Cobra Commander for President 2008

Well it is March and the winds of change are blowing like a gale from the North Sea.   It is about seven months before the change of command and so far this presidential election season has seen its fair share of drama – from the McCain comeback to the slug fest between Clinton and Obama. 

Even with all this drama, I have yet to find a candidate that I feel passion it about.  If I take a look at my choices, I just see slim pickings. 

Let’s run though the Presidential choices: the Republican nominee Senator John McCain…he is not for me, not conservative enough (liberal in Republican disguise).

Next up is the consumer advocate Ralph Nader…scratch him from the list, he is too much of a nut job (plus running for the fifth time).

Okay then how bout Senator Hillary Clinton…are you kidding me!  Her shady money ties to the Chinese and by the way I just can’t get past her being married to Slick Willy.

And last but not least the “The People’s Champion” Senator Obama…nada!  What is his true platform besides change, plus Hillary is correct with her Texas add, what is he going to do if he get’s call 3 am in the morning?  Obama’s lack of answer scares the HELL out of me!

So, I left still searching for a candidate I can connect with, a candidate which has enormous foreign policy experience, a candidate who is a Washington outsider, a candidate with executive experience and candidate who make me feel proud to be an American.  So who can pass the litmus test?

Believe it or not, I think I found the right candidate – Cobra Commander!  Yes, you heard right, the former ‘80s icon is back to lead the American people through the turbulent waters of our time.

So what experience does he have?  Well, he has lead for years a multi-national organization that had to deal with hostel governments — perfect qualities for a President during the War on Terror.  

Cobra Commander also kept his life private out of the media and has not compromised any his integrity.  He also has the skill of diplomacy.  Plus having a military background qualifies him as “Commander and Chief” for this country as we do battle in the far off lands of Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Cobra Commander is not shy about taking your money no matter what party or group you belong too — that is truly being bi-partisan.  Plus he does not back down when confronted with insurmountable odds. 

What other candidate running can match these qualities…none!  I give you – Cobra Commander for President!

So what is his platform?  Good question, here are a few of his ideas that will help America get back on track:

• Washington needs change – from the outside in
• An Outsider, not a career Politician
• Does not pander to the special interest groups that have plagued Washington over the years
• Cobra Commander will not run a negative campaign, unlike Clinton and Obama
• Cobra Commander will propose to Congress for two trillion dollars to build a “Weather Dominator”
• Elderly food program
• “Washington is a place where good ideas go to die.” He is ready to change that.

Cobra Commander 2008!!! 

Is Digg selling out to Google or Microsoft?

Just a few months ago MSNBC purchased Newsvine, a citizen journalist website which my wife writes for, to enhance their online image.  To my wife’s delight her articles are now showing up on MSNBC.  Without this purchase her exposure to a wider audience would have been a bit more challenging.  However did Newsvine lose their independence and the individual voice that it once had when devoured by a corporate parent like MSNBC (owned by GE and Microsoft)?  Good question.

The reason I bring this question up is because of the rumor now circling the net which CNET has picked up that another darling of the independent, arm-chair journalist Digg might the next site to be absorbed into corporate American.  Currently the rumor has both Microsoft and Google looking at adding Digg to their portfolios for around 250 million dollars.  As much as I like Google and feeling so-so about Microsoft, is Digg a good fit with either company?  I wonder…

CNET reported several weeks ago in an interview with Digg founder Kevin Rose about possibility of selling, Rose felt that selling the company to a corporate parent would cause Digg to run less efficiently.  Not selling is good news . . . for now.  But how long will Rose hold out when he is offered upwards of 300 million dollars.  At some point the dollars will start to talk and it’ll be too hard not to listen.

Is this the wave of social networks to now become arms of much larger media companies?  Will the independent, critical voice now be silenced when the views of the writers differ from the corporate owner?  That is a distinct possibility.  

I guess with Web Advertisement firms now been gobbled up by Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, the next wave of purchases is the hot social networks like Digg, WordPress, Twitter, and etc. 

With access to million of users in these social networks, Google and Microsoft will have a forum they can use to display their in-house billboards for their now acquired web ad firms.  What an easy way for these firms to build synergy for their companies and to control advertisement costs.   When will it end?!?!   

For all of us, let’s hope Digg along with the rest of the social networks stay as independent as long as possible, the voice of the independent, arm-chair journalist will not be silent!