Quite a body blow there.. for John's 'friend' Colin Powell to come out in the Obama Camp..
It seems as this election looms larger and larger in our windscreens, has lost some the interest it was generating over here.. The facts are, that while it may well be Barak in the Oval Office, and may god bless America if he is.. It still could be John.. and frankly the world might breathe just a tad easier for a moment..
But the problem of a world economy poised for collapse, is almost putting this on the level of voting to determine the Captain of the Titanic..
Steven Harper has his government, and his problems downstream from the American run-off, along with growing resentment from English speaking Canada concerning the 'special status' of the Province of Quebec.. and the perversity of the voters in that province to see what successive Conservative governments have conceded to them, and flock to support the Bloc Quebecois..
It is a situation Steven's going to need to address, and with the worldwide problems, dissent in Parliament along Anglo/Francophone lines is the last thing the country needs to see..
However.. Harper does have his government. And with judicious negotiations regarding northern energy potential, Canada, while technically officially in a recession now.. might ride this out..
A far better chance of keeping inflation under control than either the US or the EU has, certainly..

Over here.. it seems that we're plodding along, stumbling perhaps along with what's been happening on Wall Street..
Much scurrying between Paris and Berlin..London..New York and Washington..
It's the same problem..
How to successfully wipe out what could amount to $4trillionAm.. when all the bailouts in Pounds Sterling and Euros and Yen and Yuan are added up.. without ending up in a true Socialist State.
Everywhere.
Now it's possible they could make the debts disappear.. it's only numbers in computers after all.. and when there are so many zero's preceding the 3, or 4,
or 5.. well it ceases to be within the realm of reality..
That Free Market Capitalism will suddenly wake up one Monday morning, to find their capital debt was less than their net worth.. that the GNP of all the nations on the earth suddenly became enough, with International assistance in logistics, to support their populations.. That an honest wage was paid for an honest hours work..
Sure it could.

So if a tad of the shine has come off the enthusiasm concerning any of the elections we're going to be having in the West, it must be excused..
With Peter Mandelson as Finance Minister.. not Chancellor of the Exchequer mind you.. it's going to be interesting to see what spin we're all fed here over the next few months.. as heating costs really begin to take a bite..
And if we've learned anything over the centuries on these Islands.. it's that there is no form of government which can can wave a magic wand and make it all better..
And when in a bind like this.. it doesn't matter who's on what side of the House.
The whole of bloody Parliament had best be united in a feasable plan to put in place now.
It must be the same in the States. It doesn't matter who's in the White House.. It matters that all issues be treated expediently, and with total support from both sides Partys.
Still..
Governments have been known to lose billions in assets before..
Why not a few trillion.. worldwide.. in debts?