Looks like Saakashvili is running for President…and he’ll probably be elected. He seems like a pretty cool guy because he’s dedicated his political career to rooting out the corruption that has infected the Georgian government.

From the Post:
Should Saakashvili win, it would make him the most Americanized national leader ever seen in the former Soviet Union outside the Baltic states. Aside from his studies at George Washington, Saakashvili also earned a degree at Columbia Law School and fondly recalls wandering around Capitol Hill and cheering on the New York Knicks. Hanging on his office wall is his Edmund S. Muskie fellowship certificate and a picture of him with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).

Saakashvili’s flamboyant streak disturbs his critics, who call him a radical, a demagogue or even mentally unbalanced. “If he becomes president, it will be an economic and political disaster for Georgia. Saakashvili is not very sane,” said Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia, a Shevardnadze ally elected to Parliament in the discredited Nov. 2 elections that sparked the street protests. “He’s absolutely uncontrolled. . . . He’s really dangerous.”

Guess we’ll find out what happens in January…

Zhirinovsky got into another fight (surprise, surprise!):
It was unclear who threw the first blow, but “in the ensuing brawl, deputies Zhirinovsky and Mitrokhin punched each other in the face. Also fighting were economist Delyagin and Shpak,” Kommersant reported.
After the latest incident, liberal Union of Right Forces party leader Boris Nemtsov and Mitrokhin are calling for Zhirinovsky to be banned from participating in future debates.

Ah, looks like Nemtsov is still pissed that Zhirinovsky threw that glass of orange juice at him a few years ago. A lot more Americans would watch the Dem debates if we had a crazy guy like Zhirinovsky hurling insults and throwing juice…but Clark would put him in his place, of course.

Quota on foreign visitors allowed into Russia halved for 2004…that makes no sense at all, but whatever. Doesn’t affect tourist or business visas, but not sure about student visas.

I was browsing the Department of Commerce’s buyusa.gov site for Russia (needed more info for my research paper) and noticed the text at the bottom that said “Hot offer from company CKE Restaurants, Inc.”…hmmm….CKE…sounds familiar…ah yes, Carl’s Jr! So it looks like Carl’s Jr. wants to sell some Western Bacon Cheeseburgers to the Russians…interesting. Wow, we don’t even have a Carl’s Jr. in DC…not that I really miss it…I’d rather get an In-N-Out in DC.

And you thought your GW degree wouldn’t get you anywhere??? You may just follow in the footsteps of Mikhail Saakashvili, leader of the opposition group that stormed into the parliament when Eduard Shevardnadze was giving a speech. Above is a picture of Mikhail holding poor Eduard’s abandoned tea glass…way to show who’s in charge, Mikhail! I’ve been hearing that Mikhail is, well, a little crazy, but would you expect anything less from a GW grad? Supposedly the Georgians love him…

Latest news from Russia (and no, not about Khodorkovsky)…Chocolate Putin goes on sale in Moscow shops…

A chocolate portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin is on sale in Moscow shops. The size of the portrait in a wooden (probably inedible) frame is 30 by 48 cm, it is made of chocolate of different colour…Those who sell the chocolate Putin have said that the sweet image of the president is popular with customers, however, nobody has bought it so far. It seems that people are stopped by the price of about R21,000 or 700 dollars per one portrait…Everybody is used to the fact that photographs of Putin decorate offices, a chocolate portrait is different, apart from hanging it above one’s table one can also satisfy hunger with it. However, the question remains – whether one is brave enough to nip off a bit of the head of the state…It is interesting that men and women who want to buy the sweet portrait of the president give different reasons for it. Katya who is selling chocolate Putin says that sometimes the reasons are quite odd. [A salesgirl Katya] Girls want to kiss it – a sweet kiss from the president, and men said they would like to hang it in their offices, others – middle-aged women – for some reason dream of eating a [chocolate] ear.

A Chocolate Putin…very interesting, but no way would I pay $700 for it. Maybe $20 at most, since it’s a lot of chocolate and Russian chocolate is DAMN good.

GW probably wins the prize for most eccentric university president (well, actually a fellow DC school – American University – might win that…after all, they had the president who was forced to resign after police found out he was making obscene phone calls…from his campus phone…oops).

Anyways, it is a rare event when King Trachtenberg appears before his subjects…er…students, but every year he holds “Late Night with the President,” where freshmen are graced with his presence…and sometimes he’ll even answer questions:

Standing on a stage in front of a fake fireplace and rocking chair, Trachtenberg discussed the likelihood of an increase in tuition, which he said he hoped would be raised as “modestly as possible.”

Trachtenberg told The Hatchet that he didn’t see a purpose in spending the night sleeping in one of the dormitories because he is unable to interact with students while he is sleeping.

Students cheering when SJT announces tuition increases? I bet he looooves that. Stupid freshmen…nothin’ but lackeys of SJT.

From the St. Pete times…

MOSCOW – The oil giant Yukos, already battered by the jailing of its head amid a politically tinged probe, also faces allegations of letting rabbits mate without supervision and of mistreating pigs, news reports said Thursday.

“Nevertheless, I do not rule out that among the numerous accusations against Yukos a new one can be added – cruelty to animals planned and committed by an organized group,” Shadrin said.

Ummmm…yeah.

Putin Cartoons have been showing up in newspapers across America…sweet.

I was going to post these on Saturday night but my computer started going crazy and my D: drive is now dead…great. It had all my MP3s and West Wing episodes…the MP3s are all backed up on CD, so no big deal. I bet the RIAA and MPAA were behind this. Bastards!

Anyways, here’s some pics from last week’s fundraisers, courtesy of Laura and her digital camera…

DNC Fundraiser at the Dream Nightclub – October, 27 2003
Laura and myself
AJ and I

“C Company” fundraiser with General Clark @ the Omni Shoreham – October 29, 2003
Clark speaking: 1, 2, 3
Congressman Rangel speaking
General Clark and Mrs. Clark
GW for Clark members registering “C Company” members – check out the container of Clark bars….mmm Clark bars.
Jon at the registration table
My crazy hat, with David and Chad in the background
Chad and I at the VIP registration table

From ABCNews.com:
Oct. 30 – So what did Ron Klain, Mickey Kantor, and Bill Oldaker miss at the red, white, and blue themed evening fundraiser for the General (yes, their name tags were still on the reception table at the end of the evening, unclaimed )?

True, true…they weren’t at the event…but I took home Mickey Kantor’s nametag that night…

I’m 21 years old and I went trick or treating for Halloween.  This wasn’t just any old trick or treating, though…this was Halloween international style…yes, the DC tradition of trick or treating at embassies and the residences of ambassadors lives on through us brave GW students!

I was West Berlin, Tracy was East Berlin, and Sarah was the Berlin Wall…yes, these were costumes that only diplomats could appreciate (and history and polisci dorks such as ourselves).  One lady commented that our costumes were “very intellectual.”  What, you’ve never seen little kids dressed up as Cold War artifacts??

Anyways, special thanks to the ambassadors from Canada, Venezuela, and Costa Rica for providing us with candy when we knocked on their doors…and to those other countries that I forgot to mention…and special props to Costa Rica for the full size candy bars…I will remember that next time I’m Secretary of State and you want trade credits or something.