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Could a Politician Like Sarah Palin Exist in Europe?

September 30, 2008 8:22 AM

Opinion by EVA SOHLMAN, journalist and writer for the Swedish magazine Fokus, covering the U.S. elections

This is what a friend asked me on the phone from Athens, Greece, the other day. Enjoying the view from his balcony that overlooks the Acropolis, heart of European culture and history, the retired Reuters correspondent, Brian Williams, a veteran of covering two U.S. presidential elections, admitted that he, along with many colleagues, was fascinated by the self-described “pit bull with lipstick.”

Judging by the reaction of the European press to John McCain’s pick of the moral conservative who claims to understand Russia because she can practically see it from her window, the answer to my friend’s question has to be a resounding, “No!”

So why is that? Well, ironically, what makes Palin strong in America - her religion and celebrity status – is what makes her impossible in Europe.

It’s not that Europe hasn’t had strong women leaders, or is a stranger to women in politics. Look at Britain’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Finland’s accomplished President Tarja Halonen and the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, whom Forbes magazine rates “the most powerful woman in the world.”

But these are women who rose to power on the opposite strengths of those of Palin. In order to gain respect and acceptance they had to do more than their fair share of time in the political trenches, to prove their abilities were stronger than male counterparts.

Batting of eyelashes, color of lipstick, as well as highlighting private and personal issues like being a moose-shooting hockey mom, were not part of their campaign weapons.

It is not by coincidence Thatcher earned the nickname “The Iron Lady” or Merkel that of “The Iron Frau.” Generally speaking, to succeed as a female politician in Europe you had better suppress the private and personal – yes your femininity in part – and focus on the political. Otherwise you just won't be taken seriously.

Thatcher had her famed handbag but it was perceived to be to hit people with, not a fashion accessory. 

On this note, it is not strange to notice Europe’s unease over Palin’s “habit of investing secular matters with religious meaning,” as the German magazine Der Spiegel puts it, in reference to Palin’s statements that a $30 billion gas pipeline in Alaska was "God’s will," and the war in Iraq a "task that is from God."

The fact that she was a member of the tongue-speaking Pentecostal Church doesn’t exactly reassure, neither does her wish that creationism be taught in schools or her desire for schools to skip sexual education completely. In Europe today it is almost taboo to infuse politics with religion.

Indeed, in the Op-Ed “Sarah and the Extremists” Swedish independent daily Helsingborgs Dagblad says the candidate “leaves a foul taste with her extremely conservative politics that includes anti-abortion among other things.”

And while the celebrity factor is something that has reenergized the Republican Party and has been to Palin’s advantage on this side of the Atlantic, it is something that most likely would have marginalized her in Europe where strong parliaments and parties tend to sift out mavericks and too personality-driven politicians.

Perhaps there is one exception: Italy. Its weak party structure has allowed space for beauty queens, fascists and even porno stars. Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of dictator Benito Mussolini and niece of Sophia Loren, is the party leader for Italy’s National Alliance neo-fascist party, and a member of parliament. She also posed for Playboy. Ciccolina, the porn star, singer and former wife of world-famous American artist Jeff Koons, was elected to parliament in 1987.

So unlike my friend, I have not been particularly fascinated by Palin, although there is no denying her impact on the election has been explosive.

Instead, I find there is something very sad about this Palinomania. It seems she has become the personification of the identity struggle America is fighting while its economy is on the brink of collapse. McCain’s pick of her plays straight into what I see as a desperate nostalgia for the past -- a nostalgia fueled by a fear of a future where the world order is changing and America’s role as the greatest superpower is faltering.

It is nostalgia for the 1950s and the American dream when the ideal church-going American family could survive on one salary and still know that its children would be better off when they grew up. Palin, the mother of five with strong traditional family values, and with her 1950s-inspired outfits and hairdos, is a palpable expression of this longing for a past where your dreams could be fulfilled in your own backyard.

So among my European friends there is almost disbelief -- no it is not snobbery -- that anyone, let alone a woman who could be one heartbeat away from the presidency, could have reached her 40s before getting a passport.

But in an era when the buzzword is "globalization," insularity as a strength, does not fit well.

A short while ago, I met with a major fundraiser for the Republican Party in Washington, D.C. First she admitted she had been appalled by the choice of Palin because,  “there was a strong sense that there were others who were more qualified.”

But then she changed her mind: “Actually, she has been great for the party and we’ve raised so much money because of her. You know she seems like a genuinely nice person plus I do like her neat little outfits and that hairdo is really cool.”

September 30, 2008 in Guest | Permalink | User Comments (75) | TrackBack (0)

U.S. Raids in Pakistan: A Rethink?

September 29, 2008 1:03 PM

By NICK SCHIFRIN, ABC News Islamabad, Pakistan

There is a must-read story in today’s Army Times about Pakistan and Afghanistan and the U.S. approach to the problem here. It goes much deeper into the psyche of the United States here than we’ve seen anyone else do.

The United States decided to let its special forces go into Pakistan because it was frustrated by the level of attacks in eastern Afghanistan. But now it’s realized the one major ground attack in Pakistan has backfired, and has decided – once again -- to let the Pakistan military handle the ground offensives.

The article says the special forces raid into Pakistan Sept. 3 came about after a “watershed moment” in Afghanistan – the attack on a base near the Kunar-Bajaur border that killed nine troops July 13. Special operations forces had been itching to go into Pakistan for years, the article says, and “in the wake of the increased Taliban attacks we’ve seen over the last several months and the sense of frustration that we haven’t been more successful, their point of view has finally gained traction,” an unnamed government official told the Army Times’ senior writer Sean Naylor.

But the military didn’t realize the backlash that raid would cause in Pakistan, the article says, and has since once again restrained its special forces from going into Pakistan on foot.

The mission “was meant to be the beginning of a campaign,” the government official says. “We miscalculated, and now we’re trying to figure out how to walk the dog back. … Once the Pakistanis started talking about closing down our supply routes, and actually demonstrated they could do it, once they started talking about shooting American helicopters, we obviously had to take seriously that maybe this [approach] was not going to be good enough,” the government official said. “We can’t sustain ourselves in Afghanistan without the Pakistani supply routes. At the end of the day, we had to not let our tactics get in the way of our strategy. … As much as it may be good to get some of these bad guys, we can’t do it at the expense of being able to sustain ourselves in Afghanistan, obviously.”

I think that quotation goes to the heart of the issue here:

1. What U.S. diplomats and Pakistani military/government officials have been calling long-term vs. short-term goals. In the short term you might get more bad guys if you launch raids in Pakistan, but in the long term you need to win over the Pakistani people in order to defeat the militancy in the tribal areas. And there is nothing that will turn Pakistanis – even anti-Taliban Pakistanis – toward the bad guys faster than multiple U.S. raids in Pakistan.

2. The United States does not like to talk about the supply lines, but they are vitally important. More than 80 percent of the gear being used in Afghanistan goes on an 1,100-mile journey through each of Pakistan’s four provinces. In the last few months the supply line has been attacked repeatedly, and was even temporarily shut down by the Pakistani government as a political protest to the Sept. 3 raid. That was a big deal.

Add the importance of that supply line to the vulnerability of U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan and no wonder the United States is chomping at the bit to fix the tribal areas. But never before have we heard anyone in the United States publicly admit the recent decision to give ground forces free reign in Pakistan had backfired.

“We are now working with the Pakistanis to make sure that those type of ground-type insertions do not happen, at least for a period of time to give them an opportunity to do what they claim they are desiring to do.”

Anyway, it’s worth a read... Click here to read the article

Read more from Nick Schifrin:

• Insecurity and Foreign Policy Affect Ordinary Lives in Pakistan
• U.S., Pakistan Disagree on Downed Drone
• Pakistan Feels More Volatile Than Ever
• Pakistan: A Search for Bodies, Clues

September 29, 2008 in Nick Schifrin | Permalink | User Comments (19) | TrackBack (0)

‘Deliver Us From Evil Blogging’

September 29, 2008 11:02 AM

By Emily Wither, ABC News London

British church leaders are becoming so concerned about the temptations of the blogosphere that they have drawn up a list of “Ten Blogging Commandments.”

Based on the original 10 Commandments, the new cyberspace rules were delivered in a very different setting. Instead of by Moses on the top of Mount Sinai, the list was drawn up by the Evangelical Alliance during a Godsblog conference in London. The Evangelical Alliance was formed in 1846 and represents thousands of different churches across Britain.

Christian bloggers are being asked to sign up to revamped rules – which are etched in “virtual stone.” The rules include remembering to take a day off from their blog on the Sabbath, not murdering another’s reputation online and not stealing another person’s content.

Dr. Krish Kandiah, the executive director of Churches in Mission, told ABC News that he felt the new rules would enable people to link the Ten Commandments with the art of blogging. “In the ever-changing information age, what we need is wisdom for life, and God communicates wisdom to our culture through the Bible on every issue from social justice to social networking.”

Christian blogs have been known to encourage passionate, extreme and sometimes angry comment and debate, and unlike most other forms of media, they are unregulated. Bloggers are reminded in the new Ten Commandments not to use the anonymity of a screen name to commit a sin, to honor your fellow bloggers and not to put your blog before your integrity.

Other commandments include not making an idol of your blog, not permitting or committing adultery in your mind and being content with your own content.

The Rev. Mark Meynell, the senior associate minister of All Souls Church, Langham Place, led the talks in London, “The Internet is merely the latest step in the evolution of human communication -- and so like any other new medium, it presents us with huge opportunities as well as challenges.”

The Blogging Ten Commandments, according to the Evangelical Alliance:

1. You shall not put your blog before your integrity.
2. You shall not make an idol of your blog.
3. You shall not misuse your screen name by using your anonymity to sin.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by taking one day off a week from your blog.
5. Honour your fellow-bloggers above yourselves and do not give undue significance to their mistakes.
6. You shall not murder someone else’s honour, reputation or feelings.
7. You shall not use the web to commit or permit adultery in your mind.
8. You shall not steal another person’s content.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your fellow-blogger.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour's blog ranking.  Be content with your own content.

September 29, 2008 in Emily Wither | Permalink | User Comments (26) | TrackBack (0)

Spacewalk Accomplished, China Sets Sights on the Moon

September 29, 2008 7:56 AM

By Stephanie Sy, ABC News Correspondent in Beijing

China has three new heroes and another reason to proclaim itself a rising world power.  Three Chinese astronauts received a heroes’ welcome Monday in Beijing after completing a mission in space that saw the nation’s first spacewalk.

Each step of the three-day mission was broadcast live on state television and viewed by millions of Chinese, who cheered when they saw Col. Zhai Zhigang step out of the hatch of the Shenzou 7 space ship for his 13-minute spacewalk.

U.S. and Russian astronauts had pulled off the same feat four decades ago, but that took none of the shine off China’s stroll in space. The Chinese called the successful spacewalk a “major breakthrough” toward their goal of building a space lab within five years.

In the view of many Chinese, the space agency’s strides symbolize China’s increasing dominance on the world stage, just as hosting the Olympic Games did. Seeing Zhai wave the Chinese flag as the Earth hovered below will continue to be a source of pride for many Chinese. The image appeared on the front page of every major Chinese newspaper the next day.

Chinese government officials and state-controlled media have focused on the fact that Zhai wore a Chinese-made spacesuit during the spacewalk. Indeed, experts say China’s Shenzou 7 spaceship was developed from homegrown technology, although with the benefit of studying the U.S. and Russian models that came before it.

“After we have successfully completed these three steps, we will go to even more remote areas,” said Wang Zhaoyao, deputy director of the manned spaceflight, to the Associated Press news agency.  “As long as we can make further progress…China will achieve the target of putting a manned spacecraft on the moon in the near future.”

It is China’s talk about putting a man on the moon that has NASA officials in the United States nervous. Chinese officials have said they will attempt a manned mission to the moon between 2015-2020, the same time frame President Bush has laid out for U.S. astronauts to return to the moon.

Of course, the United States is the only country to have put men on the moon, but that was nearly four decades ago, and it hasn’t repeated the feat since.

With China emerging as the U.S. largest economic rival, inevitable questions are arising about a future Cold War-style space race. That kind of talk may be premature. At face value, China’s space program seems eons away from rivaling NASA’s, but like its economy, its space ambitions have grown in leaps and bounds. And without the funding constraints that dog NASA, the Chinese Communist-controlled government could decide to pour more funds into the program at any time.

Chinese officials have repeatedly described their space endeavors as peaceful, seeking natural resources on the moon, for example. But regional powers such as India and Japan are also watching the space strides warily -- India, because, with the world’s second largest population, it may also want to mine the moon one day, and Japan, because it is worried about China’s military ambitions in space.

All of this cynical speculation is lost on the Chinese people. For a few days, people here can forget about the milk contamination scandal that has dominated the headlines, and stare in awe at their television screens—seeing their fellow countryman and comrade leave their footmarks on the final frontier.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

September 29, 2008 in Stephanie Sy | Permalink | User Comments (17) | TrackBack (0)

International Reaction to U.S. Financial Crisis

September 25, 2008 2:08 PM

By Jim Sciutto, ABC News Senior Foreign Correspondent

As lawmakers in Washington work on an agreement on a bailout package, the international reaction to the  U.S. market woes has gone from uneasy to angry to almost apoplectic.

Today, the German finance minister (a combination that you’d think could produce only cool, calculated rhetoric) was sharp and bitter: “The United States, and let me emphasise, the United States is solely to be blamed for the financial crisis   …   this serious banking crisis will leave deep marks and Wall Street will never be the same.” This follows the public beating the  U.S.  has taken at the  U.N.  General Assembly over the financial crisis. Granted, a good deal of this is schadenfreude.

However, it’s also understandable coming from countries that the  United States  has preached market orthodoxy to for years. More important, though, is the very real effect this has had on confidence in the  United States  as the world’s leading financial center. There was already a migration under   way from Wall  Street  to London, Europe and Asia due to the relative growth of those markets. Adding a crisis of confidence will accelerate that migration. What does it mean for average Americans?

Financial stocks had been leading the  U.S. market for several years. Their profitability,  now handicapped, will mean less money in everyone’s pension and 401( ks) . It means New York will lose lots of business to London, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. And, more broadly, it could mean higher lending costs for all sorts of American businesses, as the capital markets eat into the discount the  United States  has long enjoyed. That it comes as other kinds of  U.S. military and diplomatic influence is being challenged adds to the possible impact.

That may sound like even more schadenfreude, but fact is, it’s the way the crisis is seen over here. And it’s something Americans do have an interest in.

Read more about the German Finance Minister's comments here

Photo Credit: Associated Press

September 25, 2008 in Jim Sciutto | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

Cell Phones On Planes Could Leave Your Head Ringing

September 25, 2008 10:50 AM

By PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

Looking for a quiet journey to your next destination?  Hoping to pass the time dreaming about the island paradise you will encounter upon landing?   How about a nice, relaxing onboard nap?  Well you’re in for quite the wake-up call or more accurately—calls!

The Irish budget airline Ryan Air is the latest carrier to launch mobile phone service on 14 of its aircraft.  It will be implemented in the next few weeks. 

So what is this new technology and how does it work?

Charlie Pryor, a spokesman for On Air, a company specializing in developing and operating in-flight passenger communications services, spoke with ABC News. Pryor said that the machinery behind the scheme isn’t necessarily new and innovative, it’s the use of the technology in different ways.  Passengers will be able to use their phones thanks to a picocell that will be fitted into the plane. 

“A picocell is a device that collects a cell phone signals and routes them to the ground,” Pryor said. 

With the picocell now fitted in the aircraft, cell phones will not have to search for a network signal on the ground. 

On Air, whose system debuted in Air France last year, is currently working with 13 carriers including BMI (British Midland), TAP Portugal and other Middle Eastern and Asian carriers.  The company, formed in 2005, specializes in developing and operating in-flight passenger communications services.

So why are airlines taking flight into this new market?  Pryor surmises it’s a “combination of passenger demand and the airlines.” 

Passengers have been told time and time again that they are to switch off mobile phones and other electronics during takeoff and landing.  What allows this new project to remain safe?

Pryor explained that the reason for the safety precautions was the effect of distance in relation to cell phone base station.

“The cell phone while seeking a signal was a long way from the base station, emitting a high power signal,” Pryor told ABC News. 

The strength of the signal was in direct relation to how hard the phone was trying to find a base station.  With the picocell on board, that is no longer a problem. 

And the old safety precautions of phones being turned off during takeoff and landing will still be in place.

“Phones will be switched off below 10,000 feet,” Pryor said. 

The phone service will certainly not be cheap.  Early estimations put the figure at about $3.70 a minute.  Pryor said however that the rate will ultimately come down to the passenger’s cell phone service provider. 

What about annoyances and policing of cell phones on board? 

“Aircrafts are noisy anyway,” said Pryor, adding that the picocell will only allow six simultaneous calls and that the calls likely won’t last too long.  Why not?  At $3.70 a minute on a budget airline, who will be able to afford anything longer than a “Honey I’m on the plane. Bye!” 

Certainly hordes of cell phone users aboard a plane could be a nightmare in waiting for some. That is unless they too are on their cell phones. 

Bottom line, if you dread that you may find your next flight mobile enabled, be sure to pack your iPod in your carry-on!

 

September 25, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

McCartney in Israel: We Can Work It Out

September 25, 2008 8:42 AM

By Simon McGregor-Wood, ABC News Jerusalem

Sir Paul McCartney has finally arrived in Israel -- 43 years after the Beatles were banned from performing here.

When the band planned to come in 1965 the Israeli government feared the Fab Four would corrupt the country’s youth.

This year, Israel’s ambassador to Britain traveled to Liverpool, the Beatles’ hometown, to make a formal apology.

Sir Paul is set to perform in front of 40,000 adoring Israeli fans tonight at an open air venue in Tel Aviv. VIP tickets are selling for $1,500 each.

Because this is Israel and we’re in the Middle East the visit has been dogged by controversy.

Sir Paul’s decision to play in the Jewish state has been criticized by Palestinians. Some Muslim extremists have even threatened to assassinate him.

Security throughout his visit has been tight.

On Wednesday Sir Paul visited the Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem and went to the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus. He lit candles for peace surrounded by photographers.

“This candle is for peace for people all around the world, especially Israel and Palestine,” he said.

Outside a group of delighted Spanish pilgrims performed an impromptu version of  “The Yellow Submarine” before lining up to have their picture taken.

He took the opportunity to defend his decision to play his so-called Friendship First concert in Israel.

“I’m here to highlight the situation and to say that I think what we need is peace in this region, the two-state solution,” he said.

A reporter then asked whether the former Beatle would repeat his call for the creation of a Palestinian state during his performance.

“I dunno, I’ll be singing,” McCartney said before being whisked off to his motorcade for the journey back to his luxury hotel suite in Tel Aviv.

Israeli police are warning of traffic chaos around the concert site with many major roads closed for the event.

For Israeli fans who missed out on Beatlemania the first time around, rumor has it, they will be rewarded for their patience. Of the 30 songs he is expected to perform, almost all are expected to be Beatles hits.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

September 25, 2008 in Simon McGregor-Wood | Permalink | User Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

German Leaders Blame U.S. for Financial Crisis

September 25, 2008 7:58 AM

By Christel Kucharz, ABC News Germany

The global financial crisis has been dominating the newscasts and headlines in Germany all week with German politicians reassuring the public that damage to the European system was likely limited.

Today, echoing what Chancellor Angela Merkel has said earlier this week, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück used stark language to blame the United States for the financial crisis.

“The United States, and let me emphasize, the United States is solely to be blamed for the financial crisis. They are the cause for the crisis and it is not Europe and it is not the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Speaking at the parliament in Berlin today, Steinbrück said it was “the Anglo-Saxon drive for double-digit profits and massive bonuses for bankers and company executives that were responsible for the financial crisis.”

"Investment bankers and politicians in New York, Washington and London were not willing to give these up," he said.

“The U.S. is going to lose its superpower status in the world’s financial system. The current financial crisis will leave ‘deep marks’ and Wall Street will never be the same,” according to Steinbrück.

The finance minister also called for closer cooperation and tighter rules. “The U.S. must now work with its international partners and agree to stronger international rules to solve the crisis.”

Steinbrück proposed eight measures to address the crisis, including a ban on speculative short-selling and an increase in bank capital requirements to offset credit risks.

The finance minister also predicted, "The world will never be as it was before the crisis; the financial system will become more multipolar. Wall Street will never be what it was."

Earlier this week, Merkel indirectly attacked President Bush by suggesting that America’s obstinacy had dragged Europe into the money crisis.

According to Merkel, the Bush administration’s mishandling of Wall Street and the U.S. refusal to adopt stricter rules have led to the current crisis.

“We dutifully adopted a nice European Union law into our national law, and we had to deal with numerous complaints from small and medium-sized companies for doing that. When the day came, the Americans said, ‘We won’t,’” Merkel said in a speech Monday.

Merkel complained that taxpayers in countries far beyond the United State would be forced to foot the bill.

“The current crisis shows us you can do some things on the national level, but the overwhelming majority must be agreed to on the international level. We must push for clearer regulations so that a crisis like the current one cannot be repeated.”

Photo Credit: Sean Gallup / Getty Images

September 25, 2008 in Christel Kucharz | Permalink | User Comments (31) | TrackBack (0)

Thoughts on Pakistan Hotel Bombing

September 24, 2008 2:48 PM

By Jim Sciutto, ABC News Senior Foreign Correspondent

Covering the Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad this week, I was struck by how many people blamed the United States for the attack – eyewitnesses, businessmen, newspaper writers. A few bought the outrageous conspiracy theory that the CIA was behind the bombing (to justify further U.S. raids in the tribal areas, they said). But more saw the attack as Taliban -- or al Qaeda -- payback for U.S. military operations inside Pakistan. So, by their logic, average Pakistanis again paid the price for American actions unconnected to their interests. They were angry, angrier than I’ve seen them in a long time.

As we approach Friday’s foreign policy debate for the U.S. presidential candidates, it reminded me of the mountain the next president has to climb in the Muslim world: not only fighting jihadis, but winning over the by far larger number of people who don't see the war on terror as their war. It’s not just an image problem but a real problem of advancing U.S. interests, from fighting the Taliban in Pakistan to winning the war in Afghanistan to keeping young British Muslims from joining jihad in London.

Read more from Jim Sciutto:

Pakistan Feels More Volatile Than Ever

 Face-to-Face With a Suicide Bomber

Excerpt: "Against Us" by Jim Sciutto

Photo Credit: Associated Press

September 24, 2008 in Jim Sciutto | Permalink | User Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

High Tech Cigs Beat Ban

September 24, 2008 1:59 PM

By PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

Smokers in the United Kingdom facing public smoking bans may now be able to enjoy their pastime in a slightly unorthodox way. 

An UK based company has managed to find a way around the public smoking ban.  The Electronic Cigarette Company has developed just that – an electronic cigarette. 

So what exactly are these contraptions? 

Electronic cigarettes, according to the Electronic Cigarette Company, are battery-operated devices featuring an atomizer, which is activated by the user’s inhalation. The atomizer then converts the liquid nicotine into a vapor to be inhaled while releasing a water vapor, saving bystanders hazardous second-hand smoke. 

Jason Cropper, managing director of the Electronic Cigarette Company, told ABC News that the new cigs do not have nearly the same detrimental effects as their traditional counterparts. 

“There is no tobacco and it’s a lot healthier,” said Cropper, referring to carcinogens released from the burning of tobacco in normal cigarettes.  He added, “they are totally legal because nothing is burning.” 

The high-tech cigarettes do, however, contain nicotine. 

The cigarette can be purchased for about £36 ($67) as part of a starter pack that includes the electronic cigarette itself, a charger, and 5 nicotine cartridges. Each cartridge includes nicotine roughly equivalent to 15 cigarettes. Further cartridges can be purchased as needed.

In light of the public smoking ban, some UK establishments have decided to give these new cigarettes a try, hoping they may become a new trend. The British pub Butler Arms located near Birmingham introduced the product about a week and a half ago and claims it has been met with some interest.   

James Cook of Butler Arms told ABC News that the pub has sold “about seven or eight” starter packs, and said “we’d like to sell as many as we can.”   

So will these cigarettes give users the same kick as traditional cigarettes? 

“It tastes a lot like a cigarette,” Cook said.  Cropper agreed, saying “it feels like a cigarette in your hand and 95 percent as real.”

The new cigarettes may even be a matter of convenience for those needing their nicotine fix in the U.K.

The smoking ban has forced many smokers to take their puffs outside and, as Cook pointed out, that can be a major inconvenience in the unpredictable U.K. weather. 

Cook says: “Because you can’t smoke anywhere outside your house these days and you’re never too sure about the weather, why not introduce this?” 

Of course, this begs the question: Why bother with an electronic cigarette at all if you can just buy a pack of nicotine gum? It might even help you kick the habit someday.

September 24, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)