Month: February 2010

General David Petraeus: Interesting Views In Midst Of Security Debate

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General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, formerly in charge of the war in Iraq, was on Meet The Press this morning, and what he had to say was very telling.

He was asked his view of whether the abandonment of the Army Manual tactics on questioning prisoners of war was the proper thing to do during the Bush Administration. Translated, this means whether he believed the use of torture and the tactics used at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were useful and productive, and he said a clear No to that. Instead, such methods led to us being bitten on the behind, as he expressed it.

Petraeus was also asked if keeping prisoners of the war on terror at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba was a good policy in the long run. He made clear that while we have to work on this in a judicious way, that ultimately it would be better to close that prison at some point.

He was also asked about his view on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and while refusing to make a final statement, he said he supported the stand and activities of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, to investigate the validity of eventual abandonment of the ban on gays in the military.

These views are very significant, as they are generally supportive of the Obama Administration, while Petraeus stands clear of direct political involvement.

It is also revealing that just as Petraeus makes his statements disparaging the policy of torture, that the Justice Department is recommending no prosecution of the lawyers in the Bush Administration who wrote legal defenses of just that policy, which is still endorsed by former Vice President Dick Cheney.

The decision not to prosecute John Yoo and the other “torture memo” attorneys is becoming a highly controversial issue, as many wonder why Eric Holder has decided not to pursue them, since the Obama Administration has totally repudiated those tactics.

Overall, General Petraeus’s statements contradict the political stands of the Republican party, despite the fact that most observers perceive him as basically a Republican in his views, although he is not actively partisan in any fashion and never has been.

Again, the Republicans seem to have more and more people often associated with them, but outside the Congress and the party leadership today, as against their strategy, tactics and actual stated beliefs!

Public Opinion Poll Opposes Supreme Court Campaign Financing Decision

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A very interesting poll came out this week, demonstrating that the Supreme Court really struck out, when it voted 5-4 in January to allow unlimited political campaign spending by corporations and labor unions.

An astounding 80 percent of those in the Washington Post poll opposed the decision, with 65 percent vehemently opposed, and 72 percent want legislation to restore the controls on spending. 85 percent of Democrats, 81 percent of Independents, and 76 percent of Republicans feel the decision was a bad one.

There is bipartisan support for legislation on this subject, and yet the Republicans in Congress hailed the decision as a victory for “free speech”. So the GOP is again in the minority, even with its own supporters, on this extremely unpopular decision of the Supreme Court.

Republicans and business groups say it levels the playing field in the struggle against labor unions and liberal interest groups. But even three fourths of self identified conservative Republicans agree action must be taken to limit the effects of the Court decision.

So again, the Republican party in Congress is working against the will of the people, and yet, they seem to think that they are going to win control of both houses of Congress or come close to it, and also the White House in 2012. Are they living in illusion and a state of unreality? Very likely!

Meanwhile, legislation is being readied by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Congressman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Let’s hope some kind of legislation is passed, although, of course, it will have to overcome a likely GOP filibuster in the Senate! 🙁

The Passing Of Alexander Haig: An Important Part Of American History!

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Former Army General, White House Chief of Staff, and Secretary of State Alexander Haig passed away this morning, and his death at age 85 brings back many memories.

After a great Army career, he became Richard Nixon’s last White House Chief of Staff, and played a very important role in the waning days of Nixon, as the Watergate scandal evolved. He informed the Pentagon to ignore the President if he called for them to impose martial law and suspend the Constitution! Apparently, Haig felt that Nixon was so mentally unbalanced under pressure that he could be a threat to constitutional order, so quietly and secretly so instructed the Pentagon in this unusual way.

Later, Haig was Secretary of State for one year under President Reagan, but eventually lost his position because of the controversial way he handled the attempted assassination of Reagan by John Hinckley in March 1981. At the time of the shooting, Vice President George HW Bush was in flight, so Haig took over the White House Press Secretary’s podium and said he was “in charge”, and acted very nervously and exuded sweat, leaving the image almost of a coup d’etat being initiated. Of course, Haig was absolutely wrong, because if the Vice President is not available, the presidential succession laws call for the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate to be next in line before the Secretary of State. Haig never recovered from this disastrous episode, and did not get along well with others in the Reagan Administration, so in 1982 he was replaced by George Shultz.

Haig had also served under President Ford, and made a feeble attempt at a Presidential candidacy in 1988, and then he disappeared from the public scene.

If for nothing else, Haig must be commended for his intervention with the Pentagon at the time of the crisis over Watergate. For that alone, he will be a part of our history textbooks!

CPAC And The Two Dicks (Cheney And Armey)

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CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) is meeting in Washington, DC this weekend, and is demonstrating the ability to issue personal insults against President Obama, and to show the American people that they do not wish to work with the President to find solutions, but rather continue the obstructionism that they have been engaged in for the past 14 months.

They are very good at talking about smaller government, lower taxes, and a stronger defense, failing to realize that much of the national debt problem we face is due to our extended involvement overseas and the fighting of two wars, and the overexpanded and wasteful defense budget.

Apparently, we can do what we are doing overseas without raising taxes, and should in fact lower taxes. So if that means cutting off all domestic programs or privatizing social security and medicare, so be it!

It is hard to imagine the intelligent, sensible part of our population in this country accepting this jargon and propaganda. But certainly, the two Dicks, Cheney and Armey, are spreading the word with preposterous assertions.

Former Vice President Cheney said he foresees conservatives taking over the Congress in 2010, and predicts that Barack Obama is a one term President. Former House Majority Leader Armey (Texas), who has formed Freedom Works and flirted with the Tea Party Movement, said that Barack Obama has demonstrated that he is the most incompetent President in his lifetime!

Now let’s see: Cheney is the person who said the Iraqi people would greet us with flowers when we invaded in 2003. Did that work out? 🙂 He also said that deficits do not matter, and yet now he and his party and conservative activists are making the national debt the number one issue. Is Dick Cheney good at his predictions and assessments? I don’t think the evidence shows that! 🙂

Armey thinks that Obama is worse than his past favorite for being the worst President in his lifetime (that is, Jimmy Carter).  I am sure that former President Carter must be thrilled to hear that!  :)   But somehow, isn’t Armey forgetting Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, or is he trying to rewrite history, therefore promoting more lies and deception, as he did as a leader of Congress under the leadership of Newt Gingrich?

Is CPAC or these and other Republicans and conservative leaders interested in solving problems, or just pointing the finger and sowing division? I think the answer is VERY clear! 🙁

Pathbreaking Supreme Court Case: US Government Vs. Tobacco

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The Obama Administration is pursuing a case against the Tobacco industry in the Supreme Court, a battle that began in the administration of Bill Clinton.

The government is seeking $300 billion from the tobacco companies as payment for a half century of deception on the dangers of smoking. The industry concealed evidence on the addictability of Nicotine and the health effects of smoking, which the government declared was the cause of bad health and deaths in the millions over the past half century.

The industry is complaining that their First Amendment rights are under attack, as they try to defend against government arguments. This tack is worrisome, as the Supreme Court last month declared that corporations were persons who had First Amendment rights including unlimited political campaign spending. One wonders if the Court will rule in favor of the tobacco companies, which would be a horrible message to send the nation.

Many different health groups are supporting the government’s lawsuit, with the hope that the tobacco industry will be required to pay for an education campaign to prevent people from deciding to smoke, and helping others quit smoking.

This is a case to watch, one of the most important in recent memory in the field of public health!

Conservative And Tea Party Advocacy Of Violence Against Democrats

Ronald 2 Comments

A return to promotion of violence, even if symbolic in nature, is showing up at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend, and in campaign rallies by Republican candidates for office, as well as Tea Party gatherings.

In Indiana, a GOP Senate candidate said that if there are not new faces in Congress next year, he was going to clean his guns and “put on a show”. In Washington State, at a Tea Party rally, a woman speaker suggested that she wanted to hang Senator Patty Murray.

At the CPAC meeting, a pinata of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi can be stabbed by women delegates, and a punching bag with the depiction of Senator Harry Reid, the Majority Leader, can be used by male delegates.

One could say that this is all silly stuff, and that one should not be upset, but this set of symbolic gestures of violence still represents a dangerous trend, which began last summer when gun toting citizens started to show up at the site of speeches by President Obama. The Republican party tried to shrug it off, but this is not a light matter.

Are the Republicans, in their attempt to gain the backing of Tea Party advocates and hardline conservatives, really willing to advocate, by statements and deeds, armed violence on the US government and elected officials?

If these dangerous trends continue, the Republican party could very well self destruct as the party that represents dangerous extremists. They had better step back from the brink, before we suffer violence in reality that will condemn them to the historical garbage bin! 🙁

The “Public Option” Returns As Health Costs Go Sky High

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Just as the health insurance companies are calling for record increases in premiums from their subscribers, creating a major crisis for millions of Americans, the concept of a “public option” is being revived by the Obama White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and a growing number of Democratic Senators.

After a cautious approach and attempts to gain GOP votes in the Senate, which has totally failed, now the thought is that the record increases in health care premiums are motivating Democrats to use “reconciliation”, requiring only 51 votes, to pass such a plan.

One must be reminded how many times the Bush Administration used “reconciliation” to pass tax cuts and other initiatives, so there is nothing illegal about using that tactic. It is time to stop allowing obstructionists from passing what a majority in every poll indicates they want–health care with a public option.

Maybe, who knows, when health care passes, after the fact, we might have Republicans taking credit for it, as they have, hypocritically, taken credit for economic stimulus programs that they opposed! 🙂 LOL

Michele Bachmann Assesses Barack Obama: Again Wrong!

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Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota gave a speech today at the Conservative Political Action Conference, and as usual, her comments were off the mark.

Bachmann claimed that President Obama is leading America into decline. She cited conservative author Charles Krauthammer complaining that the President has undermined America because of his stands against continued use of Guantanamo Naval Base, against unilateralism in foreign policy, criticism of lack of respect for the Muslim world, condemnation of the refusal to respect views of European allies under President Bush, and advocacy of torture and a tone of arrogance under Bush.

The problem with what Bachmann said is that these policies of the Bush administration totally undermined America’s world position, and made this country the most unpopular world wide it has ever been. And since we must somehow coexist with the Muslim world, it is essential to have basic respect for their cultural differences with the Christian world, and work to build bridges to moderate Muslims, because, just like in the Cold War years, learning to coexist is mandatory or mankind will be destroyed!

Marco Rubio Criticizes Barack Obama For Use Of Teleprompter While Using Teleprompter! :)

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The Conservative Political Action Conference began in Washington, DC today, and a lot of attention was paid to the speech by Marco Rubio, who is challenging Florida Governor Charlie Crist for nomination to the US Senate.

Rubio, the favorite of conservatives and Tea Party followers, launched an attack on President Obama. One of his points was to criticize Obama for using a teleprompter for his speeches.

This is a very petty thing to attack the President for, certainly very insignificant. But there is also an element of hypocrisy, as Marco Rubio used a teleprompter himself to deliver his speech!

Now, isn’t that highly hypocritical, and doesn’t it make Marco Rubio look ridiculous? In other words, he is entitled to use a teleprompter but the President is not! Now is that fair, Marco? Can’t you come up with something more substantial than that if you are trying to make an impression that you deserve to be a Senator? Or maybe the truth is that Charlie Crist is far better qualified to be a Senator, and you are grasping at straws to gain notice of your so called qualifications?

The Economic Stimulus One Year Later: Signs Of Moderate Success!

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It has been a year since the Economic Stimulus bill passed, with no help from any Republicans except Arlen Specter (when he was still a Republican), Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

A year later, it is estimated that 1.6 to 2 million jobs were saved or created, and without that legislation, we would have had 10 million people who have lost their jobs in this recession, rather than the very high 8.4 million in reality today.

Many of these jobs were SAVED, which does matter, including public service jobs that many take for granted. But could the states and cities really do without the police, firefighters, teachers, librarians, social workers, prison guards, etc that would have been laid off?

Would the states and cities be better off without the economic stimulus? NO! If nothing was accomplished, why is it that 111 Republicans in Congress, who voted no, are now taking credit for the projects that are being funded in their districts?

And why did Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana go all over the state and take credit for stimulus money that he wanted to reject? And why is Governor Charlie Crist of Florida willing to thank President Obama last year, but this year avoids being anywhere near him? He well knows that Obama saved the economy of Florida, but of course, all these Republicans are just “playing politics”, trying to have it both ways–criticize the program but take credit for its success!

So despite what Tea Party people and Republicans and conservatives say, the Economic Stimulus legislation has been successful! While we are still in a disastrous economic condition, we would be now in a DEPRESSION, if nothing had been done! Instead we are in a recession which, very slowly, will start to recede.

Already there is evidence of construction activity increasing, a very important barometer of the future economy, and we have seen economic growth of nearly six percent, as compared to the earlier retraction of six percent in previous quarters of last year.

Patience is hard at a time like this, but Barack Obama has done the right thing, and will be so appreciated for it over time. His administration has succeeded in the first year in turning the tide of the economy, slowly but surely, toward recovery!