An event occurred this week that received little fanfare in the print and television media that made all the uproar over the Ten Commandments, Gitmo, Durbin, Hillary, Dean, Rove et al, ad nauseam pale in comparison.
The National Commission on Energy Policy conducted a simulation of a confluence of events that resulted in the removal of 3.5 million barrels a day of supply from the global market demand of 83 million barrels. The scenario consisted of three unrelated events occurring over a few months, civil unrest in Nigeria, a terrorist attack on the Port of Valdez, Alaska and the evacuation of foreign nationals from Saudi Arabia.
*The projected chaos in the global oil markets produced the following forecasts of potential economic and political disruption as a result:
• Gasoline prices of $5.74 per gallon;
• Global oil price of $161 per barrel;
• Heating oil prices of $5.14 per gallon;
• Fall of gross domestic product for two consecutive quarters;
• Drop in consumer confidence by 30 percent;
• Spike in the consumer price index to 12.6 percent;
• Ballooning of the current accounts deficit to $1.087 trillion;
• Decline of 28 percent in the S&P 500;
• Aggressive pressure on the U.S. from China to end arm sales to Taiwan, and;
• Demands from Saudi Arabia for changes to U.S. policy regarding the Mid-East peace process.
The co-chairs of the “Oil ShockWave event” were Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Ct). This is not some exercise by an out of touch think tank or dooms day religious cult ruminating on the end of the world. The people involved in this are a bipartisan group of everyday real world pragmatists who view the energy dependence of the United States as a critical flaw in our over all national security. Included in the panel were two former CIA directors as well as a former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former high ranking members of the departments of State, Energy, Environment and Economy.
It is time for the people of our country to wake up to the fact that the soft underbelly of the United States and her allies is oil. With exception of the sheer audacity of 9/11, the movement against us to date has been fractured and unsophisticated in attempting to alter our world standing and our policies by haphazard bombings and other acts of terror.
Will the tactics soon shift? Have they in fact already done so? Read the following quote from a 1998 PBS interview with Osama Bin Laden if you have any doubts that efforts will be made to exploit any weakness in American resolve. “We believe that the worst thieves in the world today and the worst terrorists are the Americans. Nothing could stop you except perhaps retaliation in kind. We do not have to differentiate between military and civilians.”
The ultimate war to protect America is not going to be fought on foreign soil or with guns or planes. It is going to be fought by every consumer in the country. It is time to make oil a weapon of our own. Discovery of more supply, stringent conservation efforts, alternative and renewable energy methods and any other potential sources must be exploited in this battle. Our national security depends on it.
Source: EnergyCommission.org
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Amateur policy wonks
The last several weeks of political coverage have been filled with fire and brimstone style political rhetoric. The impressive wind bag dust ups over Gitmo, the Quran, Durbin's insults, muckraking about Hillary, Howard Dean's miss steps, flag burning amendments, Karl Rove's tweaking of the left's nose and Terry Schiavo's autopsy has all made for interesting reading. Other than raising the temperature of the factionalists on both sides of the political equation it has done nothing to advance the interests of the country or to quench the amateur policy wonk's thirst for substantive debate on issues of the day.
President Bush has an opportunity to change the current political atmosphere in his Tuesday address by focusing in on the hard facts surrounding our current involvement in Iraq.
It is now time to discuss the end game and the ultimate plans for the dis-engagement from Iraq. The characterization of that end game can be made in two fundamental ways. The least attractive scenario is to have no clearly articulated goals and have the far left groups Vietnamize the Iraqi occupation by constantly undermining and understating the success of our efforts. This effort can be clearly illustrated in the appearance by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in front of Ted Kennedy this week. Senator Kennedy made sure to use the "quagmire" reference as frequently as possible to evoke the memories of the past knowing that American attention span and commitment can waver with the right amount of negative press and political opportunism. Barely a word was mentioned of the historic success of our military in Afghanistan and Iraq. No mention of Rumsfeld as a forward thinking military mind envisioning an armed forces of the future. Just a question from Kennedy about time for Rumsfeld to resign. The irony of the question coming from Kennedy was not lost on a large part of America.
The second and more attractive scenario from almost any vantage point is for President Bush to clearly articulate what hurdles and goals have been set and need to be achieved in order for us to succeed and to begin to lessen the military manpower and budget assets which are deployed in Iraq.
Maintaining public support for Iraq and indeed for continuing a policy of democratization of the Middle East can be sustained by investing a little bit of trust in the American people. There are many aspects of the end game that we average Americans can understand. President Bush ought to be framing the dis-engagement debate around fundamental societal and infrastructure improvements along with the number of Iraqi men in arms.
Tuesday night's address could include a relative small number of items for attention. How large will the Iraqi army be that we intend to train? How much will electricity production increase? How many children will be in school? What level should oil exports reach? What is the schedule for the constitution and next round of elections. How much reconstruction money has been released and how much more will be needed? What will the domestic budget implications be for the next stage of progress?
There is no option in this endeavor other than success. Our ability as a nation to be a force for positive change in the region hinges on keeping our commitment and realizing quantifiable goals. It is up to the president to establish a framework in which we can all focus our attention and measure progress. If he does not we run the risk of having the agenda set by apologists, opportunists and others with questionable intentions for the country. The sacrifices that have been made by our service men and women cannot be allowed to be diminished by anything more than a complete success.
President Bush has an opportunity to change the current political atmosphere in his Tuesday address by focusing in on the hard facts surrounding our current involvement in Iraq.
It is now time to discuss the end game and the ultimate plans for the dis-engagement from Iraq. The characterization of that end game can be made in two fundamental ways. The least attractive scenario is to have no clearly articulated goals and have the far left groups Vietnamize the Iraqi occupation by constantly undermining and understating the success of our efforts. This effort can be clearly illustrated in the appearance by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in front of Ted Kennedy this week. Senator Kennedy made sure to use the "quagmire" reference as frequently as possible to evoke the memories of the past knowing that American attention span and commitment can waver with the right amount of negative press and political opportunism. Barely a word was mentioned of the historic success of our military in Afghanistan and Iraq. No mention of Rumsfeld as a forward thinking military mind envisioning an armed forces of the future. Just a question from Kennedy about time for Rumsfeld to resign. The irony of the question coming from Kennedy was not lost on a large part of America.
The second and more attractive scenario from almost any vantage point is for President Bush to clearly articulate what hurdles and goals have been set and need to be achieved in order for us to succeed and to begin to lessen the military manpower and budget assets which are deployed in Iraq.
Maintaining public support for Iraq and indeed for continuing a policy of democratization of the Middle East can be sustained by investing a little bit of trust in the American people. There are many aspects of the end game that we average Americans can understand. President Bush ought to be framing the dis-engagement debate around fundamental societal and infrastructure improvements along with the number of Iraqi men in arms.
Tuesday night's address could include a relative small number of items for attention. How large will the Iraqi army be that we intend to train? How much will electricity production increase? How many children will be in school? What level should oil exports reach? What is the schedule for the constitution and next round of elections. How much reconstruction money has been released and how much more will be needed? What will the domestic budget implications be for the next stage of progress?
There is no option in this endeavor other than success. Our ability as a nation to be a force for positive change in the region hinges on keeping our commitment and realizing quantifiable goals. It is up to the president to establish a framework in which we can all focus our attention and measure progress. If he does not we run the risk of having the agenda set by apologists, opportunists and others with questionable intentions for the country. The sacrifices that have been made by our service men and women cannot be allowed to be diminished by anything more than a complete success.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Staying on message
Howard Dean was in Boston yesterday and delivered his message in his typically and consistently humorless and confrontational style. Howard promised to continue his hard hitting and sometimes controversial attacks on the GOP. The Republicans of course are hopeful that Gov. Dean is true to his word. Every time Howard Dean makes irrelevant comments about how white the GOP is or how Christian or how much he hates them he draws attention from the issues that if exploited properly can return a Democrat to the white house in 2008.
Those issues should be as plain as the nose on Howard's face. Oil prices and interest rates are the twins of success for any Democratic hopeful. If made a part of a constant theme on the stump, hammering away at the negative economic impact on the average American, over the next several years any Democratic candidate (even John Kerry) can be formidable if not unbeatable in the next national election.
Interest rates and oil prices are the two items that cut across all lines of voter classes. Soccer moms with SUV's, Northeastern and Midwestern independents and elderly with oil heat, truckers and traveling salesmen, any manufacturers using petrochemicals, and anyone else who consumes energy are going to be enraged by $3 a gallon gasoline and $3 a gallon home heating oil. With oil passing $60 dollars a barrel this week it is entirely possible that these prices are around the corner. Howard Dean would due well to begin the chant that it is the policies of the oil men in the white house that have made this situation a reality.
Despite the fact that President Bush has little control over Alan Greenspan and his cohorts at the Federal Reserve, the blame for rising rates will be placed at his doorstep. Despite having raised rates 8 times over the past year or so it appears as though the Fed is still insistent upon maintaining a rising rate policy that if continued could conceivably invert the short term yield curve against longer term rates. This event has historically indicated the onset of a recession.
Even if monetary policy does not bring about recession there is certain to be near term repercussions from rising rates. Mortgages will become more expensive cooling the housing market and the existing interest only variable rate mortgages will rise steeply in monthly costs and will likely force marginal owners into foreclosure. This Sunday's Boston Globe reported a rise of 28% already this year in foreclosures in the Boston area.
A corresponding rise in the cost of consumer credit card debt is likely to bring about an increase in personal bankruptcies and with the new laws in this area favoring the credit card companies it will be hard for the Republicans to escape this voter wrath.
The question of course remains whether or not the Democratic party can find a consistent strategy and stay on message. Up to this point Governor Dean has been unsuccessful.
Those issues should be as plain as the nose on Howard's face. Oil prices and interest rates are the twins of success for any Democratic hopeful. If made a part of a constant theme on the stump, hammering away at the negative economic impact on the average American, over the next several years any Democratic candidate (even John Kerry) can be formidable if not unbeatable in the next national election.
Interest rates and oil prices are the two items that cut across all lines of voter classes. Soccer moms with SUV's, Northeastern and Midwestern independents and elderly with oil heat, truckers and traveling salesmen, any manufacturers using petrochemicals, and anyone else who consumes energy are going to be enraged by $3 a gallon gasoline and $3 a gallon home heating oil. With oil passing $60 dollars a barrel this week it is entirely possible that these prices are around the corner. Howard Dean would due well to begin the chant that it is the policies of the oil men in the white house that have made this situation a reality.
Despite the fact that President Bush has little control over Alan Greenspan and his cohorts at the Federal Reserve, the blame for rising rates will be placed at his doorstep. Despite having raised rates 8 times over the past year or so it appears as though the Fed is still insistent upon maintaining a rising rate policy that if continued could conceivably invert the short term yield curve against longer term rates. This event has historically indicated the onset of a recession.
Even if monetary policy does not bring about recession there is certain to be near term repercussions from rising rates. Mortgages will become more expensive cooling the housing market and the existing interest only variable rate mortgages will rise steeply in monthly costs and will likely force marginal owners into foreclosure. This Sunday's Boston Globe reported a rise of 28% already this year in foreclosures in the Boston area.
A corresponding rise in the cost of consumer credit card debt is likely to bring about an increase in personal bankruptcies and with the new laws in this area favoring the credit card companies it will be hard for the Republicans to escape this voter wrath.
The question of course remains whether or not the Democratic party can find a consistent strategy and stay on message. Up to this point Governor Dean has been unsuccessful.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Loyal opposition
The blog is an evolution in a system that is the envy of the world. In this country it is possible to say anything (except at a college campus) on any subject. For the most part the only restrictions are those that we place on ourselves or by contemporary societal good sense (shouting fire in a theater for instance). The rise of the blogosphere illustrates perfectly how Americans take to free speech like a fish takes to water.
There are however periods of time when people of wide renown or influence need to be more reflective on the content of their comments before they make them known to the world. War time or periods of intense civil strife are examples when simple words can have an unintended effect on the national best interest.
No matter which side of the Iraq issue you may stand is irrelevant as it relates to the people that we have serving in our armed services pursuing the goal of democratic freedom for the Iraqi people. It is possible to be an ardent foe of war or national policy without undermining these people. In fact it is possible to be the loyal opposition and argue that the best interests of our fighting forces is to keep them home and not have them engage in frivolous foreign adventures or dubious and unachievable policy goals. In fact these types of arguments that are based on factual analysis should be part of our thought process as we sort out these troubled times.
Over the past months we have seen instances where the loyal opposition has deviated from a factual analysis of events and has bordered on giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Charges of the military targeting newsmen, mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Graib, and abuse of the Quran have all been reported as though it was a routine part of the way American service people act on a regular basis.
Now we have Senator Dick Durbin comparing military interrogation practices at Gitmo to Nazi, Stalin and Pol Pot regime tactics. Apparently Senator Durbin forgot that we provide prayer rugs, a menu of dishes suited to their cultural preferences, access to daily medical care and copies of the Quran to our detainees. For some of these men it could be argued that their standard of living has improved.
Durbin's comments are a perfect example of foolish inflammatory rhetoric that seems to be designed to inflict damage on the political party in power without any regard what so ever for our country's international standing or the interests of our troops.
There are however periods of time when people of wide renown or influence need to be more reflective on the content of their comments before they make them known to the world. War time or periods of intense civil strife are examples when simple words can have an unintended effect on the national best interest.
No matter which side of the Iraq issue you may stand is irrelevant as it relates to the people that we have serving in our armed services pursuing the goal of democratic freedom for the Iraqi people. It is possible to be an ardent foe of war or national policy without undermining these people. In fact it is possible to be the loyal opposition and argue that the best interests of our fighting forces is to keep them home and not have them engage in frivolous foreign adventures or dubious and unachievable policy goals. In fact these types of arguments that are based on factual analysis should be part of our thought process as we sort out these troubled times.
Over the past months we have seen instances where the loyal opposition has deviated from a factual analysis of events and has bordered on giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Charges of the military targeting newsmen, mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Graib, and abuse of the Quran have all been reported as though it was a routine part of the way American service people act on a regular basis.
Now we have Senator Dick Durbin comparing military interrogation practices at Gitmo to Nazi, Stalin and Pol Pot regime tactics. Apparently Senator Durbin forgot that we provide prayer rugs, a menu of dishes suited to their cultural preferences, access to daily medical care and copies of the Quran to our detainees. For some of these men it could be argued that their standard of living has improved.
Durbin's comments are a perfect example of foolish inflammatory rhetoric that seems to be designed to inflict damage on the political party in power without any regard what so ever for our country's international standing or the interests of our troops.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
No worries
It is amazing what the impact has been on the average Red Sox zealot in the post world series victory season. Under normal circumstances the faithful would be near apoplexy over the fact that the Sox are 3 games out of first place after 40% of the season has passed. Not so this year. Most everyone I talk with in Sox nation is quite serene about our current position. "We are 3 back and not playing our best ball yet" is the common refrain. More important than how far back is who is in front of us. No one really thinks the Orioles can sustain the lead once the hot weather comes and the Sox start hitting the ball over the sand lot. Adding to the confidence of the fan is that the Yankees seem to be coming to earth. Isn't it great that a 200 million plus payroll is currently mired in fourth place one game under .500?
So with an air of supreme confidence let's take a look at our club after 64 games played in the current season and briefly assess the performance to date and speculate on the prospects going forward.
On the positive side we can look at a relatively good year so far in the injury department. Sure Schilling has been hurt and David Wells missed a few games with a sore foot but for the most part the rest of the line up has been injury free. There is some concern that Keith Foulke might have some back problems but he has had this in the past without major loss of effectiveness.
The offensive side of the equation so far has been about what should be expected. This is a club that can flat out kill the ball. Johnny Damon has continued his excellent play as he has been at or near the top in batting average and on base percentage. David Ortiz continues his assault on the ball with 16 home runs and 52 RBI's and certainly projects out to another monster season over the 162 game schedule. Jason Varitek has combined his usual defensive and leadership performance with what may project out to be a career year for him at the plate. At this point he has amassed 11 home runs and a .326 batting average. Trot Nixon and Bill Mueller have turned in workman like seasons so far in right field and third base respectively. These two along with Varitek seem to embody a no nonsense workmen like attitude that is the cornerstone of any winning clubhouse.
What makes the offensive potential of the club scary going forward is the fact that several of the major hitters have gotten off to sluggish starts. Manny Ramirez has turned in some good power numbers with 14 home runs and 50 RBI however he has only hit at a very un-Manny like .256. It is hard to imagine that the best right handed hitter in the American League is going to continue at that pace. Edgar Renteria, this year's major free agent acquisition at short stop had gotten off to a miserable start until he went on a tear in the last Yankee series. With each passing day his comfort level will increase and he is sure to return to the norm which translates into one of the best hitters at his position in the majors. Typically frigid starting Kevin Millar has begun to hit the ball with authority. Similar to last year when the Sox acquired Doug Mientkiewicz, the addition of John Olerude at first base seems to have brought out Millar's competitive spirit.
The key of course to this year's fortunes rest with the pitching staff. There have been two very pleasant surprises so far. Matt Clement appears to be a certified horse. He is 7 and 1 to date with a 3.70 ERA and 69 strike outs in 14 starts. Although only having 7 starts to date it looks as though Theo's gamble on free agent Wade Miller was cheap money well spent. David Well's has been pretty much as advertised. He is 5 and 4 to date however his last two efforts have been things of beauty. He shut out the Cardinals and last night gave up one hit in 7 brilliant innings against the Reds. Wells is a money pitcher and as his foot completely heals we are likely to see more of this type of effort. Bronson Arroyo and Tim Wakefield round out the starting staff and have been steady if unspectacular to date. The question mark is when will Schilling return? If he is healthy and back by the all star break and has time to round into form he would be an enormous boost to the club. In addition Theo has some money left over for a stretch run acquisition and if the Yankees are out of it there would be one deep pocket competitor out of the running for any trading deadline star players on the market.
The one major area of concern has been the bull pen. What was a major strength of the club has become a source of weakness. Foulke has been shaky in late innings and Embree has been eminently hittable. Theo expressed his displeasure this week by stating the obvious, "if the job isn't getting done there will be some changes". The bull pen is perhaps the place where Theo might spend some money if Schilling's able to return at or near his historic effectiveness.
All in all I like our chances. We are within a week end series of catching the Orioles and the Yankee's age might finally be catching up to them. Don't count on it however. It is likely that the standings will revert to form and we will have a pitched battle down to the end of the season between the Sox and Yanks. One ominous develoment this year is the play of the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins. It is entirely possible that this year the wild card will not come from our division. This makes it vitally important that we win the division outright. No worries though, we are the champions until some one takes it from us!
So with an air of supreme confidence let's take a look at our club after 64 games played in the current season and briefly assess the performance to date and speculate on the prospects going forward.
On the positive side we can look at a relatively good year so far in the injury department. Sure Schilling has been hurt and David Wells missed a few games with a sore foot but for the most part the rest of the line up has been injury free. There is some concern that Keith Foulke might have some back problems but he has had this in the past without major loss of effectiveness.
The offensive side of the equation so far has been about what should be expected. This is a club that can flat out kill the ball. Johnny Damon has continued his excellent play as he has been at or near the top in batting average and on base percentage. David Ortiz continues his assault on the ball with 16 home runs and 52 RBI's and certainly projects out to another monster season over the 162 game schedule. Jason Varitek has combined his usual defensive and leadership performance with what may project out to be a career year for him at the plate. At this point he has amassed 11 home runs and a .326 batting average. Trot Nixon and Bill Mueller have turned in workman like seasons so far in right field and third base respectively. These two along with Varitek seem to embody a no nonsense workmen like attitude that is the cornerstone of any winning clubhouse.
What makes the offensive potential of the club scary going forward is the fact that several of the major hitters have gotten off to sluggish starts. Manny Ramirez has turned in some good power numbers with 14 home runs and 50 RBI however he has only hit at a very un-Manny like .256. It is hard to imagine that the best right handed hitter in the American League is going to continue at that pace. Edgar Renteria, this year's major free agent acquisition at short stop had gotten off to a miserable start until he went on a tear in the last Yankee series. With each passing day his comfort level will increase and he is sure to return to the norm which translates into one of the best hitters at his position in the majors. Typically frigid starting Kevin Millar has begun to hit the ball with authority. Similar to last year when the Sox acquired Doug Mientkiewicz, the addition of John Olerude at first base seems to have brought out Millar's competitive spirit.
The key of course to this year's fortunes rest with the pitching staff. There have been two very pleasant surprises so far. Matt Clement appears to be a certified horse. He is 7 and 1 to date with a 3.70 ERA and 69 strike outs in 14 starts. Although only having 7 starts to date it looks as though Theo's gamble on free agent Wade Miller was cheap money well spent. David Well's has been pretty much as advertised. He is 5 and 4 to date however his last two efforts have been things of beauty. He shut out the Cardinals and last night gave up one hit in 7 brilliant innings against the Reds. Wells is a money pitcher and as his foot completely heals we are likely to see more of this type of effort. Bronson Arroyo and Tim Wakefield round out the starting staff and have been steady if unspectacular to date. The question mark is when will Schilling return? If he is healthy and back by the all star break and has time to round into form he would be an enormous boost to the club. In addition Theo has some money left over for a stretch run acquisition and if the Yankees are out of it there would be one deep pocket competitor out of the running for any trading deadline star players on the market.
The one major area of concern has been the bull pen. What was a major strength of the club has become a source of weakness. Foulke has been shaky in late innings and Embree has been eminently hittable. Theo expressed his displeasure this week by stating the obvious, "if the job isn't getting done there will be some changes". The bull pen is perhaps the place where Theo might spend some money if Schilling's able to return at or near his historic effectiveness.
All in all I like our chances. We are within a week end series of catching the Orioles and the Yankee's age might finally be catching up to them. Don't count on it however. It is likely that the standings will revert to form and we will have a pitched battle down to the end of the season between the Sox and Yanks. One ominous develoment this year is the play of the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins. It is entirely possible that this year the wild card will not come from our division. This makes it vitally important that we win the division outright. No worries though, we are the champions until some one takes it from us!
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Clueless at the Globe
Today's Globe editorial today entitled "Clueless on Korea" available here http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/06/11/clueless_on_korea/ should give all us of pause to be thankful that none of these people are in charge of anything more important than a small space in a newspaper. How on earth do they arrive at the conclusion that Bush has splintered the fence of relations between South Korea and the United States? Have they forgotten that it was the North Koreans who broke the Clinton sponsored appeasement that allegedly ended the North's pursuit of weapons grade material? Have they forgotten that a leader of a major South Korean conglomerate was convicted for his involvement in the "sunshine policy" in bribing the North?
After Clinton bribed "Dear Leader" with tons of fuel and food aid and light water reactors the North still advanced its weapons program. Now even though we have the least to gain in the region from another attempt at a Chamberlain like "peace in our time" deal, the Globe suggests that Bush should lead the way in providing an American aid package. Apparently the Globe prefers an arrangement analagous to that which Larry Summers provided. Insult some overly sensitive people and then bribe them with a nice package. The Globe fails to mention that 4 of the top ten wealthiest economies in the world are the prinicipal beneficiaries of stability in the region. If a bribe package is going to be put together let the Chinese, Japanese, South Koreans and Taiwanese pay for it.
The North is teetering on collapse and any suggestion of an effort by the United States to prop this muderer up is utter and complete foolishness. The Bush doctrine of treating the North Koreans as part of an "axis of evil" is entirely correct. The editorial may be correct in suggesting that the United States does not have a military option in dealing with them but that option has even less availability to the North. The ultimate solution to the problem is to let the the North implode on its own and subsequently be unified with the South. A unified, democratic Korea that harbors historic fear of Japanese and Chinese domination will be an ally worth dealing with.
It amazes me how much space for indignation the Globe can devote to "Dear Leader" being insulted or the Koran being defaced or a few prisoners being mistreated at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. In the interest of even a shallow attempt at fairness how about some coverage of the number of North Koreans murdered by famine http://www.kimsoft.com/1997/nk-fam98.htm or the secret police or perhaps attempts to identify 300,000 murdered Iraquis http://massgraves.info/. How about a story on Muslim involvement in slavery, or even a story pointing out what the real meaning of Gulag is instead of Amnesty International's poor use of the word?
Asking the Globe to bring some semblance of balance to issues of importance to their readers does not make the Globe a facist or nationalist organ nor does it corrupt any particular idealistic or cynical world view that the editorial board might possess. It does however make good business sense. There is only so much of this left wing nonsense that a subscriber can absorb before they have to consider their money wasted on this paper.
After Clinton bribed "Dear Leader" with tons of fuel and food aid and light water reactors the North still advanced its weapons program. Now even though we have the least to gain in the region from another attempt at a Chamberlain like "peace in our time" deal, the Globe suggests that Bush should lead the way in providing an American aid package. Apparently the Globe prefers an arrangement analagous to that which Larry Summers provided. Insult some overly sensitive people and then bribe them with a nice package. The Globe fails to mention that 4 of the top ten wealthiest economies in the world are the prinicipal beneficiaries of stability in the region. If a bribe package is going to be put together let the Chinese, Japanese, South Koreans and Taiwanese pay for it.
The North is teetering on collapse and any suggestion of an effort by the United States to prop this muderer up is utter and complete foolishness. The Bush doctrine of treating the North Koreans as part of an "axis of evil" is entirely correct. The editorial may be correct in suggesting that the United States does not have a military option in dealing with them but that option has even less availability to the North. The ultimate solution to the problem is to let the the North implode on its own and subsequently be unified with the South. A unified, democratic Korea that harbors historic fear of Japanese and Chinese domination will be an ally worth dealing with.
It amazes me how much space for indignation the Globe can devote to "Dear Leader" being insulted or the Koran being defaced or a few prisoners being mistreated at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. In the interest of even a shallow attempt at fairness how about some coverage of the number of North Koreans murdered by famine http://www.kimsoft.com/1997/nk-fam98.htm or the secret police or perhaps attempts to identify 300,000 murdered Iraquis http://massgraves.info/. How about a story on Muslim involvement in slavery, or even a story pointing out what the real meaning of Gulag is instead of Amnesty International's poor use of the word?
Asking the Globe to bring some semblance of balance to issues of importance to their readers does not make the Globe a facist or nationalist organ nor does it corrupt any particular idealistic or cynical world view that the editorial board might possess. It does however make good business sense. There is only so much of this left wing nonsense that a subscriber can absorb before they have to consider their money wasted on this paper.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Shut up Howard
In my formative years I can remember my mother admonishing me for telling my siblings to shut up. She told me that it was rude and not very nice in general. In accordance with Murphy's Law of parenting this would come back to bite her when she had to yell at me to shut up when I was becoming more than just a regular obnoxious brat. I would be quick to point out to her that it was rude to tell me to shut up. Of course I was sure to be out of reach when I said it because this would be just at the breaking point of her patience and a swat might be justifiably headed my way.
If my very Democratic mother were here today she would be telling DNC chairman Howard Dean to shut up and apparently she would not be the only one in the party to share this sentiment . Over the last several weeks Congressman Barney Frank, and Senator Joe Biden and and former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards have split with Dean over some of his more caustic remarks regarding Tom Delay.
You would think that Howard might take the hint and tone down his remarks just a tad. No such luck. In fact Howard Dean seems to be doing as much as he can to alienate as many moderate working Republicans as he can. The one quote among many questionable ones that has gotten a lot of air time was this beauty "a lot of Republicans have never made an honest living in their lives."
It would be one thing if these comments were raising the eyebrows of the opposition but what is clear in some recent commentary is that Dean's behavior is beginning to scare the left wing of the party. By scare I mean the left understands that to restore the Democratic party to the white house requires holding the base and adding a good deal of moderate Americans both Republican and Democrat alike to support the 2008 candidate. This type of angry and inaccurate rhetoric is just the thing to repel these voters.
There are number good pieces printed today that highlight the potential for damage if he continues his present course. The one that speaks directly to the issue for Dean is available here http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-6_8_05_SE.html from former Dukakis presidential campaign manager Susan Estrich.
An even more obvious hint to tone down his rhetoric comes from none other than that bastion of leftwingers and my own on the door step paper, The Boston Globe. It takes an awful lot to make the Globe appear to be a moderating influence but that is just what they are trying to do in this piece http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/06/08/dean_of_insults/
There is still plenty of time left for Dean to alter his course and exploit the weakness of the Republicans. If he doesn't change direction soon he is going to be faced with rebellion in his own ranks and will soon be hearing very loud calls for his ouster.
If my very Democratic mother were here today she would be telling DNC chairman Howard Dean to shut up and apparently she would not be the only one in the party to share this sentiment . Over the last several weeks Congressman Barney Frank, and Senator Joe Biden and and former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards have split with Dean over some of his more caustic remarks regarding Tom Delay.
You would think that Howard might take the hint and tone down his remarks just a tad. No such luck. In fact Howard Dean seems to be doing as much as he can to alienate as many moderate working Republicans as he can. The one quote among many questionable ones that has gotten a lot of air time was this beauty "a lot of Republicans have never made an honest living in their lives."
It would be one thing if these comments were raising the eyebrows of the opposition but what is clear in some recent commentary is that Dean's behavior is beginning to scare the left wing of the party. By scare I mean the left understands that to restore the Democratic party to the white house requires holding the base and adding a good deal of moderate Americans both Republican and Democrat alike to support the 2008 candidate. This type of angry and inaccurate rhetoric is just the thing to repel these voters.
There are number good pieces printed today that highlight the potential for damage if he continues his present course. The one that speaks directly to the issue for Dean is available here http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/com-6_8_05_SE.html from former Dukakis presidential campaign manager Susan Estrich.
An even more obvious hint to tone down his rhetoric comes from none other than that bastion of leftwingers and my own on the door step paper, The Boston Globe. It takes an awful lot to make the Globe appear to be a moderating influence but that is just what they are trying to do in this piece http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/06/08/dean_of_insults/
There is still plenty of time left for Dean to alter his course and exploit the weakness of the Republicans. If he doesn't change direction soon he is going to be faced with rebellion in his own ranks and will soon be hearing very loud calls for his ouster.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Not many secrets here
It had to happen eventually, for no other reason than Woodward and Bernstein still had another book to write. With this week's revelation that former number two man at the FBI, Mark Felt was the famous "Deep throat", it is now time to end the Watergate saga and add the last chapter to American history. It is unfortunate that for the most part we will not hear directly from Felt what his motivation was in providing Woodward and Bernstein with classified information on an investigation being conducted by the Bureau. Soon to be 92 in August Mr. Felt has been reported to have some memory lapses. Since when he was of sound mind and body he consistently denied being the source of the Watergate leaks one can assume that Mr. Felt would have preferred to have gone to the grave without having the public know his identity. Had he had great pride in helping to bring down a presidency or wanted to cash in on his fame we would have heard from him long ago.
A short biography of Mr. Felt can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Mark_Felt and what is clear is that during his tenure at the FBI he was privy to many scandalous events yet apparently this was the only one he chose to become intimately involved in with the press. At this point it hardly makes any difference as to whether Mr. Felt was a deeply concerned patriot or simply a jilted employee who was devastated by President Nixon when he bypassed Felt to replace J. Edgar Hoover as Director of the FBI in favor of L. Patrick Gray. If revenge was Felt's motive than he certainly got even in spades. It is interesting to note that apparently while no one else in the country knew who "Deep throat" was President Nixon certainly had a pretty good idea.
Having followed the events surrounding Watergate with great interest over the years there are always two things that I come back to that I find unique and fascinating about our country and how we dealt with this and other great scandals. One is the transition of power and two is freedom of the press.
The President of the United States is arguably the most powerful man in the world yet despite this power Nixon was brought down without a shot. It was not arms and volleys of fire that ended the Nixon reign, instead it was a steady stream of words that exposed the corrupt elements of his presidency that brought the slow and inexorable end to Nixon. Nixon may have a mixed legacy in American history but to his credit he conformed to the system which ultimately brought him down. His final act of resistance was to stand in the door of his helicopter and wave the V for victory symbol over his head with both hands. In the annals of world history that is hardly the way deposed leaders have departed from the seat of power.
The power of a free press was exhibited in not a very unusual way here. It was the story that was big but not the way in which it came to the fore. Politicians, government workers, cops, soldiers, and Americans in every other walk of life know almost instinctively that the press is always a tool that can be used or exploited in order to achieve ones goals in our system of governing. Reporters phones are ringing all over the country with little tips of information coming from participants who for reasons of pride, revenge, mean spiritedness or duty feel the need to see a certain issue find the light of day. Reporters of course for varying reasons of their own are always eager to receive and print information from sources wishing to be unnamed, anonymous or in deep background. American's rarely can keep a secret.
A short biography of Mr. Felt can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Mark_Felt and what is clear is that during his tenure at the FBI he was privy to many scandalous events yet apparently this was the only one he chose to become intimately involved in with the press. At this point it hardly makes any difference as to whether Mr. Felt was a deeply concerned patriot or simply a jilted employee who was devastated by President Nixon when he bypassed Felt to replace J. Edgar Hoover as Director of the FBI in favor of L. Patrick Gray. If revenge was Felt's motive than he certainly got even in spades. It is interesting to note that apparently while no one else in the country knew who "Deep throat" was President Nixon certainly had a pretty good idea.
Having followed the events surrounding Watergate with great interest over the years there are always two things that I come back to that I find unique and fascinating about our country and how we dealt with this and other great scandals. One is the transition of power and two is freedom of the press.
The President of the United States is arguably the most powerful man in the world yet despite this power Nixon was brought down without a shot. It was not arms and volleys of fire that ended the Nixon reign, instead it was a steady stream of words that exposed the corrupt elements of his presidency that brought the slow and inexorable end to Nixon. Nixon may have a mixed legacy in American history but to his credit he conformed to the system which ultimately brought him down. His final act of resistance was to stand in the door of his helicopter and wave the V for victory symbol over his head with both hands. In the annals of world history that is hardly the way deposed leaders have departed from the seat of power.
The power of a free press was exhibited in not a very unusual way here. It was the story that was big but not the way in which it came to the fore. Politicians, government workers, cops, soldiers, and Americans in every other walk of life know almost instinctively that the press is always a tool that can be used or exploited in order to achieve ones goals in our system of governing. Reporters phones are ringing all over the country with little tips of information coming from participants who for reasons of pride, revenge, mean spiritedness or duty feel the need to see a certain issue find the light of day. Reporters of course for varying reasons of their own are always eager to receive and print information from sources wishing to be unnamed, anonymous or in deep background. American's rarely can keep a secret.
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