarious, I think … but so true.  And I don’t think the cartoon was meant to mock Mr. Obama.  It was to present the current news in a light-hearted way and I don’t think you Obambis out there can dispute the cartoon as phooey. 

The whole idea of the cartoon was captured in two frames.  In the first frame, we see Mr. Obama, standing in front of his president-elect podium with the logo, “CHANGE,” written on it and two American flags framing him, saying this:

“As I prepare to take on the responsibilities of president, I recognize that the American people said they did NOT want a third Bush term ….”

Then on the second frame, he said this:  “So you’re getting a third Clinton term instead . . .”

Well, it’s true, isn’t it?  Would I tell y’all a lie?

As y’all know, there’s Ms. Hillary, whose appointment as Secretary of State for Obama’s administration is now in the bag. 

And, Eric Holder as Attorney General.  Mr. Holder was a senior official in the Justice Department in the Clinton administration.

And, in introducing his economic team this week, Obama said he had chosen Timothy Geithner as his Treasury Secretary, and Lawrence Summers as his Director of the National Economic Council.  Both served in the Clinton Treasury Department – Mr. Summers as secretary and deputy secretary and Mr. Geithner as a top aide.  The leading candidate for another top post in the NEC is Jacob Lew, who was Clinton’s budget director.

And, there’s Richard Danzig, the former Navy Secretary under Clinton, who Mr. Obama has chosen to hold a senior position among Obama’s National Security Advisors.

And, Grey Craig, a former lawyer for Clinton, as Obama’s White House Counsel.  And John Podesta, who was a Clinton loyalist and top aide, as co-chair of Obama’s transition team.  And Gov. “Backstabber” Richardson, who will become Obama’s Commerce Secretary. 

And, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Clinton buddy and top lobbyist, to serve as secretary of the Dept. of Health and Human Services.  And, I suppose many others, too, who at this time we don’t know yet.

IS MS. HILLARY THE RIGHT CHOICE?: In selecting Ms. Hillary as America’s top diplomat, Mr. Obama stunned many people who were riveted by the epic primary battle between these two strong personalities.

Among the concerns that were raised were: Why did Obama choose someone he frequently criticized for voting for the U.S. invasion of Iraq to be the face of his administration’s foreign policy?  And, why would Ms. Hillary subordinate her strong personality and views to be the global face of Mr. Obama?

As y’all know, throughout the campaign, Ms. Hillary had repeatedly said that Mr. Obama didn’t have the experience to be president and she mocked his willingness to meet with rogue leaders, like Hugo Chavez of Argentina and Ah-Mad-in-the-Head of Iran, as “irresponsible and frankly naïve.”

According to news reports, Mr. Obama’s advisers have said that the strengths Ms. Hillary would bring to the job outweigh the drawbacks. 

“Hillary Clinton is a demonstrably able, tough, brilliant person who can help … advance the interests of this administration and this country,” said Obama strategist David Axelrod.

I agree with that.  Ms. Hillary, I think, has the chutzpah for the job.  She has the stature.  She has the respect and the admiration of the world.  She’s tough.  I really think, she can be relied upon to take on America’s adversaries with aplomb and flair, with no problem at all.  That was a wise choice for President-elect Barack H. Obama. 

“I’ve been spending a lot of time reading Lincoln,’ said Obama in a recent interview on “60 Minutes,” adding that President Abraham Lincoln’s strategy of appointing political rivals to serve in his administration was “very wise.”

Yeah, that was very wise, indeed.  Yeah, politics, like dust, never settles, indeed.  Yeah, just like car treads, when recycled, become retreads ... yes, indeed.  JJ