Month: August 2009

Rudy Guiliani As Candidate For NY Governor?

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The word is out that former NYC Mayor Rudy Guiliani, who had a total collapse of his Presidential campaign in 2008, is mulling the idea of running for Governor of New York.

Guiliani has been out of office for eight years now, and has become very prosperous in two different capitalist ventures, and it is hard to imagine his willingness to give that all up to run for the thankless job of becoming governor of the third largest state, one of the more dysfunctional state governments of late.

While it is true that if Governor David Paterson runs for reelection, Guiliani would have an excellent chance to win the office, it is much more likely that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, with a very high visibility and extremely high public opinion rating for going after Wall Street, is likely to run and would easily swamp Paterson, and would make mince meat on Guiliani.

The question that arises is what would Guiliani run on? To campaign on 9/11 as he tried unsuccessfully to do in his 2008 Presidential campaign would not work, but what else is new regarding Rudy Guiliani?

And the hint is that he might still be interested in the Presidency for 2012–that he did not get the message that the GOP is not attracted to him as an Eastern Republican. But would New York wish to elect a man who would have one eye on the Presidency immediately after being elected the executive leader of his state?

The best scenario is that Andrew Cuomo is the Democratic nominee and Rudy Guiliani goes about making money and continuing to talk about 9/11! 🙂

“Reconciliation” And The Senate Finance Committee

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A group of six members of the Senate Finance Committee, often called “The Gang of Six”, is trying to draw up a bill on health care that will be acceptable to the whole committee and to the Senate, when it returns in mid September.

The three Democrats in the group are Max Baucus of Montana (the chair of the committee), Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, and Kent Conrad of North Dakota.

The surprising news coming out is that Baucus and Bingaman are now willing to consider “reconciliation”, to support the passage of a “public option” by a 51 vote majority of the Senate, overcoming the danger of a filibuster.

So far, Kent Conrad has been reluctant to go that far, and has promoted non profit coops as an alternative, but it is seen as possible he might come over to the view of his two Democratic colleagues.

Were that to happen, it would be a major step forward toward adoption of a public option, even if not one GOP member in either house backs it.

While this is not the preferred way to get health care legislation through Congress, the refusal of Republicans to show any support for reform is forcing this possible direction on the debate.

The Record On Presidents And Torture

Ronald 3 Comments

Dick Cheney has condemned President Obama as unwilling to defend the nation from terrorists. He is furious that the Justice Department is proceeding on investigating “enhanced interrogation techniques”, better known as torture, by CIA operatives.

Dick Cheney and George W. Bush and their colleagues try to justify torture as if it is part of our history, which it is not.

Torture is against international law, but more important even than that is that no President of the United States ever endorsed torture, even in crisis times–including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Neither did President Eisenhower, when he was leader of the Allied invasion of Europe in World War II.

As John McCain has stated, torture is not a good method to gain any information, as one will say whatever you want to avoid or end the torture. It also promotes, as justifiable, the utilization of torture by the enemy, and while it is true that the other side might do that, do we really want to get down into the muck with them and lower the American standard of morality and idealism that has made us a shining example over the centuries to many people around the world?

History and principle require us to reject torture as a tool of national policy, and for a full accounting of the responsibility of our past leaders for what has happened in our names!

Reappointment Of Ben Bernanke As Federal Reserve Board Chairman

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President Obama’s reappointment of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke for another four year term is a good move at this time of slow economic recovery.

An acknowledged expert on the causes of the Great Depression, Bernanke demonstrated a steady hand in the financial crisis of a year ago, and it is wise at a delicate time like this that he be reappointed to run the banking system of the nation. It is very likely that had he not been in charge last year, that we would now be in a greater economic crisis than the Great Depression, and would not be calling what we are going through the Great Recession.

Of course, for those who want to believe that the Federal Reserve Board is a conspiracy, this is a bad development, but we are not going to base our future on conspiracy theories, now are we? 🙂

John McCain, Health Care, And “Reconciliation”

Ronald 1 Comment

Arizona Senator John McCain has come out against any “public option” in the health care debate, and has condemned any thought of using “reconciliation”, the concept of having the Senate pass legislation with a simple majority of 51 senators.

This would bring about a drastic change of method in how the Senate operates, McCain declared.

Hmmm, this is very interesting. It is enough to pass a bill with a majority of members of the House of Representatives, but doing the same in the Senate is unfair, heh?

Seems to me MANY many times throughout the history of the Republic, we have had legislation pass by a bare majority of the Senate, and sometimes only passing after a 50-50 tie with the Vice President breaking the deadlock.

Apparently, it is more democratic, (not the party, but the idea), to require a 60 vote majority, which is three fifths of the Senate. This is what we call the filibuster, a tactic which has been used many times in history to BLOCK something the majority wanted, usually something that benefits the country at large, but can be prevented by a determined, obstructive minority.

So this is more fair, Senator McCain? I say, NO, it is UNDEMOCRATIC!

CIA Torture Interrogations To Be Investigated By Special Prosecutor

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In a controversial decision by Attorney General Eric Holder, the government will use a special prosecutor to investigate violations of interrogation policy by CIA operatives in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 in secret CIA prisons and in the war zone in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The advantage of this is to promote transparency and prevent any future such use of torture in interrogations. It is horrifying to think that there were threats of killing prisoners, use of handguns and power drills as threats, suggestions that family members of suspects would be murdered,choking prisoners, and blowing smoke in their faces to make them vomit. These techniques, along with the already known waterboarding, are against international law, and a registered Republican, John H. Dunham, will be pursuing prosecution, with a record of trust from both political parties, and a reputation of fairness, rather than partisanship, in his background.

This decision, independently made by the Attorney General, will be highly controversial and make new political problems for President Obama, but what is new about that? 🙂

It seems to me to be essential that we do a thorough investigation, but also hold accountable top Bush Administration officials, all the way up to Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, and maybe, just maybe, George W. Bush himself!

The Swine Flu Pandemic Challenge For The Obama Administration

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As we enter the school year and the coming of cooler weather in the next month in much of the country, the danger of a Swine Flu pandemic sends out alarm bells to all of us, including the Obama Administration.

This is an issue, that should the pandemic result in reality, will be a political loser for President Obama if the vaccine is in inadequate supply or does not succeed in lessening the number of people who would be taken sick, and also the number of deaths that would evolve.

If the vaccine turns out to be ineffective or actually causes other health problems in the population, as has happened at times in the past, then it will promote a feeling again that the government is inept, unable to deal with a crisis.

So just as Hurricane Katrina undermined the reputation of George W. Bush, the likelihood exists that even with great preparation by the Obama Administration, the President could still suffer in public opinion, and it could have an effect on the midterm elections of 2010 and even the Presidential campaign of 2012.

So we are facing a health crisis likely in the making, and the concurrent political fallout that could develop. The hope is that we will discover that we over prepared, rather than under prepared.

Barack Obama, The Scottish Justice Minister, And Pan Am Flight 103

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I am as outraged as anyone by the Scottish Justice Minister releasing a convicted Libyan terrorist, who brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December, 1988, killing all 259 people aboard and eleven on the ground. Even if he has terminal cancer is no reason to have released him, allowing him to go back to Libya, to a hero’s welcome, by a government which promoted terrorism and is still in power today under Colonel Quaddafi after 40 years of dictatorship.

But President Obama, unfortunately, was much too tame in his response. Deploring the development, but doing nothing else behind the scenes and in public during the period when this occurrence was being contemplated, is a tremendous mistake by the President. Contacting the Libyan government and asking that this terrorist not be greeted, as he ended up being received, was a total disaster.

I think the answer is to condemn publicly how the Libyan government has handled this situation, and the renewal of Libya on the list of terrorist nations. George W. Bush decided to remove Libya a couple of years ago because of so called “cooperation”, and supposed giving up of all nuclear material that could be used in weapons.

I always had doubt about the wisdom of Bush’s move, and I think this action by Libya requires a harsh response, even if it undermines relations with the Arab and Islamic world. If we do not take a strong stand against a mass murderer and the regime that sponsored him, then we are in deep trouble in regards to national security in the future. Such a development would tremendously undermine any possibility of serious Obama success during his Presidency.

Two Losses To Journalism: Don Hewitt And Robert Novak

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This week saw the death of two major figures in journalism: producer Don Hewitt of Sixty Minutes on CBS, and Chicago Sun Times and CNN journalist Robert Novak.

Hewitt was associated with CBS for sixty years, and worked with the greats, including Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite and numerous others. His production of Sixty Minutes from its inception in 1968 until his retirement in 2004 was masterful, and Sixty Minutes is still recently rated number two in television audience, and has long had a loyal fan base, and is one of the longest lasting news shows on television.

Robert Novak had a fifty year career with the NY Herald Tribune of old and the Chicago Sun Times, and was for many years the conservative protagonist on Crossfire on CNN, and also on the Capitol Gang on that cable network. He infuriated many liberals and independent minded people with his views, including myself! 🙂 But he was always interesting and stimulating and thought provoking. He could make fun of himself and call his memoir in 2007 “The Prince of Darkness”, with tongue in cheek!

Both men added immensely to the field of journalism and will be missed. They are part of the generation of newsmen beginning in the 1950s and 1960s which educated, entertained, and informed us. It is always to be mourned when we lose such giants of news coverage!

50th Anniversary Of Hawaii Statehood!

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Fifty years ago at this time in August, Hawaii became the 50th state of the Union, the only one NOT in North America, and about 3,000 miles from California and the Pacific Coast.

Hawaii has come a long way in those fifty years, and its two Democratic senators have played a major role in American politics, particularly Senator Daniel Inouye, third longest serving senator after Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy, now finishing his 47th year of Senate service and still going strong, unlike Byrd and Kennedy, who are both ill.

Hawaii is, of course, very important in our defense structure, and is a true example of a multiracial society that has worked. If has the reputation of having the best weather anywhere in America, including San Diego! 🙂

It would be very nice if only we could educate ALL Americans to realize that Hawaii IS a state for the past 50 years, and that, therefore, Barack Obama WAS born in that state when it was barely two years old. In fact, even if Hawaii was not yet a state when Obama was born, the fact that it was a territory since 1898 qualified Obama to be able to run for President.

So let’s celebrate Hawaii’s 50 years, and may the so called “Birthers” cease and desist their ridiculous, insane, moronic, and demagogic accusations that our President is an illegal immigrant!