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This is the forum for me to report and comment on the U.S. and World Political and Economic Scene. We are living in an ever-changing and ever-fascinating world which continues to surprise me every day. Thank you for visiting my forum and your support of this lifelong project.
I reported earlier on the great news that the Housing Rescue Bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Some Republicans in Congress, it seems, just don't get it that the country needs a strong shot in the arm. The Congress has stepped up. Chris Dodd and Richard Shelby, the two key Senators on the Banking Committee made it happen. Even President Bush backed off his veto threat because he understood how bad things are (not withstanding a joke he made at an event in Texas).
I don't understand the nay-sayers. I am trying to figure them out. I don't understand why Government continues to be under attack when in fact it is the only entity that can truly insure that no one is left behind. The Congressman, whom I believe is Scott Barker, who was making all these assertions just wanted to basically do nothing and let the market ride it out. Well, it was left to the markets which caused the disaster we've got before us. The leaders stepped up..and I congratulate them. I also wanted to make sure the work that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson had done was noted. It all started with the Treasury Secretary making sure the White House understood how serious things were. Hank Paulson is one of those guys who deserves a Presidential Medal of Freedom. If there was some sort of a national poll, he would be on the top of my list.
I remain hopeful....despite all the challenges......
I have periodically talked about Dick Morris and his writings. He has got a keen political mind and I think his advise must be listened to by the McCain Campaign. I think he's way off base because he's advocating pretty much an open-ended committment to Iraq. The bottom line is this: The Government wants the U.S. out. There are many, many factions within the government and who knows where the Prime Minister will survive or not. The United States Government needs to realize that Iran is influential and denying it is denying the facts on the ground. Senator Hagel, in his Foreign policy article on U.S. Challenges, pointed it out as such. The choices are stark and none of them are as pleasant as it appears.
Here is his article, courtesy of DickMorris.com:
MCCAIN'S WAY FORWARD
By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN
Published in The New York Post on July 23, 2008.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has cut the legs out from under John McCain by basically endorsing Sen. Barack Obama's troop-withdrawal plan.
Just when McCain had Obama on the defensive over the Democrat's plan to surrender after we've won in Iraq, Maliki has made McCain look the naïf for opposing a timetable for withdrawal.
Unless McCain changes his approach, he's lost the use of this issue. He can't come out for staying in Iraq longer than the government we support wants.
The Republican needs to shift the debate to Iraq's future. Neither Obama's belaboring of his previous opposition to the war nor McCain's attacking the Democrat's opposition to the surge is relevant - both lines are history lessons best left in the classroom. What voters want to know is: What now?
McCain needs to hammer at one basic theme: that Obama's pullout plan will lead to a third Iraq war. The Democrat wants to keep substantial numbers of troops next door, to go back into Iraq if necessary. McCain should stress that a premature withdrawal will lead to a collapse - losing the hard-won stability in Iraq, opening the door to an Iranian takeover and al Qaeda revival, and potentially forcing a new US invasion.
Obama isn't a peace candidate, McCain can say - just an advocate of a deferred war. Just as the first President George Bush left the ingredients in place for a second war when he failed to depose Saddam Hussein in 1991, so Obama will fail to finish the job and invite yet another war if he abandons Iraq before our gains have been consolidated.
With Ralph Nader running on a strict antiwar platform, Obama is vulnerable on the left. If he seems to falter on a withdrawal from Iraq, or leave the door open to re-entry, McCain's attacks can drive liberals away from the Democrat.
It's literally true that if McCain is elected, there will be fewer US deaths in Iraq than there will be if Obama prevails. By pulling out only when it's safe to do so, McCain would finish the job and allow a peaceful transition to a stable democratic government. If we pull out too fast - and then have to go back in - the casualties will be many times those we now face.
Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns!
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One of the many inspirations that led me to launch this lifelong effort was to report on the challenges and the opportunities by reporting and analyzing what is going on within the political realm. I also wanted to report on the trends I see that the United States must be aware of. One such trend which is very bothersome is US Research Supremacy. It is the title of an Article by Charles Baden-Fuller which appeared in a recent edition of the Financial Times. (http://www.ft.com). Mr. Baden-Fuller is Professor of Strategy at the Cass Business School. He is noting that the share of of research, "....carried out by US institutions will drop below 50 percent of the total within the next two years." This trend is disturbing because part of the edge the U.S. has had has been in research. His focus was on management. That's even more disturbing in light of the continued disindustralization of the United States. The edge has been in information and "creating the future" as Tom Friedman reminded us in his book, the World is Flat. We have to be worried and muster all our energy. Yet, we continue to talk about sending more troops to Afghanistan and continuing a never-ending war on Terror. The way to win the war is through education, opportunity and empowerment. I see the principle I noted frankly not being followed and sacrificed for short-term misguided goals.
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Al Jazeera is reporting that General James Jones, the U.S. Special Envoy, is about to issue a report that would be extremely critical of the conduct of the Israelis and by extension, the Bush Adminstration. The talk is that the White House may stop the report. If it is in fact true, it goes a pattern prevalent over the past seven and a half years of political interference and the pursuit of a narrow political agenda. Leaders must constantly look at the entire spectre of issues and understand the implications of the decisions they make. Attacks against civilians is reprehensible and cannot be allowed to continue. The only way to overcome such hostility to create an atmosphere of trust and opportunity. I sense that the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank want only that. I don't know if the Israelis have decided on a answer yet. The settlement development is continuing. The so-called security wall is continuing. The Gaza Blockade is continuing. Checkpoints are continuing unabatted. I pray that both sides can come to their senses.
The simple thing we have to remember is to make sure the human rights of all is respected. Although there are disagreements with how Israel has pursued its' security strategy, I submit that the Palestinians have not helped their cause one bit. Part of the problem (and I'll be researching more about it and report on it) is the corruption of Fatah. I especially remember a man by the name of Mohammad Dahlan, who apparently had gold plated faucets in his house while the majority of Gazans were dependent on food handouts from the UN and other NGO's. Leaders have to be humble and live up to that humility. Reality is otherwise, though.
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Argentina is in trouble politically. When I was following the Argentine election, I asked a number of my Argentine Friends with Christina Fernandez had a chance or not. The consesus was that she would get it no matter what. Her husband, Nestor, seems to be the power behind the throne. But, they have been playing with statistics to mask the true nature of the problems the country has, the farmers have been in near revolt and a number of key aides have resigned. When I look at Argentina, I think about the United States. The U.S. came to mind because of how for instance the statistics on unemployment is being reported. At least, in the U.S., we still have a culture of questioning authority. We have to be even more aware to avoid having some of the other basket cases of countries who seem to be springing up throughout the world.
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The U.S. House has passed the Housing Bill!!! And President Bush has withdrawn his veto threat. It truly appears that the Congress and the Adminstration are truly starting to realize the calamity we're faced with. Foreclosures continue to rise and the economy continues to go from bad to worst. This is the bill that will reitrate the accepted fact that the United States Government stands behind the cousins. It also sets in motion certain mechanism to help those in distress. I view this bill provides a ray of hope in an otherwise gloomy environment we are operating in. Furthermore, we seem to be getting a break on the price of oil. I have seen a 5% reduction in the gas prices and the price per barrell is around $ 130/Barrel. We should not relax. We should begin the process of getting off the oil binge now. Al Gore, T.Boone Pickens and others have given us a challenge. We have to embrace that challenge now for the sake of our children. It is simply the right thing to do. Beyond that, it is also smart business. Walmart, McDonalds and others have begun to understand that.
As I write this, I am attending a webcast at the AlwaysOn Summitt. A company called Albeo is presenting a technology called Solid State Lighting. The need to move towards the next stage in energy consumption must be understood and realizing the savings and the efficiencies is the opportunity that our political leaders must work to embrace. Politics is the art of the possible and the need to compromise is vital in this. But, some principles should not be compromised on. Our planet's health should be at the top of any list. Savvy businessmen have realized it. Whether politicans will step up is another matter.
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Barack Obama is visiting Israel. He has been meeting with the political leaders. He has also worked to reaffirm the U.S. Long-standing committment to Israel. He met with Mahmoud Abbas for about 45 minutes. He noted that he would do what he can for the Palestinians and the Israelis to come to a joint peace. The rights of Palestinians has to be addressed. It seems as if the rights of Palestinians will be secondary. As I think this through and comment on it further, I continue to believe that the election of Barack Obama will bring a sea change in policy. Doing more of the same, though, will not cut it.
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Iran's Clerk-President spoke on the nuclear issue. The BBC notes that he vowed that Iran would not give an inch regarding the nuclear issue. The actual headline, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency, was that the "The Iranian Nation will turn the celebrations by the west and force the world to regret and to once again retreat." In the same vain, he welcomed the participation of the United States Government in the talks. The contraction of the rhetroic is striking. Iran's pubic stance is suprising, disappointing and frankly confusing. They ought to figure out whether they want to nudge the country forward. I should not be surprised. This is a country that condonese stoning in public. The key is what Khameini will say before the two week deadline.
The final chapter is yet to be written...That's for sure......
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Dick Morris, Bill Clinton's fomer political maestro and now the darling of the right-wing talking head circuit, struck again. He had a column the other day blasting Senator Obama's Healthcare plan as a means to cover the illegal aliens. Dick Morris played to the politics of fear and misinformation (a Karl Rove speciality). One thing these talking heads need to get through their head is to answer the simple question: Is Healthcare a right or a privilege? If it something reserved for the super-rich, then the rest of us need to just drop dead now. If it is a right, then we ought to figure out how we should insure basic healthcare for all. For a country that spends 1.5 Trillion Dollars a year on Healthcare , we can surely figure out a better way than now. The system is broken...and whatever staistics given won't change that. Not only it is moral, it is also smart economically. GM and Ford are being driven to the ground simply because they can't afford the generous health benefits. Dick Morris and the other consevative talking heads need to open the eyes and see the true challenge, not the imaginary challenges which led us to the predicement we are in no.
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John McCain's campaign has been on a roll. It has worked to gain maximum mileage out of a rejection by the New York Times of a piece submitted by the Senator. In checking CNN's politics page today, it was still there. With all that is going on, it seems that more analysis and reflection could be the order of the day. As for the media being in love with Obama, I am not sure that also holds water. There are those who do provide favorable coverage. Chief among them is the Huffington Post, the Liberal Blog--although it likes to think of itself as more of a mere blog. John McCain, in my view, has a credibility deficit simply because he is the nominee of a party whose ideology has nearly bankrupted this country. Until Senator McCain figures out to truly present a different vision, he will have a tough time overcoming the Obama streamroller as November draws closer and closer. The coverage of Senator Obama's overseas trip is a distraction. Just like all news cycles, it will die off. The real fight will begin in about a month and that's the fight that I am yearning to see to see who will be the last man standing. Senator Obama and the Obama campaign team need to realize what a fighter Senator McCain is. So, this rhetoric coming out of the McCain posturing and the frustruation is just all show to me. Senator McCain will put up a fight and will go down fighting. Senator Obama's campaign needs to understand it. For Senator Obama's sake, I hope they do.
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198 Posts dating from June 2008
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Mike Pouraryan
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