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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
- Winston Churchill

I always find american foreign policy changes both intriguing, and amusing. Back in 2007, a group of Republican and Democratic members of Congress were convened by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Concluding that America's image and influence had declined in recent years, they realized that maybe fear-mongering tactics detriment globalization efforts. They decided that,"... the United States had to change from exporting fear to inspiring optimism and hope."

Wait a tic... what were Obama's slogans again? Oh that's right: "Hope" and "Yes we can". I guess the guys at CSIS got what they wanted.

Read the full article here >> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-nye/smart-power_b_74725.html

Politics is the art of obtaining money from the rich and votes from the poor on the pretext of protecting each from the other.

- Oscar Ameringer

Politics

A little boy asks his father what politics is. His father tries to explain. "Well, son," he says, "I go out into the world every day and make money - so imagine me as Capitalism. Your mother handles the budget for the house - so you could regard her as the Government. Your nanny, who looks after you and your baby brother, works very hard - so we will call her the Working Class. You are in the midst of all this - so consider yourself as the People. And your baby brother? Look on him as the Future."

That night the boy goes to bed pondering his father's words. In the middle of the night he is woken by his baby brother crying, clearly wanting to have his diaper changed. He goes into his parents' bedroom and sees his mother fast asleep. He is unable to rouse her.

He goes to the nanny's room and finds his father and the nanny making love. He tiptoes quietly out without being observed and goes back to bed.

At breakfast in the morning, the boy says to his father: "I was thinking about what you told me and I think I understand about politics now, dad." His gratified father looks up from his toast and asks, "Oh yes, how is that?" "Well," replies the boy, "Capitalism is screwing the Working Class. The Government is asleep. The People are being lied to and the Future is in deep shit."