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Algorithm Names Powell 'Ideal' Vice President Candidate

CWmike writes "Turns out the ideal vice presidential candidate for Sen. John McCain is the same person as the ideal vice presidential candidate for Sen. Barack Obama, according to a sophisticated online survey based on technology developed at MIT. Mr. Ideal? Colin Powell, a former U.S. Army general and former secretary of state. Affinnova's survey methods doesn't use the typical polling method of asking respondents to pick a name from a list. Instead, it gives respondents larger concepts, including photos, biographical information and possible first-term priorities. Affinnova calls this algorithm 'evolutionary optimization.' Steve Lamoureaux, the company's chief innovation officer, said of the VP finding: 'We never imagined that the same candidate would show up for both parties.'"

3 of 543 comments (clear)

  1. Re:mmmkay by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Informative

    At least he tried. He was the closest thing to a sane, competent voice in an administration almost completely devoid of either quality.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Re:Meet the new boss... by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 3, Informative

    As one of the few who voted against it, Obama is literally the only sane choice for president.

    Obama was in neither the House nor Senate when the Iraq War Resolution was voted on. As such, he could not have "voted on it". He was, at the time, a critic of the war and, since then, although he has continued to speak out against the Iraq war, he has also voted in favor of every war funding resolution that has been sent to the Senate floor while he has been a member.

    None of this is to imply that he is not still the best candidate in the race, but people should remember (a) to get their facts straight and (b) that Obama is still a relatively inconsistent politician who still needs his feet held to the fire (as evidenced both by these votes and the recent FISA flip-flop).

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    That is all.
  3. Re:Webb, Richardson, or Clark are better choices i by Jeffrey+Baker · · Score: 3, Informative

    It is important to remember three things: Colin Powell is a lying cocksucker who covered up a war crime in Vietnam. Seymour Hersh is a brilliant journalist who broke the story of that war crime.

    Third thing: For almost a year, Seymour Hersh has been writing in the New Yorker about Dick Cheney's preparations for a war, possibly even a nuclear first strike, against Iran.

    Fear.