Today, Italy agreed to pay Libya $5b as compensation for a five year occupation that ended in 1943.
Glad to see world leaders are thinking ahead with a keen mind towards the future.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Cookie time
Ah Jeremy. Of course you're going to toe the party line; nobody expected anything less than that. But aside from the fact that you picked Palin about a month ago, nothing much goes right for you.
You allege that Palin's "not someone McCain picked off the street." Yes, this is true. However, he did have 270 other elected officials to choose from (the number of Republicans in the House, the Senate, and Governor's mansions combined), to say nothing of the former officials and businesspeople. So if he had picked, say, Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), who was elected in 2006, it wouldn't be a completely random pick, but it would be questionable, experience-wise.
Also, she has only fought against corruption when she needed to. Back in 2006 Ted Stevens wasn't indicted, and it's easy to say now that she fought against the machine. To be clear, she fought against Governor Frank Murkowski and his 19% approval rating. Here is an ad Palin aired during her 2006 campaign, after she had already disposed of Murkowski in the primary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o46YdvT3lwQ. Yes, she sure is fighting hard against corrupt Ted Stevens.
But the most baffling part of your argument is that "this all proves that even Democrats feel Obama is entirely unqualified to be President." First of all, being mayor of a town of 9000 isn't a spectacular achievement. A 19-year old college student can be elected mayor of a town of 38,000, yet nobody would ever say that he is ready to be president. To get my cookie, I'll say this: being on the City Council of Wasilla, AK is a nice jumping point to higher office, such as mayor, but it in no way helps one prepare to be President, let alone Vice President. And to say that her thin executive experience somehow trumps Barack Obama's semi-thin experience is a joke. Two years ago, she was the ex-mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Two years ago, Barack Obama was still a U.S. Senator.
She and Barack Obama both got elected to semi-legitimate office in 1996 (no, the Wasilla City Council still doesn't count). I think everyone, with the possible exception of you, Jeremy, will agree that being in the Illinois State Senate, representing a district containing much of the South Side of Chicago, is more impressive than being mayor of a town of 9000. In 2002 Palin retired for four years, while Obama served for two more years in the IL Senate. In 2004 Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate, the highest legislative body in the country, while Palin continued to do nothing. Finally, in 2006, she was elected governor of Alaska, and has served in that capacity for one and a half years. And Obama has only missed 23% of votes over the past three and a half years, meaning he has "really" served in the Senate for two and a half years.
So on to the math.... Palin: 6 (years as mayor of Wasilla) + 1.5 (years as governor) = 7.5
Obama: 8 (years in the IL State Senate) + 2.5 ("Ruch" years in the U.S. Senate) = 10.5
And this isn't even including Obama's years as a community organizer and law professor in Chicago. What was Palin doing during those years? She worked as a sports reporter in Anchorage, and then worked in commercial fishing with her husband. As for Paul Begala, I was very interested to read what he had to say about the subject on CNN.com: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/29/begala.palin/index.html.
One doesn't definitively need 20 years in Washington or 8 years as governor to be ready to be president. But what you do need is to be able to convince people that you're able to serve. Obama can intelligently speak at length about all matters ranging from the housing crisis to the War in Iraq. He has led on many important issues in the Senate, and has a unique ability to communicate with voters and understand their problems. He has proven that he is ready to be president. Sarah Palin is nowhere near that. Jeremy, you even admit that she doesn't have foreign policy experience, but does have executive experience. But what good is any amount of executive experience when you haven't done anything with it?
Her approval rating now stands at 64%, she denies that global warming is man-made, she was for the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it, her non-Alaska related political views put her only slightly to the left of Pat Buchanan (a man whose presidential campaign she supported in 1996 and 2000), and she is currently caught up in a hiring and firing corrpution scandal. It doesn't seem like she's made much good use of her one and a half years in office.
There are still many problems with the Palin pick, but to avoid rambling any more, I'll save listing those for another post. But until then, I'll leave you with a few quotes from Alaskans about their governor:
PPS: Can you also mail a cookie to this person?: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/30/102718/819/638/580087
You allege that Palin's "not someone McCain picked off the street." Yes, this is true. However, he did have 270 other elected officials to choose from (the number of Republicans in the House, the Senate, and Governor's mansions combined), to say nothing of the former officials and businesspeople. So if he had picked, say, Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), who was elected in 2006, it wouldn't be a completely random pick, but it would be questionable, experience-wise.
Also, she has only fought against corruption when she needed to. Back in 2006 Ted Stevens wasn't indicted, and it's easy to say now that she fought against the machine. To be clear, she fought against Governor Frank Murkowski and his 19% approval rating. Here is an ad Palin aired during her 2006 campaign, after she had already disposed of Murkowski in the primary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o46YdvT3lwQ. Yes, she sure is fighting hard against corrupt Ted Stevens.
But the most baffling part of your argument is that "this all proves that even Democrats feel Obama is entirely unqualified to be President." First of all, being mayor of a town of 9000 isn't a spectacular achievement. A 19-year old college student can be elected mayor of a town of 38,000, yet nobody would ever say that he is ready to be president. To get my cookie, I'll say this: being on the City Council of Wasilla, AK is a nice jumping point to higher office, such as mayor, but it in no way helps one prepare to be President, let alone Vice President. And to say that her thin executive experience somehow trumps Barack Obama's semi-thin experience is a joke. Two years ago, she was the ex-mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. Two years ago, Barack Obama was still a U.S. Senator.
She and Barack Obama both got elected to semi-legitimate office in 1996 (no, the Wasilla City Council still doesn't count). I think everyone, with the possible exception of you, Jeremy, will agree that being in the Illinois State Senate, representing a district containing much of the South Side of Chicago, is more impressive than being mayor of a town of 9000. In 2002 Palin retired for four years, while Obama served for two more years in the IL Senate. In 2004 Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate, the highest legislative body in the country, while Palin continued to do nothing. Finally, in 2006, she was elected governor of Alaska, and has served in that capacity for one and a half years. And Obama has only missed 23% of votes over the past three and a half years, meaning he has "really" served in the Senate for two and a half years.
So on to the math.... Palin: 6 (years as mayor of Wasilla) + 1.5 (years as governor) = 7.5
Obama: 8 (years in the IL State Senate) + 2.5 ("Ruch" years in the U.S. Senate) = 10.5
And this isn't even including Obama's years as a community organizer and law professor in Chicago. What was Palin doing during those years? She worked as a sports reporter in Anchorage, and then worked in commercial fishing with her husband. As for Paul Begala, I was very interested to read what he had to say about the subject on CNN.com: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/29/begala.palin/index.html.
One doesn't definitively need 20 years in Washington or 8 years as governor to be ready to be president. But what you do need is to be able to convince people that you're able to serve. Obama can intelligently speak at length about all matters ranging from the housing crisis to the War in Iraq. He has led on many important issues in the Senate, and has a unique ability to communicate with voters and understand their problems. He has proven that he is ready to be president. Sarah Palin is nowhere near that. Jeremy, you even admit that she doesn't have foreign policy experience, but does have executive experience. But what good is any amount of executive experience when you haven't done anything with it?
Her approval rating now stands at 64%, she denies that global warming is man-made, she was for the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it, her non-Alaska related political views put her only slightly to the left of Pat Buchanan (a man whose presidential campaign she supported in 1996 and 2000), and she is currently caught up in a hiring and firing corrpution scandal. It doesn't seem like she's made much good use of her one and a half years in office.
There are still many problems with the Palin pick, but to avoid rambling any more, I'll save listing those for another post. But until then, I'll leave you with a few quotes from Alaskans about their governor:
- "She's not prepared to be governor. How can she be prepared to be vice president or president? Look at what she's done to this state. What would she do to the nation?" --Alaska GOP Senate leader Lyda Green, who hails from Wasilla
- "She has never publicly demonstrated the kind of interest, much less expertise, in federal issues and foreign affairs that should mark a candidate for the second-highest office in the land." --The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
- "If you took a poll of reporters and legislators I expect her approval rating would be down in the teens or twenties." --Anchorage Daily News columnist Gregg Erickson
PPS: Can you also mail a cookie to this person?: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/30/102718/819/638/580087
A brilliant pick
Okay, so I'm a little biased (in an act of sheer genius and extraordinariy foresight--as well as exemplary modesty-- I called for this exact pick a few weeks ago).
Truth is, after hearing a day of Democrat attacks, I'm even more convinced. First things first-- energy may well be the defining issue of the campaign. McCain's running (rightly, I think) on the principle that energy must be found in any way possible, regardless of environmental concerns, and picking someone from Alaska cements that idea (although he doesn't, as she does, support drilling in ANWR).
Palin has been a fantastic Governor-- she's not someone McCain picked off the street. Her approval ratings are in the 90's-- I think even Putin's here in Russia are lower than that. She was elected Governor by lambasting Republicans for corruption (Ten Stevens, anyone?) and calling for ethics reform, and has made her living trying to root out rampant corruption in her state.
But more importantly, far from undercutting McCain's message, this all proves that even Democrats feel Obama is entirely unqualified to be President. How? Yesterday, an Obama spokesman was quick to criticize McCain for putting a "former Mayor of a town of 9,000" on his ticket. Problem is, she has as much, if not more experience than your presidential candidate has-- more to the point, executive experience. I'll give a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie to the first person who offer me a reasonable explanation as to how two years as Governor, and a few more as mayor of a small town, somehow qualifies as less than two years (since he started his campaign in 2007 and has been pretty absent in the Senate since) as a Senator and a few more as a State-level legislator. Maybe he has Foreign Policy experience, but she makes up for it with executive experience. When the point was made to Paul Begala-- who called McCain "nuts" for the pick-- on Larry King, the best thing he could come up with was that 18 million people voted for Obama.
Ridiculous. It was rightly pointed out to him that he doesn't need to be one of many more people who will vote for the ticket in November.
Truth is, after hearing a day of Democrat attacks, I'm even more convinced. First things first-- energy may well be the defining issue of the campaign. McCain's running (rightly, I think) on the principle that energy must be found in any way possible, regardless of environmental concerns, and picking someone from Alaska cements that idea (although he doesn't, as she does, support drilling in ANWR).
Palin has been a fantastic Governor-- she's not someone McCain picked off the street. Her approval ratings are in the 90's-- I think even Putin's here in Russia are lower than that. She was elected Governor by lambasting Republicans for corruption (Ten Stevens, anyone?) and calling for ethics reform, and has made her living trying to root out rampant corruption in her state.
But more importantly, far from undercutting McCain's message, this all proves that even Democrats feel Obama is entirely unqualified to be President. How? Yesterday, an Obama spokesman was quick to criticize McCain for putting a "former Mayor of a town of 9,000" on his ticket. Problem is, she has as much, if not more experience than your presidential candidate has-- more to the point, executive experience. I'll give a Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookie to the first person who offer me a reasonable explanation as to how two years as Governor, and a few more as mayor of a small town, somehow qualifies as less than two years (since he started his campaign in 2007 and has been pretty absent in the Senate since) as a Senator and a few more as a State-level legislator. Maybe he has Foreign Policy experience, but she makes up for it with executive experience. When the point was made to Paul Begala-- who called McCain "nuts" for the pick-- on Larry King, the best thing he could come up with was that 18 million people voted for Obama.
Ridiculous. It was rightly pointed out to him that he doesn't need to be one of many more people who will vote for the ticket in November.
Who's Running Alaska?
As I'm sure you all know Sarah Palin is the current Governor of Alaska. She is the executive power in charge in Juneau. However, as of today, she has been chosen by John McCain to be his running mate.
Okay!
With the Governor away campaigning, at least the great state of Alaska can rely on their Lt. Governor, Sean Parnell.
Uh-oh!
Currently, Lt. Governor Sean Parnell is campaigning for a seat in congress this year!
So I pose this question: Who is running Alaska?
Not me!
Okay!
With the Governor away campaigning, at least the great state of Alaska can rely on their Lt. Governor, Sean Parnell.
Uh-oh!
Currently, Lt. Governor Sean Parnell is campaigning for a seat in congress this year!
So I pose this question: Who is running Alaska?
Not me!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
My First Post
Now that I am out of camp, it's time to start blogging. It's been a pleasure to catch up on the past summer's posts.
I love Obama, but I spaced out during parts of his speech, and read this.
Any way you look at it, Georgia has become a divisive issue for the United States and Russia. I still believe that the tensions surfacing now are a result of the eastern expansion of NATO and American missile defense systems. At the same time, I do believe that recent talk on TV of a second Cold War is bogus. Any Russian retaliation over the missile deal, such as a threatened attack on Poland or Ukraine, seems highly improbable; however, it does make sense that the Russian government would flip-out over the deal. It creates an interesting parallel to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
To close out, a 1987 quote from Mikhail Gorbachev sent to me by my father:
"Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal changes in the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. "
I love it.
I love Obama, but I spaced out during parts of his speech, and read this.
Any way you look at it, Georgia has become a divisive issue for the United States and Russia. I still believe that the tensions surfacing now are a result of the eastern expansion of NATO and American missile defense systems. At the same time, I do believe that recent talk on TV of a second Cold War is bogus. Any Russian retaliation over the missile deal, such as a threatened attack on Poland or Ukraine, seems highly improbable; however, it does make sense that the Russian government would flip-out over the deal. It creates an interesting parallel to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
To close out, a 1987 quote from Mikhail Gorbachev sent to me by my father:
"Gentlemen, comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. They are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal changes in the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. "
I love it.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Clinton Overdose
Is it just me, or is the name "Clinton" getting too much airtime during this convention?
A quick disclaimer:
Never before have I appreciated the service and dedication of Hilary Clinton more. She is a true patriot, and, despite what many Obama-Zealots believe, genuinely fights for what is in the best interest of all Americans. There is no denying that we will need her leadership and ability on the Senate floor throughout the Obama administration's time in office.
However, after hearing that more and more delegates at the convention refuse to vote for anyone other than Hilary during the roll-call vote, I'm beginning to doubt the efficacy of having Hilary Clinton's named plastered all over this convention.
She absolutely deserves to speak at the prime time spot tonight. However, the focus of the convention leading up to her speech is not "Renewing America's Promise" as the DNC promised us. Instead, it is, "Will Hilary swallow her pride, or will this speech be a prelude to her 2012 campaign."
And don't even get me started on Bill. To be honest, the same can be said of his service to our country, and he was an inarguably incredible President. However, it has become very clear throughout this campaign that Bill's emotions can get the better of him. He is yet to say that Barack Obama would make a good president. One would assume that in order to get a time slot at the podium during this convention, you'd need to have the ability to support the nominee!
Don't get me wrong, I love the Clinton family. They're brilliantly pragmatic, and it's absolutely impressive. However, I think it's time they stepped out of the spotlight. At the rate we're going at now, there will be Democratic primary debates for th 2012 Election next summer, anyways.
A quick disclaimer:
Never before have I appreciated the service and dedication of Hilary Clinton more. She is a true patriot, and, despite what many Obama-Zealots believe, genuinely fights for what is in the best interest of all Americans. There is no denying that we will need her leadership and ability on the Senate floor throughout the Obama administration's time in office.
However, after hearing that more and more delegates at the convention refuse to vote for anyone other than Hilary during the roll-call vote, I'm beginning to doubt the efficacy of having Hilary Clinton's named plastered all over this convention.
She absolutely deserves to speak at the prime time spot tonight. However, the focus of the convention leading up to her speech is not "Renewing America's Promise" as the DNC promised us. Instead, it is, "Will Hilary swallow her pride, or will this speech be a prelude to her 2012 campaign."
And don't even get me started on Bill. To be honest, the same can be said of his service to our country, and he was an inarguably incredible President. However, it has become very clear throughout this campaign that Bill's emotions can get the better of him. He is yet to say that Barack Obama would make a good president. One would assume that in order to get a time slot at the podium during this convention, you'd need to have the ability to support the nominee!
Don't get me wrong, I love the Clinton family. They're brilliantly pragmatic, and it's absolutely impressive. However, I think it's time they stepped out of the spotlight. At the rate we're going at now, there will be Democratic primary debates for th 2012 Election next summer, anyways.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
It's Biden!
In case anybody hasn't seen (and if that's the case, then you need to get out more), Obama will apparently name Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) later today (link here). In my mind this is a good pick, but, as with all people, it's a two-sided coin.
Pros:
Pros:
- Biden was elected to the Senate in 1972 (at the age of 29), which brings a lot of experience to counter McCain's argument that Obama is naive and unexperienced.
- He is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which counters the argument that the Obama campaign lacks foreign policy knowledge and depth.
- Born into a working-class Catholic family, Biden has always stayed true to his blue-collar roots, and has constantly been ranked one of the poorest senators (and yes, he only has one house).
- In 1972, shortly after he was elected to the Senate, his wife and infant daughter died in a car crash; to ensure that he would always stay close with his family, Biden made it a practice to commute from Washington, DC to his house in Wilmington, DE every night, a tradition that he still continues.
- Biden is a quick wit, and will be a formidable attack dog, both in the debates and on the campaign trail.
- He tends to run his mouth, leading to boring, drawn-out answers to questions that could be answered in a sentence or two.
- Similarly, Biden has committed a series of high-profile gaffes in his career, including: accidentally plagiarizing UK Labour leader Neil Kinnock during his first presidential run in 1988; saying, on the topic of Indian-American relations, "You cannot go to a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian Accent;" and, on Obama's run for the Presidency, "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that's a storybook, man."
- He doesn't add much geographically, nor does he reinforce the "change" image that the Obama campaign has worked so hard to perfect.
- He made some comments about Obama's lack of experience, while he was waging his own campaign for the Democratic nomination last year, that the Republicans have already started to use against him, such as "I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."
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