:
Wed/Thurs - Nov 4 -

CALIPH FROM A DISTANT PLANET -

Saturday Night Live TV Show did a satirical spoof "translation" of Osama Bin Ladin's little "fireside chat" with us, which, I can only hope, gets circulated around the souks in the Gulf and around the Khyber Pass because I wish I could see Osama's reaction to it :-)

His narrative about the American Election, I thought, showed only a very simple-minded understanding of it.

And his use of a term which I associate with the Ottoman Empire made me feel like he regarded me as one of his subjects :-(

:: Uncle Osama's chatty-poo ::

* * *

Did the Arab Terrorist Factor have any influence in this set of elections? Locally in Florida, TV commercials used in a Senate race may have played a role in the contest.

*More importantly, Martinez's victory comes after achieving two major campaign accomplishments: He made his own life story a central theme, and he used harshly negative attack ads to derail Castor's campaign for months...

While the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee launched blistering attacks on Castor's handling of an alleged terrorist at a state university she headed, Martinez spent millions of dollars from his own campaign account focusing on his storybook biography, which included his flight from Fidel Castro's Cuba at age 15 and his early years in this country with foster parents in Orlando...*

:: Martinez Victory ::

...