Day: October 28, 2010

Néstor Kirchner, the last president of Argentina, and husband (“first gentleman”?) to the current president, died yesterday. He and his wife have been so frequently vilified in the US media as Argentine analogues to Venezuela’s Chávez, but in comparison to his venal and buffoonish predecessor, Carlos Menem, I think that this couple has been a profound improvement in governance (not to say perfect, obviously… corruption is relative).

I’m surprised at his death – it’s clearly premature. And it rather throws a wrench into the plan of his and his wife’s to rule the newly re-branded People’s Republic of Pampas indefinitely, as an alternating diarchy. Who will replace Fernández de Kirchner, next year?

Barack Obama was on Jon Stewart's show last night.  I watched it on the web.  The president said, "When we promised, during the campaign, 'change you can believe in,' it wasn't 'change you can believe in' in 18 months; it was 'change you can believe in' – but you know what? – we're gonna have to work for it."

This follows on the previous night's guest, Senator Ted Kaufman (Biden's appointed replacement from Delaware), who pointed out that although the Senate is corrupt and obstructionist (not his words), it was designed to be that way.  Yes, let's remember what the founders intended.  So, given that as a context, perhaps former Senator Obama has an important point.

I understand the limitations of the legislative process, and recognize that the executive branch is not always (or even often) able to set legislative agendas.  But I remain disappointed by him.  I really thought he'd have been better able to meet the rhetorical challenges of the presidency than he's typically been, although he's had his moments.