Total Recall

‘IN America the second chance is billed as the sequel. After George Bush I tried and failed to topple Saddam Hussein, it was left to George Bush II to finish the job.

‘It’s a bit late for clemency now, Arnie’

One other US politician who knows all about sequels is Arnold ‘I’ll be back’ Schwarzenegger, the governor of California.

The Independent says that the Austrian-born Terminator has failed to live up to his billing and decided to grant a late reprieve to Kevin Copper, who was due to be put away by lethal injection.

He might yet be executed, but only after a federal appeals court has heard his testimony, rechecked the evidence, looked for possible links to al-Qaeda and solicited the opinions of the Hollywood stars who brought pressure to bear on Arnie to exercise his powers of clemency.

If one thing can be guaranteed to influence American opinion it is an endorsement from a Hollywood star.

(You can’t help but think that Saddam Hussein would be better advised to employ less a defence lawyer and more Justin Timberlake to plead his case.)

As it is, the stars are coming out in support of John Kerry, the favourite to get the Democratic Party’s nod to do battle with the pretzel-munching Bush.

Since few outside the States have herd of Kerry, the Guardian briefly profiles the man who has won 10 of the 12 states contested so far and is heading polls in Virginia and Tennessee ahead of tonight’s primaries.

The paper notes that Kerry is the man Democrats see as the person most likely to unseat Bush.

As Larry Sabato, director of the centre for politics at the University of Virginia, puts it: ‘Electability has become the alpha and omega of our politics’.

Everyone wants to be seen to be backing the winner. It’s just amazing when the winner happens to be George Bush…’

Posted: 10th, February 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink