Alex Callinicos on the US Elections

'...The "change" that both [Democrat] candidates claim to be seeking means no real change...both Clinton and Obama are running as loyal servants of the US empire, just like every serious Democratic candidate before them.

How could it be otherwise given the headlock the corporate rich have on the US political system? The Democrats may not get many contributions from George Bush’s pals in the oil industry, but they get plenty from Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood.

The idea that either Clinton or Obama, if elected to the White House, would significantly improve the condition of the mass of working class women and black people in the US is pure cloud-cuckoo land. Anyone who really wants change in the US will have to look elsewhere.

Full article here. I also liked John Pilger's take on US Presidential campaigns:

'a parody, entertaining and often grotesque. They are a ritual danse macabre of flags, balloons and bullshit, designed to camouflage a venal system based on money, power, human division and a culture of permanent war.'