An Election of Firsts

As nearly everyone with access to daily news has been aware of for months, this 2008 election year in the US is making history, with the first viable black candidate the country has ever seen. There has been so much hype about Barack Obama's candidacy, and so much hype about the hype that it's exhausting and a tad numbing. Being in another country, I've avoided much of it, but even all the way on the other side of the world, people keep asking me "Is this election over yet??" (Incidentally, it seems most Australians and other ex-pats I've met can hold an intelligent conversation about American politics.)

Much of the news this past week has gone to the Democratic National Convention, held in Denver. But today John McCain stole the spotlight by announcing his landmark choice for a running mate: Alaska governor Sarah Palin. At first, it seems like an astounding choice for him to have made, one no one really saw coming. However, she is young and female, and in this tough election of firsts, he made a unique choice that can rival Obama's campaign for change and better secure that elusive female vote. Not to mention her ties to the oil industry and right-wing agenda as governor of Alaska attest to the fact that she fits in well with the GOP candidate's campaign platform. No matter the outcome, McCain has ensured that this election will set a record for the United States. I just hope that this isn't all the election will come down to....

Onkaparinga Gorge

Today, I went hiking (walking, to Australians) in Onkaparinga Gorge. It's incredibly close to McLaren Vale, a main winery area that I will be going back to at some point for wine-tasting. It was less like walking and more like scrambling over rocks and wading through the river. While Australia is apparently going through a several-year drought, it didn't seem like it today, or for the last month, because of how much rain we've been getting. The river was higher than anyone had seen it before, and I was soaked from the knees down. Hiking in water-logged boots is never fun. However, I got to see some great Australian countryside. No kangaroo sightings yet, though!