The Pakistani Spectator

There is lots of hubbub going on in the Western media about a controversial answer by John McCain, the presidential candidate in the US elections. McCain was asked in an interview as how many houses he own, and McCain was confused over that as he was unable to recall the exact number, and even he was unable to guess. Now US media has lifted McCain over their horns and all the media sources are honking.

McCain has always been touted as too old for the gig of Presidency and more and more Americans are getting worried about the old goat becoming their chief executive. McCain also don’t let any chance go unexploited to humiliate himself and provides enough ammo to the busters. Sometimes he mixes up Sunnis and Shi’ite. Sometimes he twitches his jaws and then he forgets the count of his personal belongings. Americans are dead worried about electing such a person to lead them and the world.

Perhaps our leaders don’t have to lead the world and for that matter we remain pretty much sure that our leaders also don’t have to lead us and our country, so that is why we don’t really put much worries about who becomes our President or Prime Minister. I voted on 18th February, and I was in the favor of the current ruling coalition, but for the life of me, I never imagined Yousuf Raza Gilani becoming Prime Minister or the prospects of Asif Ali Zardari becoming the President. But then I wasn’t fooling myself at that time that I had the choice. No Sir, I didn’t have a choice.

Isn’t it funny that when we voted in the elections last February, we didn’t know who exactly our Prime Minister would be? If asked from Asif Ali Zardari, the wanna-be President of Pakistan about his foreign accounts (I bet he doesn’t have an account in Pakistan!!!), would he slip his tonuge, or would he scold at you, or with one movement of his hand, the thugs of PPP would throw you outta Zardari House, or like McCain he would say, “I think — I’ll have my staff get to you. It’s condominiums where — I’ll have them get to you.”