Decision Points by George W. Bush

Have just finished the memoirs of Bush 43, it’s a great read folks, direct and to the point, also the President keeps to major areas of his Administration. Unlike Bill Clinton its not a endless discussion of meetings, by the time you finish the Clinton book you feel if you have read a very boring travel book, this is not the case with Bush 43. The President deals with his decision to give up drink, the ramifications of 9/11 and then the War in Iraq. The financial crisis of 2008 shows how a right wing President can end up giving bailouts due to the threat that the US economy is going to go over a cliff. The Bush 43 memoir has the gift that Blair’s book had, you feel that the President is there in the room with you, telling his story from his perspective. The President admits his mistakes in Iraq and Katrina. If you read one political memoir this year folks, read the memoirs of Bush 43.

French Election 1st Round - France

Guardian Live - France: Reports on the latest results from 1st round of the French Presidential Election, with actual votes in Francois Hollande is on 27.5%, while President Sarkozy is on 26.6%.

Lets Get Real:

Thus it can be postulated that Sarkozy will move to the right, he might toughen up the rules for immigration in to France, start to make the EU a target, all EU politicians must be getting the fact that those politicians that have supported the EU have found themselves out of office, it’s a long list folks, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Greece, being a friend of the EU does not get you elected, the attack on the EU was one of the platforms of the extreme right wing Party of Le Pen, thus its standing of around 20%. The left has a problem, if Hollande moves more to the left he unites the right and centre right, if he does not get the total left vote he does not chance of winning. The next two weeks will be interesting in France.

French Election 1st Round - France

BBC News: Reports that the Socialist Francois Hollande has topped he ballot in the 1st round of the French Presidential Election, in 2nd place is the current President, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lets Get Real:

The general opinion is that after the 2nd round that Francois Hollande will be the next President of France, one would have to question that after this result, at present an exit poll has Hollande on 28.6% and Sarkozy on 27%, what is interesting is the result for the extreme right, they are on between 19% and 20%, are these voters really going to vote for a left candidate, one has doubts, will they stay home, that is a possibility, or will President Sarkozy move to the right, when politicians are faced with being out in the cold they can move when they have too, also lets recall this is a two man race, the 1st round had 9 candidates, thus two weeks is an age in politics, Spain could go belly up, might need a bailout, the Syrian low scale civil war might lead to Western action, as in Libya. Its not over till its over, and as they say in Chicago, its not over in till you stuff the ballot box. Fun and games ahead folks.