At the NATO meeting, we had a much more important and focused test of President’s ability to get a oui, nous pouvons.

The United States is stretched thin and it is increasingly looking like a bad situation is going to disimprove rapidly as the tribal elements on the Pakistani border grow bolder. There already appears to be a process in hand to sideline Hamid Karzai and his cabinet-of-warlords, but without significant international assistance, the US military will be politically isolated. Barack Obama needed to deliver real troop commitments.

The result? 30 trainers from Belgium and half as many from Spain.

The American people must be furious. If the whole gesture of reconciliation with the rest of the world that was the election results in little more than a cursory nod, the maybe the previous administration’s opinion of a lazy, febrile Europe was the right one. Maybe electing Barack Obama was a mistake because the thanks you got from the rear of the world was superficial and mocking. At the height of his mintiest-fresh, he could not turn his own allows to help him.

The obvious answer is that thinking the American people elected Obama for the rest of the world is infantile. Like all politics, it’s 98% internal. However, I could feel a tangible frustration from the US that it’s still business as usual from the allies.

On the, err, third hand the Americans are playing a dangerous game in merging the Afghan border’s two sides into one AfPak border. There is a substantial Pakistani population in Britain & Europe, and escalation into the territory of an ally with strong links to your population would have to make Britain nervous.

For those of you that haven’t seen it, President-Elect Obama has posted his first video. It’s more opposition talk, which I suppose is fair enough since he’s not yet been sworn in.

On the other hand, I find it kind of hard to see what he’s pointing to here. The notion of something that will relieve the squeeze is nice, but it’s really not clear to me what he’s talking about in concrete terms. He seems to point to a new New deal by putting people in work in road-building (middle class?) and greening up 5 million people.

I really don’t expect him to outline something in detail in a 4 minute youtube piece, but this really feels vacuous.

I am disappointed in California for voting against families, but I am unsurprised. There is a lot of hate, misinformation, and convoluted logic surrounding Prop 8, and it’s all on an issue that is emotional at heart and therefore impossible to argue. I take heart in two things. First, the prop will pass with a far slimmer margin than its older sibling did in 2000, therefore things are moving in the right direction. Second, California has domestic partnership laws that grant all rights of marriage that are within the state’s power to grant. (The federal Defense of Marriage act blocks the rest, and would have done regardless of Prop 8′s outcome.) While “separate but equal” is still wrong, it’s pretty darn equal in this case, and more equal in California than in other states. (J’accuse, Arkansas.) It’s shameful that such a “liberal and tolerant” state voted this way, but it’s not the end of the world.

I am proud of America for electing Obama. Regardless of what happens in his administration, he proved the American dream of equality of opportunity is reality and not merely a yet-to-be-fulfilled promise. I am proud of Obama for focusing on the work ahead and not resting on his laurels, and I acknowledge that racism in America still exists today as much as it did yesterday and the day before. But it is significant that yesterday morning it was possible for anyone but a white guy to become President, but today it is reality.

I am excited about electing a President who ran on a platform of being smart, capable, thoughtful, and articulate, not one of “Hey, I’m a nice guy and I’m just like you stupid people.” I am amused that even cries of “Socialist!” could not prevent Obama from being elected. I am pleased that I got to vote for a candidate and not merely against another, and I am elated that it was possible to run an honourable campaign that enjoyed success. That’s change. It’s good change.

It’s clear that there will be changes, and there is a great deal of information on what those changes might be. I’m looking forward to see how those changes are implemented, and what else lies ahead.

The 12th amendment dictates that the incoming congress then gets to choose, but the exact rules are complex. The Senate chooses the vice-president; one senator one vote. Currently the prediction is for some 54 to 57 Democratic senators, so this scenario welcomes Joe Biden as VP. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives chooses the president. But here it is one state one vote. The 53 Californian representatives get together to make their choice, and the 1 North Dakotan representative has an equal vote. Currently the Democrats control 26 states to 21 for the Republicans, with 3 ties. It is more likely that the Democrats will hold or add to that lead in the election, and the House would then select Obama as president. But it is possible that the Republicans (although they have no credible chance of taking a lead in the total number of representatives) could take the lead in the number of states, and Biden could find himself working with president McCain. Or maybe neither party would be able to muster a majority of votes in the House. If the Senate chooses Biden and the House is split, Biden becomes president. If neither chamber is able to make a choice, then speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi becomes president.

The US government is wacky. Add this to the list of weird things, like what happens if Beau Biden* gets nominated a Senator while serving in Iraq.

* His middle name is Robinette, which I find unusual.

Miss Teen South Carolina on Iraq:

*not much

BARTLET I won’t lie to you, being fictional was a big advantage.

It’s interesting to watch the GOP regain control of the cycle, and to watch progressives lose their heart again. I am worried that we’ll have to take on the old cliché that the other side wanted it more.

The bill passed with comfortable margins, and is now being sent to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s desk to be signed. Considering Schwarzenegger’s refreshing “live and let live” stance on social issues, I don’t expect there to be much kerfuffle. It won’t even be an extra day off work or school, since the date chosen (May 22) falls so close to Memorial Day. It’s a moral victory, and in more liberal communities it will be an opportunity for people to discuss the idea that you shouldn’t kill people because they’re different from you. In less tolerant communities, it will be an opportunity to wring hands and gnash teeth. Everybody wins.

So, obviously, the fundies have their knickers in a twist. Apparently God told them that hono(u)ring an openly gay man will turn their children gay and break up their marriages, so they’re asking everyone to call the Governor’s office and persuade Arnie to veto the legislation.

As I said, I don’t expect this to be even a flicker of a problem. But if you’d like, call the office poll line and vote in favo(u)r of the measure. You can think of it as standing up for a hero and a marginalized community. You can think of it as affirming the democratic process, as expecting a politician to unilaterally veto a measure that passed easily is a bit totalitarian. You can think of it as sticking it to the morons. Heck, you could think of it as getting to vote without being a citizen, though I’m not sure if the votes will be counted if they’re not from a California number.

To vote, call +1 916-445-2841. You’ll go straight to a recording. Press 1 for English. Press 2 to “voice an opinion.” Press 1 for AB 2567 – Harvey Milk Day. Then press 1 again to vote yes.

Have a marvy day.