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So the Pak cricket players are left in the cold. They are outraged because they still live in the era, where playing for the country is a big deal, and the nation treats them as gods. All that was before cricket was played for money. Once it is pro sport, no one cares for sentiments and reputation. It is no longer a game, but a business.

Sure, even with cold logic, a couple of Pak players would have been really good additions, but clearly it wasnt worth the risk involved. First, the political risk that the likes of Shiv Sena and MNS will create hell should a Pak player have to play in Mumbai, let alone play for Mumbai. And then, Pak players are not renowned for their discipline. Afridi had a run in with the Chargers, and I read Md. Asif had trouble staying sober. But most importantly, what if, God forbid, we have a situation like a Kargil war or 26/11. No team would risk their reputation and be caught dead with a Pak player. The risks and complications were just too much.

So the natural, but incredibly naive, question is, why not state upfront that no Pak players for IPL? Well, the corporate world has its ways. The decision may be made, but the process should have all the trappings of fairness. One thing is for sure. No player or party will be spared this ruthlessness. Even in the last season, we saw team owners clearly outweigh the players in several decisions. And it is only fair.

Deve Gowda's rant

The media is delighted a Deve Gowda's faux pas, and they are milking it for all its worth. And yes, I dont think it is any more than a faux pas. And no, our democracy has not stooped to new lows as the media would have us believe. If anything, it has risen higher on this day. And I mean this in all earnest.

For decades we have been faced with this glaring divide between haves and have nots, who seemingly live in different universes. And our politicians have been especially crucified for not being in touch with the "grass roots" and not doing enough for the "common man". Well, for once, a politician speaks the same tongue as the urchin on the street corner, and this is how we treat him. In fact, compared to what we hear on the streets, Gowda's rants sound polished. He still has a long way to go before he can claim to have connected with the lowest ranks of the nation.

If anything, I take offense to Yeddyrappa's retort that Gowda's choice of words reflects his culture. What does he mean? Sir, the entire nation speaks this language. Even the world - US politicians have been picked up using derogatory terms when they thought the mic was off. It is you who are out of touch and then you insult our culture? You owe our former PM an apology. Mr. Gowda may have stooped lower than any politician has, but in the process he elevated the office of the PM higher than our Manmohan can.

The Iraq War

I am not a Bush supporter, nor am I his worst critic. But, my sympathies are strongly with the President in the matter of the Iraq war. Several damning revelations since the start of war, most notably the CIA's intelligence failure, have caused not only Americans but people around the world to question the decision. In fact, the Republican party paid a heavy price in the mid-term elections held in October 2006. With the perfect 20/20 hindsight that we all possess, we can now say the war was a mistake. Even Bush, in the inner recesses of his soul,  must agree.

But, what was it like in 2003? As the President of the most powerful nation on earth, but one that was attacked by terrorists on its own soil, with another rogue nation threatening to wipe you off the face of earth, what are your options? Sit back, relax and wait to see if Saddam makes a move? And if Saddam had nothing to hide, why was he so reluctant to allow UN inspections? Maybe, diplomacy was an option, but I doubt Saddam was interested in assuaging the anxities of the US. He probably relished being a thorn in Bush's posterior. So, I guess Bush decided to err on the side of caution.

Unfortunately for Bush, it turned out Saddam never had any WMDs. Or he somehow got rid of them. I am not familiar with the theory that the sole purpose of the war was to gain control of Iraq's oil resources. I wont comment on it, but I will say this: In this day and age, it is almost impossible to capture a sovereign nation and control its natural resources. Anyway, in my opinion, here's where the US faltered: after attacking Iraq and capturing Saddam, the US forces should have retreated. Bush has no right to use the taxpayer's money to try and establish democracy in Iraq. The US has done its part by liberating millions of Iraqis from the dictatorial rule of Saddam. Too bad if the Iraqis cant make something out of this. If the Iraqis dont have a leader that can unite all the warring factions and provide decisive leadership, then I guess they deserve to be caught in the throes of a civil war.

World's Most Powerless Person

The American President is easily the world’s most powerful person although Osama Bin Laden is giving him a run for his money. But, do you wonder who the world’s most powerless person is? For obvious reasons, I am keeping ordinary citizens like you and me out of this race. And to make the search meaningful, I’ll limit my quest to national leaders, and in that, to people in positions that at least have a semblance of power. This will automatically eliminate choices like the President of India, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and Iraq and the likes.

You should have guessed the winner by now. Yes, it’s our dear Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh. I don’t think there’s even a close second. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Singh. On the contrary, I believe he’s the kind of Prime Minster we’ve been desperately searching for. However, a Prime Minster also needs power, and that is where Mr. Singh lacks.

Mr. Singh was not the preferred choice for this position. In fact, he was never in contention until Mr. Sharad Pawar caused a furor over Mrs. Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin. Mr. Singh has Mr. Pawar to thank as much as Mrs. Gandhi for his elevation as the leader of Republic India. Sadly, Mr. Singh was not chosen for his financial acumen or political wisdom. It was his image of being a soft-liner that won him the job, and on top of that, I don’t think he had any say over who got into his Cabinet. Even with that, if the Congress had secured a majority in Lok Sabha by itself, Mr. Singh would have had control over how his Government is run, despite Mrs. Gandhi holding the remote that is. Now, he has to work his way with the likes of Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, and some of the political allies and supporters of the UPA don’t even belong in the same country. Yes, I refer to the Communist parties. The CPM and CPI have nothing in common with the Congress except their shared hatred of the BJP: Good enough to win an election and form a Government, but hardly sufficient to formulate progressive policies. (It is some consolation that Buddadeb Bhattacharya, Chief Minister of West Bengal, subscribes to a more realistic view of the industrial situation in India.)

So, Mr. Singh finds himself in an unenviable position, where he has the power to sign any law that he wants, but the Congress has tied his hands and the Left keeps hiding the pen.