The U.S. Needs Politicians Like Iceland's Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson

UPDATE (13 NOV 2008) - Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen quoted the Norwegian Embassy’s memo of last Friday's luncheon in Reykjavík, stating that Grímsson had offered Russia use of the military base in Keflavík. source

Will a President Obama invite Russia to takeover Guatanamo Bay, or allow Hugo Chavez to annex Cuba in its entirety?

First, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, a non-lawyer, has served as Iceland's President since 1996. He was re-elected unopposed in 2000, re-elected for a third term in 2004, and automatically re-elected to a fourth term this year. Like Obama wants to be, Ólafur is a popular, left wing president.

There may be at least one important difference in the two, however. You will never hear words like this from a law school graduate in U.S. government: Iceland’s President Wants Lower Salaries -

President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson has expressed his view that the salaries of the president and of other officials should be lowered in light of the current economic crisis facing Iceland.

Imagine our President or Congress expressing a view like that!