On politics

An acquaintance heard this joke on the radio today halfway accross the globe towards Antarctica. It's a bit dated and you might have heard it before but still it was so funny for the listener listening to it on air and for me reading it while still hot off the email :

"George: Condi! Nice to see you. What's happening?

Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.

George: Great. Lay it on me.

Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.

George: That's what I want to know.

Condi: That's what I'm telling you.

George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes.

George: I mean the fellow's name.

Condi: Hu.

George: The guy in China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The new leader of China.

Condi: Hu.

George: The Chinaman!

Condi: Hu is leading China.

George: Now whaddya' asking me for?

Condi: I'm telling you Hu is leading China.

George: Well, I'm asking you. Who is leading China?

Condi: That's the man's name.

George: That's who's name?

Condi: Yes.

George: Will you or will you not tell me the name of the new leader of China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he was in the Middle East.

Condi: That's correct.

George: Then who is in China?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir is in China?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Then who is?

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Yassir?

Condi: No, sir.

George: Look, Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.

Condi: Kofi?

George: No, thanks.

Condi: You want Kofi?

George: No.

Condi: You don't want Kofi.

George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi?

George: Milk! Will you please make the call?

Condi: And call who?

George: Who is the guy at the U.N?

Condi: Hu is the guy in China.

George: Will you stay out of China?!

Condi: Yes, sir.

George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.

Condi: Kofi.

George: All right! With cream and two sugars. Now get on the phone.

(Condi picks up the phone.)

Condi: Rice, here.

George: Rice? Good idea. And a couple of egg rolls, too. Maybe we should send some to the guy in China. And the Middle East. Can you get Chinese food in the Middle East? " ...

So whilst we are still on the subject, have a mathemagical one on Malaysia.

Model for the extrapolation of Malaysian Prime Ministers. Take the name of the first prime minister and plug in subjects with suitable names so that it spells RAHMAN.

Illustration:

R A H M A N =

R for Rahman, the name of the first chief.

+ A for Abdul Razak his successor

+ H for Hussein Onn next successor

+ M for Mahathir the PM before the current

+ A for Anwar. No wait, obvious traitors to be excluded from formula. Put Abdullah the incumbent at least he wasn't so obvious.

+ N for Najib the deputy PM. Najib was meant to be in place of the second A but that would not make the algebraic sequence right.

Like any self respecting model there are host of accompanying assumptions but the most important abracadabra underlying the above, shared by politicians in their work, is this:

All care no responsibility.