Web Of The Exile

Why Wake the President?

2008-03-29T00:06:00.000-07:00

George Lardner Jr. has an interesting piece in the Post.

"How many probing questions is a groggy president supposed to ask at 3 a.m.? How much confidence should he or she have in the answers?"

After all, if it's the end of the world, there's nothing the president can do about it. If it isn't, it can almost always wait till breakfast. We got through World War I that way. And we won that one, didn't we?

Rice Crisis

2008-03-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

It is not just wheat. I was intrigued to read that the industrialization of Asia, and the accompanying neglect of agriculture, has played a large part in a crisis that may roll back much of the progress that industry has helped to bring. It is disquieting that the rapid industrialization in that region of the world has had unforeseen negative consequences there as well as the toll it has taken on American manufacturing and worldwide petroleum consumption.

Barack Obama Speaks on Race

2008-03-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

via Politico

Watch the video.

UPDATE: Obama Soars Above Mud Pit

Brit Hume gives a good conrete example of the bias of FNC "newsmen" and Courtland Milloy shows us why, on a day like today, that does not even matter. At times like this I ask my self, "How is Barack Obama not already the President?" Then I remember, hopefully, I shall not have to ask that question much longer.

GOP Loves Hillary

2008-03-17T01:39:00.000-07:00

I experienced this firsthand in Ohio, because Republicans had no qualms about confessing their intentions. This should be the nail in the coffin for anybody who cannot decide. Why would you support a candidate who is so sure to lose in November, that the opposition will give their time and energy to vote just to make sure she gets on the ballot?

John Adams Miniseries

2008-03-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some assorted reviews of the series that premiered this past evening. I was pleasantly satisfied. The historical errors are forgivable in my view, however, they do seem silly given the prominence of this line:

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence

Sun Times: No History Lesson

Mercury News: Adams Emerges

Boston Herald: Giamatti is Revolutionary

Free Press: All-Star Cast of 'Adams'

Washington Post: Bold Miniseries

NY Times: Not So Much

The State of the Army

2008-03-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

This US Army Captain is leaving the service because it is not taking care of its members. Even if we could afford the costs of war or could observe progress moving at lively pace, which some on the right will argue, we certainly cannot maintain a reasonable level of preparedness with the dysfunction described in this piece. If the young officers keep leaving a the time when our military is most in need of qualified leaders, we will fail more and more in our objectives.

One thing that left me unsatisfied with this bit from the Outlook section was the omission by the writer, or perhaps an editor, of any further stories from the conflict. Granted, the piece was not so much about the situation on the ground in Iraq as it was with his frustrations with the Army as an institution. However, it would have been nice to read more about what informed his opinions about the value of remaining in the rotation in this war.

McCain & The Keating Five

2008-03-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

This title might be misleading, because McCain was himself one of the Keating Five, not a charismatic lead singer with five backup singers from the Keating family.

This is an old scandal, but one that still has relevance. In this day and age a lot of wealthy businessmen are looking for a break as they try to salvage their failed or failing ventures, and we cannot afford a chief executive who has a proven record of making bad choices when it comes to letting business regulators do their jobs unencumbered by elected friends of irresponsible capitalists.

Also, the McCain presented in this story about his relationship with John Keating and the meetings organized on his behalf, presents not the stalwart warrior the GOP wants America to trust with their lives and liberty, but instead a naïve (and then much younger) lawmaker who was either too weak to stand up to his friends or too self-righteous to properly recognize the wrong in his actions. Even now, McCain apologizes for the appearance of impropriety, but not for the wrongdoing that earned him a rebuke from the Senate Ethics Select Committee.

"McCain was the weirdest," Black said. "They were all different in their own way. McCain was always Hamlet . . . wringing his hands about what to do."

New Republic Series - Democratic Primary

2008-03-14T10:27:00.001-07:00

HRC: Fratricidal Maniac, But Not Monster

The Electability of Obama

FT: Carville Calling For Calm

2008-03-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

James Carville might be my favorite figure from the Clinton era. In his assertion that there is a preposterous desire to sanitize presidential politics, he is correct. While many of the things that have been said about Senator Obama have been irresponsible and stupid, especially for Democrats to be saying, none have risen to a level of offense that used to be considered the limit of decency. Likewise, Samantha Power, who expressed a sentiment with which many agree, should not a) have been quoted and b)have felt compelled to resign. Certainly there is a line that ought not be crossed, but in my view, and certainly in that of Carville, nothing in this race has broken it clearly.

However, as I said, Geraldine Ferraro and some other prominent Clintonistas have made some comments that were supremely stupid for Democrats to make. If their side is willing to allow some particularly irresponsible and dangerous innuendos to be integral parts of the race, they deserve to have their preferred candidate win the presidency, seemingly John McCain.

NY Times: Do As He Said

2008-03-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

Bill Kristof on prostitution, with only a cursory referrence to the now former Governor of New York. I do not know how long he has again been available without a fee, but I am quite glad for that.

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT 2008

2008-03-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Why does Georgetown, the regular season champion and top seed, have Villanova or Syracuse in the quarterfinals, two solid bubble teams, while Louisville, the second place team has the indisputably easier game, potentially facing Cincinnati? Who does these seedings? This will be one of the first times I have ever rooted for Pittsburgh, and believe me it will be strange indeed, and even if Pitt wins I have to look forward to the agony of maybe playing them in the finals.

Whoever says the Big East is not he best overall conference in the nation has no idea what they are talking about. Forget for a second the number of teams who have a legit chance to dance, reasonably eight, and you still must remember that in the last 10 years only the ACC and SEC have matched the number of national championship teams from the Big East.

WSJ: Infighting Worries Democrats

2008-03-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

This sucks. Howard Dean has done a lot for making Democrats truly think about competing nationally, but if he really wants raise his stock, he needs to sort out this Charlie Foxtrot before it really sinks the ship.

What The World Hears

2008-03-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Normally I post Fareed Zakaria without too much qualification, such is the credibility I think he has. Ordinarily there is not a significant point he makes which I question more than a few minutes. But this week his criticism of free trade talk in the Democratic primary has given me a more serious pause. In general, I agree that even Obama needs to temper the protectionist vein in his remarks, because after all he is a free trader. The message to the world, even beyond the sensitivities of Canadians, is worth careful examination.

The one place where I seriously cannot agree with Mr. Zakaria, and perhaps this will merit a lot more reading on the subject, is his point about the unfair scapegoating of global labor markets for the decline of American manufacturing.

There are no serious economists or experts who believe that low wages in Mexico or China or India is the fundamental reason that American factories close down. And labor and environmental standards would do very little to change the reality of huge wage differentials between poor and rich countries' workers.

Well if this is the case, what is causing them to close? American and the rest of the world are still buying steel, tires, vacuum cleaners, and the like, so I cannot be convinced the lack of demand has doomed those industries. If not the fact that others make them cheaper, by paying workers less, then why?

Yes We Canton

2008-03-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

Well the news tonight is not very good if you are in my shoes. The bad news: the race will go on. I am officially rebuking CNN for flashing meaningless pie charts of the Texas results, which showed no meaningful changes, several times during the remarks of Senator Obama. The good news: Senator Obama may have found the motivation to put some fight into this fight.

An aside, Senator Obama made a brilliant point tonight about the misplaced scorn of Senators McCain and Clinton, adeptly linking them, for the sentiments that are already uniting Americans on the right and left. A real love of America does not rest on the accusation that others fail to love the nation enough.

Also Robert Reich thinks there is only a 20 percent chance that Americans are headed into a Depression, so it probably will not happen.

Random Thoughts From the Campaign Trail

2008-03-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

I am in Canton, OH. My hosts are a tremendous family, perfect representatives of why the message of Senator Obama resonates with Middle America. Enthusiasm abounds among the staffers and volunteers, people for whom I have developed a great affection in the past week. Here there are young and old, locals and those of us from VA, PA, NC, CO, NY and other places across the country. The hard work we are trying to put out every day is only the beginning in a long hard process to bring the change we want; and increasingly people are coming to believe again that change can be had.

A few tokens --

I enjoy learning ever more about the complexities of the Texas primacaucus. Obviously, I will not think it so charming if we lose.

Everybody recognizes that Ohio is going to be close. I think, because it is an open primary, it will actually turn on the number of Republicans and independents who turn out to support Senator Obama. From my experiences canvassing, I think that number could be significant.

CNN: Obama Groundgame Factor in Ohio
More fun than it might appear. The food is great.

Pittsburgh T-R: Ohio Crucial for Clinton
I would contend that nobody is calling the election already.

Canton Repository
The leading local paper here in Stark County, which has endorsed Barack, like most every other paper in Ohio.
Why They Back Obama-Why They Back Hillary

The Travails of the Legal Immigrant

2008-02-25T22:16:00.000-08:00

via Moderate Voters

United States Military Index from FP

2008-02-25T16:12:00.001-08:00

Challenge We Can Believe In

2008-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

McCain will plainly be challenged in the same way Hillary has been, to dissuade people from listening and taking seriously the message that hope is the right place to start looking for unity and solutions to the worsening problems of America. Obama needs a VP who can shore up his foreign policy and military chops. I have been reading up on Anthony Zinni for a few days and I believe that the former Marine Corps General and CENTCOM Commander could be persuaded. His long opposition to the war, like Obama he voiced it before the invasion, coupled with a grasp of military affairs that dwarves that of Senator McCain could make for a potent combination. What's more, Zinni is a bonafide expert on foreign relations and while he has not expressed political ambitions, others clearly see it for him.

My Fair Lady

2008-02-21T16:04:00.000-08:00

George Will makes several good points here-

1. The preposterous claim by the Clinton campaign that Florida and Michigan delegates ought to be seated has gained no traction and is moribund
2. The devotion of the Clinton faithful is based on a sense that Democrats should favor Clinton because it is her turn. Her claims for a record of experience that outways that of Senator Obama do not hold up to scrunity.
3. There may be a good reason that presidents with copius experience in the capital and the federal bureaucracy, such as Buchanan and Lyndon Johnson, have lacked the political will or judgement to take courgeous action against the status quo, on sectional compromise and Vietnam repectively.

One point that George Will hints at, but does not develop is the number of similarities between Lincoln and Obama - including their adopted home of Illinois, their stiring oratorical skills based on their experiences as unglamorous lawyers, and their ability to bring new perspective to an American capital riven with strife between to powerfully opposed factions.

Some may believe it preposterous to compare Obama to Lincoln in this way, but they would do well to remember that there was a time before Congressman Abraham Lincoln became the President when he could not cite enough experience to win even the Class 2 Senate seat in Illinois, held now by Dick Durban, an early supporter of Obama.

Obama Tactics Already Working

2008-02-20T15:51:00.000-08:00

President Bush will try to say of Obama:

The only foreign policy thing I remember he said was he's going to attack Pakistan and embrace Ahmadinejad.

but what he will not tell you is that while he is busy crowing about how he needs the authority to do away with warrants for the sake of the imperial presidency, the CIA is able to do it job quite well when it acts decisively in a manner advocated by Obama, a man who actually understands foreign policy better than the "Decider". Coincidentally, that man also knows why the US Constitution is worth following.

Tell Me About DADT

2008-02-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

Human Rights Campaign: Obama Takes Clear Stand Against Don't Ask Don't Tell

There appears to be reason for some gay rights groups to believe that there is difference between Hillary Clinton and Senator Obama as regards the ability to make a commitment to gay rights. Nobody would reasonably charge that Hillary Clinton is against gay rights, but it is fair to say that doubts remain about her ability to subordinate political considerations to what seem to be her genuine beliefs about the need for equality.

In March of last year, Hillary supporters called on her to sponsor the Military Readiness Enhancement Act in the Senate and to date she has not do so. To be fair neither has Senator Obama, presumably because the rigors of the campaign trail have taken both away from their day jobs. But as the candidate running to a great extent on an appeal for validation of the Clinton presidency, it seems fair that she bear some responsibility for aggressively seeking to address a failed policy that alienates a core Democratic constituency as well as keeps the American military weaker than it absolutely must be to guarantee our national security.

2008-02-19T08:30:00.001-08:00

2008-02-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

WSJ: Will Obama Deliver the Beef?

I hope so, but more importantly, I think so.

2008-02-19T05:04:00.000-08:00

John McCain - Wrong on Terrorism

This is an important assertion. We need a candidate who can effectively make this argument with nothing hampering their credibility. McCain can be beaten on foreign policy, because he is plainly wrong in the contention that we can subordinate other pressing issues- like competition with China on many fronts, progress on a solution in Israel/Palestine, the increasing tension caused by petropolitics in Eastern Europe- to an obsession with Iraq.

Part of this problem McCain has with accurately assessing our most important problems is that, in my opinion, his profound experiences at the hands of the North Vietnamese makes him unable to consider that a fight might not be worth fighting. In my opinion, the fact that many experts draw parallels between Iraq and Vietnam make McCain all the more eager to prove that both wars were worth the cost in blood and treasure. Just like Gen. Westmoreland, McCain will be forever fighting the same fight, and while we must salute him for not giving in so many years ago, we cannot make the same mistake 40 years later and keep fighting a war just because we can.

2008-02-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

Are there actually people who believe Roger Clemens that he did not use HGH and probably a bunch of other banned substances? It seems to me like the only thing that is unambiguous is that everybody trusts Andy Pettitte and he is pretty sure that Clemens has done and said some illegal things, and in my book that makes Roger Clemens a criminal, allegedly.

2008-02-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

THE RETURN OF THE EXILE: PART II

The Exile is returning from... well... yeah. No brilliant change in formatting is planned at this time. Just a resumption of posting and perhaps a bit less formal attitude (because let's be honest, that was probably what kept readership down).

I watched the movie Michael Clayton the other week, and with the amazing revelation that George Clooney can act, even though he was a bit outshone by Tom Wilkinson, it made my day. Besides the snappy editing, strong filming technique (those compliments were stolen directly from my friend, who has self-described "movie OCD"), and enticing foreshadowing, the movie has a great anti-corporate streak that has been missing from the public discourse for about a week and a half (since St. John of Edwards left the race).

Michael Shermer has a great piece about the evolutionary psychology behind corporate greed which helps to explain how the grandaddy of greedy corporate scumbaggery -- Enron under Jeff Skilling -- came about. My own take on the article is that it shows that greed, while natural, is not good; and more than that it is DUMB when a convict like Jeff Skilling makes it the basis for a corporate culture.

Okay, the treat for reading this far is on YouTube.

2007-07-11T03:23:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Kept A Muzzle On It

2007-06-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: A Better Way

Reading this made me think of the opening sequence in Beverly Hills Cop. Axel, after visiting the wounded Captain Bogomil in the hospital, is driving through Beverly Hills and is driving around looking at all the beautiful people. From rich brats who set off the alarms on expensive cars to a gorgeously aloof dog-walking blonde in spandex, Axel sees the amusing realities of life in this utopia devoted to the benefits of economic inequality. At the end of the sequence he is inspired to convince, in a laughably audacious manner, a construction crew that as the Beverly Hills Building Inspector he has to halt construction of a new house which he can then use as a base of operations and get the movie started to bring the glitzy criminals to justice.

In light of the fact that both the White House and Congress are faced with a staggering lack of confidence from the citizenry, they must look around and decide that the ridiculous circumstances in which they find themselves, perhaps best exemplified by the death in the senate of the immigration bill because of broad public opposition (which did not include the Exile), and decide on a clever way to get on with the movie... er, I mean the business of government.

2007-06-20T13:48:00.001-07:00

For those of you who haven't, you should all check out the recent article on Senator Obama in the Economist:

http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9339872

2007-06-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

The Economist: To Believe or Not to Believe, That is a Question

2007-05-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: A Trust Murdoch Will Not Keep

This is a deft argument for why the shareholders of the Dow Jones corporation that owns the WSJ whould not let Rupert Murdoch get his hands on it. The most revealing point, which is hardly up for debate, is that a discerning person can tell when a media outlet is owned by Murdoch because of the style, which is tailored to the LCD of the public through the use of the sensational, and content, his TV and print outlets are widely acknowledged as political mouthpieces. He cannot and be trusted to run (and make no mistake, once he owns it he will mark it as his territory) the WSJ.

"the Journal isn't a commodity -- it's a vital national resource"

2007-05-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Salon.com: The Obama Rebellion

2007-05-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: ODNI Makes Case for FISA Reform

Where was this column 5 years ago? I think it reveals something about the recent challenges to the philosophy of governanace under the Bush administration.

The indifference to public opinion demonstrated time and again by policy pronouncements, sometimes of questionable legality, seems to come from a belief that Americans fundamentally do not care what the government does or how it does it. This perspective is obviously informed by a conservative sensibility, based on assumptions that most people agree government is more evil than it is necessary.

But even more than that, a viewpoint prizing the imperial presidency has meant that, even in areas where making a case to the public for policy reforms and pursuing reform in consultation with the Congress, and not over its head, was seemingly discounted consciously because Who cares? Those idiots certainly do not.

What this colum really demonstrates is that public outcry, and yes sometimes the MSM, special prosecutors, and an appropriately zealous Congress needs to help it along, can prduce results, small as this one may seem. The ODNI is finally making the case for reform of our surveillance laws to the public instead of just watching the president and the AG reform on their own terms by privately eliminating checks on the the executive branch. It is a good thing too, because we really are in need of reforms that will help ensure our national security from threats foreign and domestic. Not to mention ensuring the security of our civil liberties and transparency n our government.

Hopefully this is some small indication of a burgeoning humility which has truly been forced on the the administration. It may work out for the best though, since hubris is a traditional foible of the epic hero and overcoming it is often the crucial step in his journey.

Did I just compare W to Odysseus? I suppose he would be alright with that, since Odysseus was a King who won a victory in an war with dubious justification that lasted longer than anybody ever expected and got to prove his viriity on many reckless foreign adventures.

2007-05-15T00:55:00.000-07:00

The Atlantic: Possible Appalling Twist in Attorney Firings

Is this sensationalism? I think not, but I leave you to judge.

2007-05-12T15:58:00.001-07:00

Washington Post: The Cost to the Coast

2007-05-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

RCP: A Terrorist By Any Other Name

2007-05-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

RCP: State of American Manufacturing

2007-05-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

CNN: Actor Takes Real Action on Darfur

2007-05-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

RCP: Better Things To Do

2007-04-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Economist: The Senator and the Policy Test

Obama has made the figurative cover of the best "newspaper" available. The subject of Lexington this week is the uphill battle that Sen. Obama must fight to establish himself as a credible figure on matters of policy like the creation of a universal health care apparatus, military preparations for the January after next, and how he will address the problems of unprotected borders and exploited immigrant labor.

I think he will certainly have a struggle to match up to well packaged opponents who have honed their skills in this area, namely telling people how much they know about everything.

This piece makes two good observations about the situation in which Obama finds himself and about how he can navigate the terrain.

After six years of George Bush, the country is in no mood to elect another fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants lightweight. But command of policy is not a make-or-break issue. Mr Obama almost certainly has the wherewithal to put together policies on a wide range of subjects.

Part of the difference between the Senator and then-Gov. Bush is that Obama has surrounded himself with policy advisers who are neither entrenched partisans (Sen. Clinton recruited most of those early on) nor Washington ideologues. He has brought in many fresh young experts like Ian Solomon, transformed from an enterprising consultant and legal scholar into a legislative architect, and Pulitzer Prize winner Samantha Power to advise on foreign policy.

Mr Obama has already shown that he possesses something more important than expertise—judgment.

This point is significant, because the main reason that so many in middle America have come around to the realization that the current administration is on the wrong course is from repeated demonstrations of poor judgment. That is why the votes for the authorization force in Iraq will not go away for Clinton and Edwards.

Obama ought to continue to make the distinctions he has in this area clear, but also claim some ground of his own. There is at least one area wherein he has all the other democratic challengers beat hands down. The Senator should use the opportunity afforded by the embattled AG to remind everybody that he is a genuine expert on Constitutional law. His expertise on the Constitution, as well as his focus on government ethics, set Senator Obama apart. He would do well to present that fact clearly.

2007-04-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Me or Your Lying Eyes?

2007-04-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Women's Basketball Needs Consideration, Nation Needs Conversation, Imus Needs Education Not Just Condemnation

This piece from the Sports Page is right on. Calling for the head of Imus is a misguided effort that will do little to vindicate the real victims and do absolutely nothing to advance race relations. The MSM should takes it cue from Essence Carson instead of Al Sharpton.

2007-04-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

CNN: Finally Some Justice at Justice

Here is the subpoena. As you can read for yourself, it was very polite and to the point. Three cheers for government oversight.

2007-04-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

STOP THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR

Five Times this number of people have already been killed in Darfur genocide. More die everyday.

How the United States can end genocide in Darfur without putting US troops on the ground:
1) Establish No Fly Zones -This would prevent Sudanese government helicopters from slaughtering civilians in Darfur on the ground. Sen. Biden(D-DE) introduced a resolution (h. Res. 723) calling for a no fly zone - but the bill stalled in the International Relations Committee. Write your member of Congress using the link below and tell them you support NATO enforced no fly zones in Darfur.
2) Fully fund the African Union Mission in Sudan - The African Union is badly under funded and lacks the resources to protect civilians in Darfur - but Congress refuses to provide adequate funding. By fully funding the AU we can empower African nations to end the bloodshed without putting US troops on the ground.
3) Support the International Criminal Court - The United States is one of the only major powers to oppose the existence of an International Criminial Court(ICC). The ICC was created to hold countries accountable for crimes against humanity such as genocide. By supporting the ICC, the United States would send a strong signal to Sudan and other rogue states that genocide will not be tolerated. As long as the US continues to oppose the court, it will continue to empower dictators to commit war crimes with impunity.

What YOU Can Do To End Genocide in Darfur:
1) Share This Note!
2) Contact your representatives
Send your Representative an email saying you support a NATO enforced no-fly zone, increased funding for the African Union and full US participation with the International Criminal court. Template letter provided at the link above.
3) Join/Start a STAND chapter
4) Post a Flyer
5) Start your own petition
Even better than contacting your congress member is sending them a petition
with 10, 20, or 50 signatures you've collected. This shows them you're serious and the issue has broad support.
5) Join the Facebook Group

2007-04-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

LA Times: Front-runners Lose Label

I have heard some saying that the front-runners on both sides can no longer claim the label, but I have also heard Pat Buchanan say otherwise because of Hillary and her national poll numbers within the primary field. Which is it?

2007-04-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

RCP: Why We Fight Over Foreign Policy

This is absolutely a must-read. It is a bit on the long side, so it may do to break up your reading with short or long breaks as you see fit.

Update:

There are a few great points that I want to highlight--

Thus, all leaders, analysts and citizens simplify when they debate foreign affairs. And therein lies our problem. We forget that we are simplifying and claim veracity and truth for our insights. Our opponents must be depraved or incompetent if they do not agree with us. How many people say today they hate George Bush or, in the 1990s, Bill Clinton? Emotions take over for common sense. Since we have to simplify to make any sense of world affairs, why not go all the way? Make the world really simple and divide it into two groups, those who are good and agree with us and those who are evil and disagree with us. We’re all guilty of this. Bush oversimplified when he said after 9/11, “those who are not with us are against us.” But Democrats, who deplore Bush’s comment, oversimplify when they say Bush is evil and lied to us about the Iraq War.

We all have the tendency to simplify because it is the path of least interneal resistance, eliminates cognitive dissonance. There is nothing wrong, contrary to what many including the President believe, with questioning ourselves. You can be resolute without having blinders on.

The liberal perspective sees the world in terms of institutional cooperation and world order, not material struggle and balancing. It asks why international life cannot be similar to domestic life in which a single authority does exist and enforces common rules and law...The world is becoming smaller through the interdependence of communications (diplomacy), transportation (trade), professional societies (epistemic communities), urbanization and industrialization (bureaucracies), common problem solving (law), and environmental protection (planet earth). The habit of cooperation slowly diminishes the significance of power and ideological differences.

From this perspective, states don’t just seek power to survive. They also seek to form more perfect unions.

I would say a fair treatment, by a former Ford and Reagan staffer, of the general liberal philosophy of foreign policy.

If the United States was suspect in its desire for diplomacy — just a way station toward war, as critics contended — un officials and war opponents were suspect in their willingness to use force — not a last but a past resort (no longer applicable in modern-day international affairs). Critics of the war never acknowledged that an invasion force was necessary to retrieve the diplomatic option of un inspectors. But, equally, supporters of the war never made clear what evidence from inspections would ultimately satisfy them that Iraq had fully disarmed. The reluctance of both opponents and supporters of war to come clean reflects their relative preference for the use of diplomacy and force. It is a matter of emphasis and perspective, not of bad faith and politics.

Interesting point on the subject of mutual mistrust which must, and can, be overcome.

One of the great mysteries of the Iraq war is why Saddam Hussein gave up everything, including eventually his life, for nothing, since he had no wmd... Perhaps he did not know whether he had wmd, which then suggests he was disconnected from his own regime as well as the international community. Or perhaps he just didn’t believe the U.S. and its allies would attack, or that...[d]iplomacy would save his regime. But all of these speculations suggest that he was out of touch; that, as identity perspectives argue, there was no significant shared discourse or knowledge between Saddam Hussein and other players that might have led to a peaceful resolution of the dispute through common understandings. Liberal and realist factors — diplomacy and even rational deterrence by force — never had a chance to work because identity factors overrode them.

The same identity perspective, of course, can be used to explain U.S. behavior. The neocons were out of touch and never seriously considered how big the threat was and how many troops would be needed to contend with it...They were driven all along by an ideological view of the world that distrusted other states and international negotiators unless they were similarly ideologically oriented. This identity perspective, it might be argued, also drives the Bush doctrine of democratizing Iraq and the Middle East region.

In the Ender Quartet by Orson Scott Card a central character proposes the Hierarchy of Alienness. The most alien form of sentience, Varelse seems to be the way extremists of all stripes view their opponents, and by implication they want seek to be varelse from others. But even forgetting that according to the definitions of this fanciful framework we are all Utlännings at the very most alien, there is no way that we cannot find some common ground with even our most estranged enemies, because after all, hyperbole aside, we are all human.

2007-04-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

NY Times: Obama Has Serious Message & Serious Manner

This piece is quite flattering of Mr. Obama, so maybe it deserves to be noted as one of many that a friendly press has given the Senator. However, in no way does it seem an undeserving characterization.

The reputation he has built purposefully, for thoughtful sincerity, has proven consistent as he competes in the greatest gladiatorial arena in American politics. He is more measured in his appearances on the campaign trail than he was at the convention in 2004, probably because he is speaking to crowds that need information and not partisans that need to applaud.

For months we talked about whether a freshman senator could campaign with the likes of John Edwards and (Bill &)Hillary Clinton. He has met the challenge and more.

[A] more casual setting has revealed Mr. Obama to be a tactile campaigner... drawing voters close in conversation.

And it allowed for moments like one that took place at the V.F.W. Hall in Dakota City, after almost everyone had gone. Mr. Obama was approached by a woman, her eyes wet. She spoke into his ear and began to weep, collapsing into his embrace. They stood like that for a full minute, Mr. Obama looking ashen, before she pulled away. She began crying again, Mr. Obama pulled her in for another embrace...

The next day, at the rally here, Mr. Obama described the encounter for the crowd. The woman, he said, had asked if her son’s death was the result of a mistake by the government. “And I told her the service of our young men and women — the duty they show this country — that’s never a mistake,” he said.

He paused carefully as he reflected on that encounter. “It reminds you why you get into politics,” he said. “It reminds you that this isn’t a game.”

Most candidates can give a description of a moment with grieving mother like this, but how many can do that and still channel the intellect of Stevenson and the convictions of Hubert Humphrey*. My hope is that a fear that nice guys, along with smart guys and honest guys, finish last, will not keep us from electing one.

Another, totally separate point from this article, about the early opposition to the war, made me think of a hypothetical exchange in a Democratic debate.

Obama: I want people to know that I opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning because I want them to know that judgment counts for something. It was not easy to oppose the war in 2002, as my colleagues in the Senate know.

Edwards: Well those of us who were in the Senate in 2002, who have been making decisions about national security, know that actually being in the office means you have a different set of information and a different set of challenges in making that type of decision (with charming drawl in full effect).

Obama: Well, Senator, if you think that being in office necessarily compels you to make one decision that you would not if you were not the office holder, my advice would be not to run for president. There will be more pressure in that chair than any of us can imagine, and we need somebody in it who can make the decision while taking into account what Americans want, but making a priority of what Americans need. I hate to bring up the old charge of inconsistent leadership, thrown around by our opponents without substance or scruple, but I made that decision in 2002 because some of us did know, without equivocation, that this war was the wrong course.

* Humphrey was another brilliant youngster in the Senate who made his name as a brilliant convention speaker, in 1948, and made his career as a brilliant public servant advocating for civil rights.

2007-04-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: All Kinds Suffer in Sudan

Among the many lessons, we have to learn from this tragedy in which God only knows how many souls have perished, is that helping the oppressed means taking the time to know who they are and not assuming that those with different names are in different circumstances.

I have been as guilty as the next liberal in painting this as a conflict between oppressive Arabs and vulnerable Africans, but the truth is more complicated. In fact, the Darfurian Genocide is much more akin to the "good versus evil" framework in which President Bush has conceived his disjointed War On Terror/War Against Terror/War on Terrorism/Global War on Terrorism. Thus far it has presented a real instance in which the argument against an overly mighty government which can exercise domination of the governed populace has validity.

Another crucial lesson is that there are many types of suffering. This quote is from a tribal leader whose camp has recently been added to the number receiving basic food aid and water.

The main problem that remains, he said, is the profound boredom that comes from a life of long walks confined to a small circle, livelihoods wiped out.

2007-04-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

Politico: Giuliani Wants To Be Himself

Interesting.

2007-04-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

NY Times: Wayward Journey From the Bush-Cheney Inner Circle

Makes me wonder how Bush, who obviously had a real stake in cultivating bipartisanship in Texas and convinced many, who were not neo-cons or evangelicals, that he could bridge political divides, become such a poignant symbol of discord between Americans and the agent of a weak and confused America among the nations of the world.

I pause to question my own enthusiasm for another candidate who pledges to bridge the partisan divide. But I think the message with which I come away from this article is that we must allow our passion for political change to push us, but not to blind us to the direction and likely effect of our efforts. Choosing our course should be the work of the rational mind. The intensity can come from anger with corruption, hope for saving the social safety net, desperate prayer for a successful public educational system, or the smile and charm of a particular candidate. However, the plans we endorse and work for should be chosen carefully, because of what and candidate says, and not because of the way he or she says it.

2007-04-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Sun: The Truth About What a Necessary Exit Strategy Will Mean via RCP

2007-04-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

PTR: A Little Competition Goes a Long Way via RCP

2007-04-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

YDN: Does Starbucks Have Anything Besides Image?

2007-04-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

Democratic Primary First Quarter Fundraising

BBC
NY Times
Monsters & Critics
Boston Globe

These numbers should be no surprise as all of these candidates have been raising money nonstop. I hope we will not have to wait until April 15 to get the report from the campaign of Senator Obama. As the Times suggested, I think his announcement will be a big one. I am anxious to see how his small donation figures compare to Sen. Clinton. If her reporting is accurate, that 80% of her 50,000 donors gave in amounts under $100, that means that at most they contributed $400,000; not exactly substantial in the grand scheme and a tiny share of her $36 million war chest.

2007-04-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

RCP: Contempt for Impatience

George Will seems to hate liberal legislators and their supporters. Why else would he point out the efforts to get an extended period for ratification of the ERA, now the WEA, without pointing out the two hundred years needed to ratify the 27th Amendment. Sometimes laziness is in the eye of the beholder.

2007-04-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

Guardian Unlimited: We Gotta Get [Them] Outta This Place!

Contrary to what the blogmentary from one reader suggests, this piece does have something useful to say. Hopefully Rifkind is correct in his statement that, "the British will, eventually, be released." More importantly, it is essential to know that this is a dangerous game, which does have potentially devastating consequences for Iran and her citizens, but it appears that this is a game which must be played now.

Fareed Zakaria has provided an assessment, as usual based in a better understanding than many pundits, that summarizes how this is likely a sign of the continuing power struggle between pragmatists* and reckless ideologues in the Iranian leadership. President Ahmadinejad was almost certainly in favor of pursuing this policy of provocation and bring escalation to a boil, meaning people will die, whether the Revolutionary Guards took their orders or merely their lead from him. However, experience tells us that Iran, as all nations that have an economic stake in the world, can be dealt with. Britain and the EU must give reinforcement that communicates clearly that this tactic of hostage taking (we can be sure that is an accurate description by the suggestions that the release of Iranians held by Coalition troops is the goal) will neither get the Iranians their personnel captured in Iraq nor give them (the hardliners in Tehran and Washington) an excuse for military confrontation.** There are reasons to believe that the EU, for all its bureaucratic lethargy is moving toward a solution, perhaps out of public view, with neither a fight nor appeasement which would result from giving in to blackmail.

A close aide to Tony Blair who asked to remain anonymous, as is customary at 10 Downing Street, expressed complete satisfaction with the growing support from other European countries. "We couldn't have asked for more," he said.

Remember that when cooler heads do prevail, it usually takes a little while.

*Pragmatism must be kept in context in a government where all involved are conservative theocrats
**Again, that is an action in which people are killed

2007-03-21T01:54:00.000-07:00

NOSSA: Size Matters

Wonders never cease, especially in the People's Republic. I want to see this film. I anticipate that many people would say that "heightism" is a preposterous concept. Rather than a symptom of hypersensitivity and political correctness, it seems that this phenomenon, literally encoded in Chinese law, is neither unique to any one culture or inconsequential.

2007-03-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

Newsweek: Too Little, Too Tarde

2007-03-09T04:02:00.000-08:00

USAT: The Dark Side of the Service

I had never even heard of the "forever stamp". Did anybody else?

While I agree that this stamp will make it easier for price increases on postage to go unnoticed. However, this also seems like a fundamental shift. If I were running the USPS, I would favor a flexible "forever stamp" and I expect in the long run postal patrons will too. Knowing that sooner or later packages will be the only significant business as written mail becomes more fully obsolete, the postal service needs a way to compete with retail mail, and it seems intuitive that efficiency for the consumer should trump keeping costs down as a consideration because the physical act of mailing something will only be sensible for parcels such as hard copies of documents or personal packages, namely things for which the attention of the sender matters more than the item itself and the inflated cost of which comes from the fact that is cannot be sent more efficiently via electronic media.

Perhaps I do not care because the only things I mail anymore already came with an envelope that did not require postage in the US, but I for one will not fear the impact of "forever".

2007-03-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

GoVeg.com: The Hidden Lives of Pigs

This is in no way advocacy for vegetarianism. Just a little change of pace and an interesting take on some mammals with a distinctly soiled reputation who appear to have a bit of intelligence.

2007-03-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

Washington Post: This Is How The Game Is Played

On the latest posting from The Fix, Chris Cillizza references NY Times of almost no consequence in reference to the ethics credentials of Senator Obama. This story, while trivial, is good news. Firstly, it means that Obama is getting the political seasoning that many have predicted and seems to be handling it fine, with forthright acknowledgment of his dealings that reveals that he holds himself to the same high standard he has set for public servants. Furthermore, it also reveals that this seasoning, from whatever interests are rightly digging into the record of a man who has signaled a desire to lead America, is going to be legitimate and when the Senator comes out clean, people will know that it was not because he was given a pass because he is a nice, articulate, clean guy.

2007-03-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

CCR: Reported Threats from DOJ

US News: How Many Pols Does It Take to Fire a US Attorney?

As I have said before, this is quite a busy news day. More to come.

2007-03-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

LIBBY CONVICTION

This is a very busy news day. I will have something to say later about the verdict handed down today.

Washington Post: Libby Found Guilty via RCP

The Economist: Truth in Obstruction of Justice Trial

2007-03-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

TPM: Time for a New Counter Coulter

We have all heard or read about the latest from Ann Coulter. No need for a recap. In the rush to characterize this incident as proof that the conservative movement has become a mockery of its professed principles, some have missed the real significance a gaffe that actually does deserve attention.

There are legitimate concerns about the lunacy that makes Coulter classify her slur of choice only as a schoolyard taunt for weaklings, but the real problem this indicates is the reason why Coulter has a career. As somebody who makes her living by making some people snicker and everybody else wretch, she is an emblem of the intellectual void that has grown in the political sphere.

Coulter, with her Ivy league credentials and her authoritative diction, would have all viewers believe that she knows a lot about a lot of things. Clearly she does know enough to know what sells, but as this incident at CPAC has shown, sometimes, in fact many times (because this is no anomaly) she has nothing of critical value or any insight to provide. She herself acknowledged that without her childish indictment she had nothing to say about Senator Edwards. The lack of substance, awkwardly masked by bigoted humor, is the real story.

I cannot say whether some conservatives, or Bush allies in particular, are more likely than their political opponents to substitute invective for meaningful commentary, but I think it is clear that it is a prominent tactic. It is not a new phenomenon, as any scholar of history can tell you, but its prominence in out political discourse is disturbing nonetheless.

Coulter has no secret whatsoever of the fact that she uses hyperbole as a matter of course to get attention for her always (not sure if that is hyperbolic or not) biased vituperations. Its part of a well crafted formula.

"You want to be careful not to become just a blowhard."---Washington Post 10/16/98

Perhaps Coulter has a bad memory, like her ideological brother Scooter Libby. Obviously she has had too much on her plate to remember that sage nugget. Or perhaps she was misquoted.

2007-03-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Washington Monthly: The Nuclearization of North Korea

2007-02-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

SaveDarfur: Petition for Action from EU President

As Germany ascends to the rotating EU presidency, it has an opportunity to push with new vigor for action by the European bloc leading to the end of the genocide occurring before the eyes of the world. Employment, trade, and fiscal reforms are important, but the lives of millions ought to be worth more attention.

Natives of the Darfur region of Sudan, many now living as refugees in neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic, are still threatened and violated by perverted theology and ethnic strife that has persisted essentially unchecked. The Sudanese army fights, their proxies fight and the rebels fight, but the ordinary people do little besides suffer. If we continue to keep attention on this tragedy, eventually it will drown out all the other trivialities and we can end it. Without dialogue, attention, and more importantly, action, there is no end in sight.

Links with updates and information:

AJWS: Darfur Action Campaign Save Darfur
Darfur Genocide
Darfur Action
STAND

2007-02-16T06:03:00.000-08:00

Revealing the Downsides of Immoderate Positive Reinforcement: Whooda thunk it?

NY Times: The Power (and Peril) of Praise
ABC NEWS: Why Praise Can Be Bad

2007-02-14T23:56:00.000-08:00

Boston Globe: Senator Obama in New Hampshire

True, it is quite early. Let us hope that as Senator Obama gets some political seasoning he will continue to speaking sincerely, even if his thoughts and beliefs are not simple enough for a Rovian soundbite. Wedge issues like gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research,etc. are easy to use against a sincere speaker, and the Senator and his staff need to find a way to avoid pitfalls that the conclusion this piece could foreshadow without running from his sincere approach to engaging voters.

2007-02-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

Washington Post: The Ghosts of Primaries Past

Washington Post: Awaking From A Conservative Daydream

2007-02-13T06:41:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone: Destiny's Child via RCP

Alternate title: Hooked On A Feeling

I recently heard Ian H. Solomon, former Associate Dean at Yale Law School, and currently a chief legislative aide to Senator Obama speak about his journey to the Obama sanctuary after 2004. His sentiments echoes those attributed to Samantha Power and many other creatures of the capital, including the pollster in this piece:

"You spend your life preparing for Bobby Kennedy to walk in the door," says one D.C. pollster, "and then one day he walks in your door."

2007-02-13T05:58:00.000-08:00

Earth Times: North Korean Breakthrough via Google

The jury, in this case a jury of one, is still out on how effective this agreement will be, particularly how long the reactor will remain closed down and how great a signal this is of a departure from the diplomatic strategy of brinkmanship used by the regime of Kim Jung-Il. However, it is important to acknowledge the victories by our national foreign policy team. Secretary Rice and her team deserve credit and seem to be making strides on a few fronts, despite serving under a chief executive who still leaves a lot to be desired with regard to approaching foreign affairs with any appreciable foresight or discernment.

2007-02-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Campaign 2007: The Race to Draft Al Gore for 2008 via CNN

Al Gore could be a serious candidate, with fundraising potential to match the early favorites. The equation changes totally with Gore in the race, probably to the detriment of Obama and Edwards in as much as either wants to be at the head of the ticket. What his supporters, and hopefully the man himself, will be weighing in the balance with the obvious benefits (money, name recognition, at least as much claim to the Clinton legacy as Hillary if not far more) he has as a Presidential candidate are -

1) His willingness to endure the Clinton juggernaut
2) The same kind of battle in a national fight with John McCain
3) Possible baggage from being the tragic figure in 2000
4) His relationships with the current Democratic leaders in the DNC and in Congress

I suspect the last two are not real obstacles, so the main considerations ought to be his willingness to endure the struggle, because support in the polls and on the ground will materialize if and when he enters the race. Bottom line: add the Exile to the pool encouraging the Vice President to give it another try. America may just have wised up a little.

2007-01-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

Washington Post: Death of Public Financing

This should come as no surprise to anybody who has followed fundraising trends over the past few election cycles. What is more important than the effect this has on candidates in 2008, is what motivation this will give to public financing advocates on both sides of the aisle. Of course candidates will give lip service to being in favor of reform, especially Democrats, but real change will come when state party officials, candidates for state office, and grassroots organizers start cooperating to change laws at the state level. Only once officials are involved in publicly financed elections, they may start to agree to changing the system for bigger elections, the ones that put them in holding offices to which they aspire.

This change will have to come from the bottom, so it is no surprise that those at the top of politics are not taking the lead, but instead are giving tacit assent to the halting of progress. Citizens, excluding the politicians and fundraisers, need to make his change happen for ourselves.

2006-12-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

Greely Tribune: Doomed to Repeat American History

2006-11-17T00:55:00.000-08:00

RCP: An Iraqi Republic?

How much longer will the ideas of American leaders matter in Iraq?

While it is good to observe some like Krauthammer and Sen. Biden are proposing options, like a new coalition and a regional federation, as solutions to the political chaos which seems apparent, there is only so much time until even the best proposals will no longer be feasible. Change needs to be forthcoming.

2006-11-17T00:46:00.000-08:00

Washington Post: Tentative Plan for UN-AU Peacekeepers in Darfur

2006-11-17T00:35:00.000-08:00

YDN: Venezuelan Oil Heating CT Homes

2006-09-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

Wasington Post: The Other Side of a Two Way Street

Indeed, this is one instance which demonstrates that in some ways we in the western world are putting sympathy above reason without any discernment. President Bush, Pope Benedict and other western leaders ought to be sensisitve to Islam and the concerns of Muslims, but this is one instance where the general sentiment as expressed by protestors, the peaceful and the violent here and abroad, is wrong.

2006-09-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

BBC: Protests Increase Pressure on Sudanese Government to End Darfur Crisis

2006-08-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Estate Tax, Minimum Wage Bill Blocked

It is my sincere hope that this maneuver by the GOP in the Senate does not pay off. I do not think most people will be so easily duped as to believe it when the Republicans try to blame stalling of the minimum wage on Democrats. Watch carefully how it plays out, because though the GOP is not capable of governing, they are certainly quite adept at their chosen art of political misdirection.

2006-06-27T12:34:00.002-07:00

Rocky Mountain News: How Politics Really Works

There is a little to much oversimplification of the Democratic position on the Estate Tax in this piece. The momentum of the movement to legalize gay marriage is also a bit overstated. However, this side by side comparison of two issues does a decent job of showing how the two parties do more to serve themselves than the electorate. Most importantly, its conclusion is amusing and not too outlandish.

Hence we'll soon be a nation in which the rich gay married couples will pay no estate taxes.

2006-06-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

Due Diligence: Jerry McNerney -- Democratic Nominee in CA-11

2006-06-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Wasington Post: Why So Lonesome?

Okay, so this is not really about political moderation of any kind, but it does advocate energy conservation, kind of, and does center on bringing Americans closer together. It is certainly worth a glance.

2006-06-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

HOPE YOU HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN

BBC: ICC Presents Findings to UN

This is progress, but while the UN temporizes, another day in this genocide comes and goes. I suppose we as a global community are getting better at this, as compared to Armenia and the Nazi Holocaust, but it pains me to think that we can not take more decisive action more quickly. Let us keep our sight toward strengthening our will as a people after the muderous crime has ended so that the next time it will be harder, perhaps impossible, to perpetrate.

Washington Post: For the Youngest Victims the Scars Are More Than Skin Deep

2006-06-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Are Evangelicals Shifting Gears?

2006-06-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

WSJ Opinion Journal: The Partisan Divide, Between the Parties and the People

Finally something from Peggy Noonan that makes a bit of sense. Unfortunately, she happens to have found a clue just in time to recognize that there are no viable options yet for the masses of disaffected citizens tired of the diametrically opposed and yet seemingly aligned political parties.

She is well on her way.

2006-05-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

American Prospect: Locked in the Cabinet

If Secretary Snow was really locked tightly in the Bush cabinet since his confirmation, then it might be fair to say that he found an escape by tossing himself into the waste basket. Robert Reich, who deserves much more credit than he receives for the role he played as Labor Secretary in the first Clinton Administration, captures the essence of why the current administration fails to understand and react to problems well. Beyond any one issue, there appears to be a pattern of presuppositions, not the least of which centers on the belief that the executive needs fewer limits on his power, which constrain thought in the executive branch so that adaptability is precluded and debate is simple, efficient, and pointless. Reich closes with an insightful observation about the self-defeating nature of this approach to executive governance.

That Bush, Rove, and Cheney chose instead to impose lockstep discipline and gag orders has not only diminished the role of the cabinet but also, in the end, diminished the role of the President.

2006-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

International Herald Tribune: Indictment Aims at Tort Reform Where it Counts

This is the correct approach for trying to bring under control of culture of litigation for profit. Problems arise not from those who sue for lots of money, because substantial damage awards do make corporations accountable to the public, but instead the problem resides with those lawyers who abuse the system by encouraging and coercing litigants in the interest of profit without regard for the legal and economic consequences. Meaningful tort reform does not begin with the creation of a new set of laws that restricts our rights to redress our grievances in the legal system, but with the trammeling of those who perpetrate criminal abuses of our legal system.

2006-05-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Newsweek: Day Late and a Dollar Short

We have to be able to hope that the next president will mean it when he talks about changing the tone of politics. Now, more than ever, we should realize how important that will be.

2006-05-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

Newsweek: The Political Unpopularity Contest

Howard Fineman does a fine job describing the underlying reasons for what we see in opinion polls. Dissatisfaction with current leadership is really more acccurately chracterized as a lack of confidence in leaders in general.

The next election cycle—the midterm season now under way and the presidential campaign soon to follow—will be about one thing: leadership. Not just identifying who leaders are, but restoring the very idea that leadership is possible.

While the Exile certainly believes that leadership is still possible, it is also true that the current climate in Washington helps to nurture the same type of careerists and insiders that have guided us to the edge of oblivion. When it comes down to it, the only way to change what we all loathe about politicians is to elect different people, but more importantly, a different breed of people.

Many pols try to sell themselves as reformers, but the few that can prove themselves as such should be getting your votes. If a candidate promises the world or cannot or will not stake out a discerning position on an important matter, like tax, education, or health care reform, then that candidate is probably not any different from the legions of other hacks. However, if you can find one who can articulate himself, runs a clean campaign, and has some ethics and common sense, vote for him and tell others to do the same. There is nothing wrong with caring about politics and if we choose to encourage decent public servants, perhaps that opinion will again prevail.

2006-05-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Economist: Axis of Feeble

2006-05-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Understanding Between the Children of Abraham

2006-05-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

RCP: Whose Afraid of the Promise of Government

Not the Exile.

2006-05-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

Final Verdict on Terrorist Attacks

RCP: Jury Made the Right Call
WSJ: They Should Have Killed Him

As usual Peggy Noonan, who knows well how to present a conservative argument, does not know what she is talking about.

It is not a matter of vengeance. Murder can never be avenged, it can only be answered.

What is an answer to murder if not vengeance? There are many reasons why the application of the death penalty would have been the wrong sentence to impose on this felon. One, his desire for fame, is explained for the millionth time in the piece by Harrop. However, the most important reason is that the punishment handed down in this case demonstrates that just as killing is fundamentally the wrong thing to do, showing mercy, while still holding the guilty accountable, is the right thing to do.

2006-05-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Deseret News: Third Party Politics

Tom Friedman is fundamentally right in his contention that a fresh third party approach may be needed to begin real progress towards a solution to the energy crisis (and yes, it is a crisis). A centrist third party would also help to break the stalemate on a number of other important issues.

2006-04-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: The White House Variety Show

Never would I have guessed that I would ever find occasion to post about something written by Ari Fleischer. However, when the con-artist tells you how his con works, takes a bit of responsibility, and then clarifies the underlying causes in a reasonable fashion, you should at least hear him out.

2006-04-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

WSJ OpinionJournal: On the Trail of Yale

This editorial has it all - from the dangers of political divisiveness to the lack of sense at the State Department. The story of Hashemi compared to this fellow Farivar makes me a bit confounded, but as usual not entirely shocked.

2006-04-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: Nothing to Fear But... Reality

I do not want to sound like Lou Dobbs, but is thing guy kidding. Do not get me wrong, I am all for calming hysteria, such as the type that is frequently associated with talk about the Chinese behemoth, but if you are going to argue that American business can keep America strong in the new economy, I am not sure that WAL-MART is the right example. Forget all the legitimate PR problems that the retail giant has. If one only considers their over reliance on cheap Chinese suppliers , which furthers our enormous trade deficit, I think that would be enough to suggest that WAL-MART is the exactly wrong example to use. In fact, WAL-MART seems to love China as much as it loves cutting prices. Xenophobia is NEVER rational or productive, but I think there are some legitimate reasons for people to continue being wary of the PRC Dragon.

2006-04-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

Boston Globe: What is Forgiveness?

This story is deserving of a few minutes of attention from everybody who can spare them.

2006-04-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Economist: Hu's Coming To Dinner, But Will Only Have Lunch

I think this visit, and the political ramifications on both sides of the Pacific, reveal a great deal about the feelings of insecurity felt by many regarding the relationship between China and the United States. During his trip to the States, President Hu will also visit Yale University. This visit is causing quite a stir. However, the controversy seems to stem less from a visit by the leader of China, with whom Yale has a long relationship, but because of the changing nature of the perception of and reaction to China in the US. With all that is going on in the world, I do not think this will be a central theme in the 2006 election, and perhaps not even the one thereafter; but sooner or later, how American leaders, political and otherwise, deal with their Communist Chinese counterparts will become quite important to informed citizens.