Reason for hope or despair!

The news about recent bomb explosions in Indian cities, Ahmadabad and Bangalore, are quite disturbing. I understand that the ‘bombs were crudely-made devices containing ball-bearings and other shrapnel, hidden in boxes and on bicycles’. This is proof that they are ‘local’ efforts, not supported by any sophisticated extremist group from the outside. I do not buy the MSM explanation of the cause of these attacks being 'the sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims in early 2002 which left hundreds dead'. I think a better explanation would be that the Muslims in India are quite upset about their government getting ready to sign a nuclear cooperation agreement with USA -- a country which is viewed ‘ anti-Muslim’ by almost all Muslims in the world! Things can only get worse in India as long as USA keeps this impression. The only hope is Barrack Obama winning the Presidential election in November. A ‘Hussein’ in the White House with a background of growing up in Indonesia (which has highest Muslim population in the world), should at least cause a pause in the violent hatred of Muslims towards USA. I dread to think what happens if the ‘McGrumpy’ wins the election instead!

Be careful about what you wish for!

With the news dominated by raving reports about Barack Obama’s visit to Middle East and Europe, the Republican candidate John McCain is cutting a sorry figure here in USA. He is reduced to making outrageous statements (and gaffes to go with them) just to get some attention. He is now hung up on the success of ‘surge’, and wants everyone to know that Obama did not have the ‘experience and judgment' to see it. But Obama is too smart to debate that point, and has now pivoted off the success of surge, to authenticate his time-line for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. With Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki agreeing, he is now looking like the President America needs to get out of the quagmire in Iraq. By the time this trip is over, Obama is going to look stronger in foreign affairs than the babbling McCain.

Come to think of it, it was McCain who wanted Obama to go to Iraq, and ‘learn’ things. See what that got him!

Doing a ‘Novotna’ on us!

With the Wimbledon finals about to start this weekend, I have been thinking about the 1993 women’s final between Steffi Graf and Jana Novotna. This match is considered to be one of the classics in the history of this tournament which span over 100 years. In that match, after losing the first set to Steffi Graf (6-7), Novotna took an ‘all or nothing’ approach to her game. She rushed to the net like cougar at the beginning of every rally, putting away the returns of Graf before they hit the ground. Her racket looked like a magnet which picked every ball at the net and put away beautifully for points. Steffi Graf had no answer to this, and she looked bewildered and lost. Novotna won the second set easily (6-1), and raced to a 4-1 lead in the third and final set, with her serving just one point away from a 5-1 lead. The match appeared all over at that stage, it being a matter of minutes before Novotna hoisting the winner's plate. Probably that thought of being the new Champion, tightened Novotna. She decided to play it safe and somehow coast to a victory by holding on to her sizable lead. She stopped her attacking net game, and switched to a cautious baseline game. This was exactly what Graf wanted -- someone to rally with her in the baseline where the accuracy and length of her shots were hard to beat. Novotna lost her serve and the next four games in a row, giving a Steffi Graf a 6-4 win in the final set! It was one of the biggest collapses in tennis, and the poor Novotna cried bitterly on the shoulders of the Duchess of Kent who gave away the awards. I am worried that Barrack Obama is setting himself for a similar fate with his cautious ‘move to the center’ strategy. He had an amazing win over Hillary Clinton in the primaries, as a bold ‘change candidate’ different from the typical politicians who triangulate on every issue. His opponent John McCain will have a hard time to challenge that as majority of the people in this country are sick of the Republican Party, and want to elect a Democrat for change. Like Novotna was in the final set, Obama is set to win this election easily. I hope that he does not do a Novotna on us by safely playing to the middle, and losing everything!