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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13,  2010

WANTING TO CALL THE SIGNALS AGAIN – AT 9:08 P.M. ET:  I suspect this will turn out to be a symbolic action only, given the makeup of the Democratic House delegation, but there could be some exciting Monday-night-politics events:

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, facing a growing rebellion against her bid to become minority leader, is likely to be challenged for the post by a moderate Democrat.

North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler, who has been sending signals since last month that he would run against the San Francisco liberal if she didn't step aside, is expected to launch his leadership bid on Sunday when he appears on CNN's "State of the Union." He's also appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Monday.

Shuler, a former NFL quarterback, told the Clay County Progress this week that he had no choice but to leave the sidelines.

"At this point, no one has come forward, no one in leadership for a long time," Shuler told the North Carolina weekly newspaper. "It will be very tough. It is probably a race we can't win. But we need a moderate voice in the Democratic Party."

COMMENT:  At least the world will learn that there are still some moderate Democrats, although they could probably meet in a closet.  Maybe there'll even be a protest vote against Pelosi's leadership.

I wonder if they'll announce the final vote.

November 13, 2010       Permalink

BOOK REVIEW OF NOTE – AT 8:53 P.M. ET:  Late news from the world of books, via The Politico:

Former President Bill Clinton is heartily praising "Decision Points," the new memoir by his successor, former President George W. Bush, as "well-written and interesting from start to finish."

"I think people of all political stripes should read it," Clinton said in a statement Friday. "George W. Bush also gives readers a good sense of what it’s like to be president, to take the responsibilities of the office seriously, do what you think is right, and let history be the judge.

Oh dearie, dearie, dearie.  Do you think there's a little dig at Obama here?  I mean, the whole Obama cult is based on the idea that BUSH (!!) created all the world's problems.  Now here is the Democrats' number one campaigner recommending Bush's book.  I don't recall him recommending any volume by Obama.

"The book may not change the minds of those who disagree with decisions President Bush made, but it will help you to understand better the forces that molded him and the convictions that drove him to make those decisions.

"I hope 'Decision Points' will help my fellow Democrats to see why I like George Bush, in spite of our differences, and will encourage all Americans, whatever our politics, to be more open to listening to and working with those with whom we disagree. America needs that now."

COMMENT:  The Secret Service is probably working to keep these comments from Barack and Michelle Obama, whose Asian trip got somewhat lesser reviews.

November 13, 2010      Permalink

LET'S GET PAST THIS – AT 9:03 A.M. ET:  Michael Steele has been a controversial national chairman of the GOP, and it was almost inevitable that he would have challengers when his term was up.  It's an awkward situation because Steele is African-American, at a time when Republicans are trying to attract minority support.  It's important to get this matter behind us.  From The Washington Times:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent Michigan Republican said Friday he is running against Michael Steele, arguing the GOP can win in 2012 only if the party chairman steps out of the limelight and allows candidates to be the voice and face of the party.

Saul Anuzis, who lost his bid for Republican National Committee chairman two years ago, made his plans known in an e-mail.

"My agenda is very straightforward. I have no interest in running for office. I won't be writing a book. It is not my goal to be famous," said Mr. Anuzis, who promised to serve just one two-year term and work hard to elect Republicans "from the top to every township and city across this great country of ours."

His statement was a slap at Mr. Steele, who has generated controversy repeatedly in his tenure as party chairman, sometimes drawing attention that was detrimental to the Republican cause.

Mr. Steele has not said whether he will seek re-election to a new two-year term in January. Republicans have been seeking to recruit a strong challenger to Mr. Steele, whose tenure has been marked by ill-chosen remarks and questions about the party's finances.

COMMENT: I've always liked Michael Steele, but he's been a divisive chairman.  It might be wise for him to step aside at this point, rather than force the party into an internal shooting war.  What's needed in the top spot is a mechanic and a manager, someone who can put together a superb organization for 2012.  Steele's talents, and they are considerable, lie elsewhere.  I'd love to see him as governor of Maryland.

November 13, 2010        Permalink

GREAT MOMENTS IN RELIGION – AT 8:59 A.M. ET:  As with the story just below, some things just remind us of what we're up against, as we begin the process of selecting a candidate for the 2012 presidential election.  From The Australian:

MALAYSIA'S parliament this week debated whether or not it was right for teachers to cane a 10-year-old boy for bringing pork to school.

The Malaysia Star reported the argument centered on whether the boy, who was caned 10 times across the hand for eating a home-cooked meal of fried rice with pork, is Muslim or Christian. If the boy was Christian he would not have broken any rules by eating pig products.

Angela Jabing said her son Basil was disciplined for eating a non-Halal meal. She is a Christian and her husband, Beginda Minda, has denied being a Muslim.

The Star reported that a decree issued by the National Fatwa Council means that if either parent is Muslim the child must be Muslim.

"I admit I was a Muslim before. But in 1999, I changed my religion. Now I am a non-Muslim," Beginda said.

The government is now investigating whether Beginda is a Muslim or non-Muslim.

"Only after this can conclusions be drawn on why his son was caned," said government minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz.

COMMENT:  In this day and age.  In this day and age.  And yet, in our esteemed universities, there are people teaching, with a straight face, that we must blindly "respect" other cultures and not be "judgmental."

I don't know how anyone can do that to a child.  I wonder how many "human rights" groups will show any interest.

November 13, 2010       Permalink

PERSONNEL NEWS – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  We always want to keep you up to date on the important executive promotions.  From Fox:

Usama bin Laden reportedly has a new terrorist assigned to targeting the West.

Saif Al-Adel, a native of Egypt, is Al Qaeda's new chief of international operations, Britain's The Telegraph reported, citing unnamed U.S. and Pakistani sources.

But sources tell Fox News that investigators cannot agree on whether Al-Adel has taken on one of Al Qaeda's top operational positions, partly because there is disagreement over whether Al-Adel is still hiding in Iran.

The respected NEFA foundation, which tracks terrorists worldwide, cites a European intelligence source who says Al-Adel is believed to be in Waziristan, part of the tribal areas of Pakistan.

Al-Adel has served as the head of the military committee of Al Qaeda after the death of Mohammed Atef in late 2001, making him the commander over Khalid Sheikh Muhammad.

He also has a longstanding working relation with Iran, going back the early 1990s, when he went from Sudan to Lebanon to be trained by Hezbollah in improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

COMMENT:  Well, we'll wait for confirmation in the form of a public announcement.  There is no news about compensation, or whether Al-Adel, should he be ousted, would get a golden suicide belt.

The very fact that this story is running shows that Al Qaeda, far from being moribund, is alive and planning. 

November 13, 2010     Permalink

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12,  2010

I'M WONDERFUL AND BLAMELESS – PART II – AT 7:54 P.M. ET:  President Obama, inspired by Nancy Pelosi (see post just below) has given his own, tough, brutal, self-assessment.  From NPR, which no longer employs Juan Williams:

While many back home may see him as having been knocked down a few pegs by the Republican midterm-election wave, President Obama assured reporters Friday that his effectiveness internationally was undiminished.

As Goebbels said, "Ignore the burning cities.  We're just providing heat for our people."

The president was asked whether he and America still had clout on the world stage:

I think what we’ve seen over the last several days as we’ve traveled through Asia is that people are eager to work with America, eager to engage with America on economic issues, on security issues, on a whole range of mutual interests.

What we've seen is that any request we make is turned down.

And that’s especially true in Asia, where we see such enormous potential. This is the fastest-growing part of the world. And we’ve got to be here and we’ve got to work. And I’m absolutely confident that my administration over the next two years is going to continue to make progress in ensuring that the United States has a presence here not just for the next couple of years but for decades to come.

Mr. Obama, the United States should have a presence in Asia for centuries, not decades. 

The Washington Post has a somewhat different take on the president's excellent Asian adventure:

Although no one has said that Obama was unable to reach agreement directly because of his midterm losses, neither Lee nor other leaders in Seoul for the Group of 20 summit appear eager to help him with his biggest concerns or ingratiate themselves with the American president, as they had a year ago.

COMMENT:  You know those Asians, they're great at math.  Expecially counting votes in American elections.

November 12, 2010       Permalink

I'M WONDERFUL AND BLAMELESS – PART I – AT 7:47 P.M. ET:  Nancy Pelosi has given a tough, brutal, self-assessment.  I'm sure we're all nodding our agreement.  From The Wall Street Journal:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has the “overwhelming support” of fellow Democrats in her bid to become minority leader in the next Congress, and says she’s not to blame for the Democrats’ mid-term debacle.

“We didn’t lose the election because of me,” Ms. Pelosi told National Public Radio in an interview that aired Friday morning. “Our members do not accept that.”

Instead, the California Democrat attributes the loss of at least 60 seats to high unemployment and “$100 million of outside, unidentified funding.”

It's also understood from informed sources that she feels BUSH (!!) was to blame, that Cheney financed the entire Republican campaign, and that Sarah Palin's hairdresser played a sinister if stylish role.

I wonder if Nancy also has a professional court jester and food taster.

The sad fact is that Nancy will probably be reelected, meaning we will once again have a Democratic leader for whom smiling is a case of will power over surgery.

November 12, 2010       Permalink

BROKE, AND DAMNED PROUD OF IT – AT 9:35 A.M. ET:  In a very astute column in the Washington Post, former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson writes of a looming crisis for the Obama administration...the financial wreckage in the nation's largest Democratic states:

Having experienced the revolt of red America, Democrats must now deal with the fiscal crisis of blue America...

...The states doing worst are the ones, such as California and New York, that had irresponsible budgets going into the recession. States that were fiscally responsible during good economic times, such as Indiana, have had a softer landing.

And...

What are the political effects of the blue-state budget crisis? In Washington, it will set up a conflict between desperate governors and the new Republican House. States will seek federal help and pressure their congressional delegations for support. But there is little chance that conservatives will add a new state bailout to all the bailouts that have come before. Any additional economic stimulus would probably be in the form of tax relief, perhaps a payroll tax holiday, not in cash payments to state governments.

And...

Most significantly, the blue-state financial misery continues and deepens the ideological crisis of American liberalism. Few politicians in traditionally liberal states now speak about the expanding promise of progressive government and the welfare state. New Jersey is already in conservative revolt. New York's Democratic governor-elect, Andrew Cuomo, campaigned on a promise of budget cuts without tax increases. The New York congressional delegation shifted significantly in a Republican direction. While California remains in denial - even after a budget crisis that has lasted for a decade - that could rapidly change as well...

...All these calculations change, of course, with a dramatically growing economy, providing states with additional revenue and the president with political breathing room. But absent that desired development, Obama's political challenges, and the backlash against liberal government, are only beginning.

COMMENT:  Very well stated.  But remember, Americans aren't rushing to embrace rigid conservatism.  As usual, they generally prefer the center right.  Republicans must maneuver carefully.  Reagan was a genius at espousing conservative principles in a human, decent way.  No ideology-spouting disciple was he.  We need the Reagan touch.

November 12, 2010      Permalink

REBIRTH, OR SLOW, PAINFUL DECLINE?  – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  A development in the news media may, or may not, be a guideline for the future.  From The New York Times:

Tina Brown is back in the world of print.

After a brief and interrupted dalliance, Newsweek, the 77-year-old magazine, and The Daily Beast, Ms. Brown’s two-year-old Web site, have decided to put their cultural differences aside and will join forces.

Ms. Brown confirmed the deal in a column posted Thursday night in which she said the agreement was finalized with a coffee mug toast Tuesday evening. “As for me, I shall now be in the editor-in-chief’s chair at both The Daily Beast and Newsweek,” she wrote.

And...

Newsweek, bled by an exodus of staff members, a rapidly declining readership and a flight of advertisers, is a shell of what it used to be: a member of the small prestigious club of weekly magazines that helped set the tone for news coverage.

And...

The deal to bring Ms. Brown on board will probably be seen as a test of whether both Newsweek and Ms. Brown can reclaim their former glory in the print galaxy.

Ms. Brown appears to believe at least part of that is true. She said early Thursday morning she hoped The Daliy Beast would help “power the resurgence of Newsweek.”

COMMENT:  Having come from journalism, I hate to see publications die.  But I'm afraid Newsweek is probably a goner, with TIME not far behind.  LIFE died because the picture magazine had become obsolete with the advent of color television and satellite news coverage.  The weekly newsmagazine has no vital role, with so much available on the internet. 

In addition, Newsweek started to tilt so far to the left that it lost credibility and a number of subscribers, including me.

Publications without a clear purpose can sometimes thrive at a times of great drama, like World War II, when almost anything about the war was gobbled up.  That situation does not prevail today.

While Tina Brown has had an illustrious career, the internet has its own set of stars, and it's almost unfair to expect her to make a hit when she now has hundreds of thousands of competitors.

The merger is an interesting idea.  We wish the team well, but we have our doubts.

November 12, 2010      Permalink

OBAMA AND THE 2012 MAP – AT 8:39 A.M. ET:  The 2012 campaign is underway.  Candidates are already visiting key states.  Soundings are being taken.  Bank accounts are being examined.  Egos are being stroked.  And questions about Sarah Palin are asked every three minutes.

But for President Obama, the hill has become steeper.  The Politico outlines the presidential dilemma:

Two years after his dramatic expansion of the electoral map paved the way to a landslide win, President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign appears likely to resemble the political trench warfare that marked the 2000 and 2004 presidential races.

Last week’s midterm elections saw the trio of conservative-leaning states Obama captured in 2008 — Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana — return to their Republican tendencies while more traditional swing states also broke sharply toward the GOP.

Perhaps most worrisome for Democrats, Rust Belt and Midwest states that had been trending toward the party even before Obama’s election saw Republicans pile up victories. In places such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where the president won with double-digit margins two years ago, the GOP captured offices up and down the ballot and demonstrated that they remain politically competitive in those states.

COMMENT:  The wind is at our back, but wind directions can change abruptly, and will change, unless we come up with a superb candidate.  I don't see any naturals on the horizon, and that is what is troubling.  Our job is now to sell our point of view, with a great salesman (or saleswoman) doing it.  Absent that, Barack Obama may well have four more years to gum things up.

November 12, 2010       Permalink

WE'VE SENT IN THE CLOWNS – AT 8:23 A.M. ET:  Sometimes President Obama says something that is so revealing that nothing more need be said.  The president got very testy during a news conference in Korea.  From The Politico:

The president complained several times during his news conference about the U.S. media’s coverage of the G-20 summit. He pushed back at the suggestion that he’s weaker on the world stage because of the midterm elections and argued that his fellow leaders are no tougher on him than they were a year ago when he was new to the scene and his poll numbers were high.

“I remember our first G-20, you guys writing the exact same stories you’re writing now. Don’t you remember that, Sheryl?” Obama snapped at the New York Times’ Sheryl Stolberg.

Asked by CBS’s Chip Reid what complaints he heard from other leaders during the summit, Obama shot back: “What about compliments?”

He appeared thin-skinned about the characterizations of his time at the summit, grumbling that nobody wrote about leaders setting the stage for financial regulatory reform at the last G-20 summit because it “wasn’t real sexy” and criticizing reporters’ “search for drama.”

COMMENT:  "What about compliments?"  Can you believe a president asked a question like that?  The man acts like an adolescent, needing a pat on the back from mommy. 

And Barack Obama is complaining about press coverage?  The press was essentially part of his 2008 campaign.

Two more years, folks.  Two more years.

November 12, 2010     Permalink