BBC NEWS | Europe | General jailed for Sarajevo siege
Another bit of justice - albeit delayed - was served today when a former Bosnian Serb general was sentenced to 33 years in prison by the Hague tribunal for his role in directing the siege of Sarajevo. Granted, it comes 12 years after the siege ended. And the two top Bosnian Serb officials responsible for the siege and the genocide in general - political leader Radovan Karadzic and military leader Ratko Mladic - remain at large. Justice delayed is still justice denied.
Unfortunately, the justice at the Hague has not deterred todays war criminals, including those in Sudan responsible for the Darfur genocide. And, like in Bosnia until political pressure forced Bill Clinton to abandon his policy of complicity, the U.S. and its allies refuse to intervene to stop the Darfur slaughter.
"Never again" truly has become "Again and again and again and again and..."
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
The People We Have Been Waiting For - New York Times
The People We Have Been Waiting For - New York Times
Another article from Friedman on global warming, but this one sounds a note of hope. Friedman shares recent initiatives led by Google and college and grad students at MIT and elsewhere to develop new sources of energy.
My favorite line, of course, is the last, which is a quote from a student website: "We are the people we have been waiting for." If we are to conquer this challenge - and the closely related one of peak oil - we must be the people we have been waiting for. We all must be willing to sacrifice and invest in order to create the future for ourselves and our children that we want and deserve. But we must act now and we must believe that it is urgent, important, and possible. I'm sick and tired of people giving this cause lip service and then going out and buying an SUV or putting enough Christmas lights on their house and front lawn that they can be seen from space...
Another article from Friedman on global warming, but this one sounds a note of hope. Friedman shares recent initiatives led by Google and college and grad students at MIT and elsewhere to develop new sources of energy.
My favorite line, of course, is the last, which is a quote from a student website: "We are the people we have been waiting for." If we are to conquer this challenge - and the closely related one of peak oil - we must be the people we have been waiting for. We all must be willing to sacrifice and invest in order to create the future for ourselves and our children that we want and deserve. But we must act now and we must believe that it is urgent, important, and possible. I'm sick and tired of people giving this cause lip service and then going out and buying an SUV or putting enough Christmas lights on their house and front lawn that they can be seen from space...
U.S. Finds Iran Halted Its Nuclear Arms Effort in 2003 - New York Times
U.S. Finds Iran Halted Its Nuclear Arms Effort in 2003 - New York Times
Well this was a bit of a bombshell... Nice to see the Intelligence Community has more integrity and guts than it did 5 years ago with Iraq. Let's hope they have really good intel on which to base the assessment that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program years ago. Getting that wrong could be just as costly - or even more so - as overestimating Iran's program.
And it is difficult, as the White House suggests, to really understand the intentions of a regime like Iran's.
Of course, this is a new opening for some creative and focused diplomacy that could constrain Iran's program for some time to come. Unfortunately, given the Bush/Cheney rhetoric on Iran and the new initiative on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, we are unlikely to see anything resembling creative and focused diplomacy on Iran in the coming weeks or months...
Well this was a bit of a bombshell... Nice to see the Intelligence Community has more integrity and guts than it did 5 years ago with Iraq. Let's hope they have really good intel on which to base the assessment that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program years ago. Getting that wrong could be just as costly - or even more so - as overestimating Iran's program.
And it is difficult, as the White House suggests, to really understand the intentions of a regime like Iran's.
Of course, this is a new opening for some creative and focused diplomacy that could constrain Iran's program for some time to come. Unfortunately, given the Bush/Cheney rhetoric on Iran and the new initiative on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, we are unlikely to see anything resembling creative and focused diplomacy on Iran in the coming weeks or months...
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Wake up, America! Markets Jolted by Oil Surge and Worries Over Slowdown - New York Times
Markets Jolted by Oil Surge and Worries Over Slowdown - New York Times
Oil prices approach $100/barrel on nothing but speculation and fear - prompting overreactions to relatively minor fluctuations in supplies. But what we are really seeing is the convergence of some long-term problems that have been looming over the horizon for years - but largely ignored:
- A weak dollar, which has been embraced to date by the Bush Administration as a way to lower our trade deficit;
- The sub-prime mortgage crisis, the impact of which will be felt it seems for at least another year or two;
- Peak oil and the approaching moment when global demand for oil will surpass supply. The oil market's jitters are, in part, due to the acknowledgement by more and more experts and traders that this moment is just around the corner, if not already here;
- A $9 trillion federal debt that ties the hands of the government when it comes to fixing major problems, responding to economic crises, or investing for the future; and
- The inevitable moment when China's willingness and/or ability to endlessly help finance that debt will end.
So what will it take for us to finally wake up and do something serious about these problems? When will our "leaders" finally start leading?
Is there anyone out there? Hello???
Oil prices approach $100/barrel on nothing but speculation and fear - prompting overreactions to relatively minor fluctuations in supplies. But what we are really seeing is the convergence of some long-term problems that have been looming over the horizon for years - but largely ignored:
- A weak dollar, which has been embraced to date by the Bush Administration as a way to lower our trade deficit;
- The sub-prime mortgage crisis, the impact of which will be felt it seems for at least another year or two;
- Peak oil and the approaching moment when global demand for oil will surpass supply. The oil market's jitters are, in part, due to the acknowledgement by more and more experts and traders that this moment is just around the corner, if not already here;
- A $9 trillion federal debt that ties the hands of the government when it comes to fixing major problems, responding to economic crises, or investing for the future; and
- The inevitable moment when China's willingness and/or ability to endlessly help finance that debt will end.
So what will it take for us to finally wake up and do something serious about these problems? When will our "leaders" finally start leading?
Is there anyone out there? Hello???
House Approves Ban on Anti-Gay Discrimination - New York Times
House Approves Ban on Anti-Gay Discrimination - New York Times
I don't know whether to be happy this bill was passed by the House or saddened that it took so long and still faces a Senate vote and a likely presidential veto to override.
It seems ridiculous that in the 21st Century we have yet to conquer discrimination based on sexual orientation (and, remember, marriage equality is still a dream for most). I hope that in 20 years this will all seem like a distant memory - that sexual orientation, as well as skin color, religion and gender, will have nothing to do with limitations or prejudice in anyone's professional or public life.
I don't know whether to be happy this bill was passed by the House or saddened that it took so long and still faces a Senate vote and a likely presidential veto to override.
It seems ridiculous that in the 21st Century we have yet to conquer discrimination based on sexual orientation (and, remember, marriage equality is still a dream for most). I hope that in 20 years this will all seem like a distant memory - that sexual orientation, as well as skin color, religion and gender, will have nothing to do with limitations or prejudice in anyone's professional or public life.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Oil's Recent Rise Not as Familiar as It Looks - washingtonpost.com
Oil's Recent Rise Not as Familiar as It Looks - washingtonpost.com
Interesting and fairly comprehensive article on the recent rise in oil prices. Unlike many/most news articles on the topic, it brings a variety of questions/concerns/perspectives, including the voices warning that demand could soon outpace supply:
Traders say that they are not buying and selling on whims, however. The unusually thin cushion of excess oil production around the world and the rapid growth in consumption in China and India make this rise in prices different from earlier oil price spikes, they argue. That combination, the traders add, leaves the oil markets one incident away from an even steeper increase.
"There is no current shortage, but no one deals on today's market. They make deals based on tomorrow's market. And that's what they're worried about," said Joseph Stanislaw, an oil consultant and senior adviser to the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche.
Interesting and fairly comprehensive article on the recent rise in oil prices. Unlike many/most news articles on the topic, it brings a variety of questions/concerns/perspectives, including the voices warning that demand could soon outpace supply:
Traders say that they are not buying and selling on whims, however. The unusually thin cushion of excess oil production around the world and the rapid growth in consumption in China and India make this rise in prices different from earlier oil price spikes, they argue. That combination, the traders add, leaves the oil markets one incident away from an even steeper increase.
"There is no current shortage, but no one deals on today's market. They make deals based on tomorrow's market. And that's what they're worried about," said Joseph Stanislaw, an oil consultant and senior adviser to the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Obama, Civil Rights and South Carolina - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog
Obama, Civil Rights and South Carolina - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog
Interesting speech by Obama yesterday, both for its direct reference to concerns that America may not be ready for an African American president and for his discussion of poverty.
It is incredible to me - though perhaps not really that surprising - that after all the shock and horror after Katrina about poor black people having been forgotten and ignored for so long we have failed to do anything of note to address the problem.
Obama has so much potential, but his campaign has seemed to falter of late. His performance in the latest debate was not terribly impressive and he hs been unable to pierce Clinton's commanding lead in the polls. His numbers have remained static since the summer or even spring in many of the national polls:
http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08dem.htm
He continues to trail Clinton and Edwards in Iowa, as well. Obama needs to make some headway soon. Of course, if Edwards wins in Iowa and Obama can close the gap with Clinton in NH somewhat, he could remain viable and could possibly score victories in Nevada and South Carolina.
Interesting speech by Obama yesterday, both for its direct reference to concerns that America may not be ready for an African American president and for his discussion of poverty.
It is incredible to me - though perhaps not really that surprising - that after all the shock and horror after Katrina about poor black people having been forgotten and ignored for so long we have failed to do anything of note to address the problem.
Obama has so much potential, but his campaign has seemed to falter of late. His performance in the latest debate was not terribly impressive and he hs been unable to pierce Clinton's commanding lead in the polls. His numbers have remained static since the summer or even spring in many of the national polls:
http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08dem.htm
He continues to trail Clinton and Edwards in Iowa, as well. Obama needs to make some headway soon. Of course, if Edwards wins in Iowa and Obama can close the gap with Clinton in NH somewhat, he could remain viable and could possibly score victories in Nevada and South Carolina.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Sox Win!!!
Expansion dream - Boston Sports Blog
Unreal. Another World Series championship.
As Eric Wilbur writes, it is not the same as 2004 and nothing ever will be. But this is sweet!
Unreal. Another World Series championship.
As Eric Wilbur writes, it is not the same as 2004 and nothing ever will be. But this is sweet!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
By the Mississippi Delta, A Whole School Left Behind - washingtonpost.com
By the Mississippi Delta, A Whole School Left Behind - washingtonpost.com
If you have not seen Lalee's Kin - an HBO documentary on a poor black family in the Mississippi Delta region and the school district where they live - you must! The district in this article sounds a lot like it. The documentary has had a profound impact on my students. Two years ago, one class raised money to purchase textbooks for the elementary school there.
I wish we could have a serious discussion of how to fix our education system in this country. Until we address the inequities created by funding primarily from local property taxes, this problem will not go away. More standardized testing will not solve the problem. We need better teachers - with higher pay - and smaller classes. More and better preschool programs. More mentor programs. More and better after school programs.
If we don't fix this, we will continue to deny an embarrassingly large segment of our population the hope that life can get better, that the next generation can leave poverty behind. We will continue to deny ourselves the promise that some poor kid might invent a new source of energy or a cure for cancer. We will lower our chances for competing successfully with India and China in the coming decades, since only by tapping intot he full potential of all 300 million Americans can we hope to match their growing middle classes.
Like developing alternate sources of energy and forcing our government to stop adding to the $9 trillion federal debt, this is an issue of national security for the United States, not a liberal cause to be dismissed or ignored. We cannot afford to allow poverty and inadequate education to plague our country in the 21st century.
If you have not seen Lalee's Kin - an HBO documentary on a poor black family in the Mississippi Delta region and the school district where they live - you must! The district in this article sounds a lot like it. The documentary has had a profound impact on my students. Two years ago, one class raised money to purchase textbooks for the elementary school there.
I wish we could have a serious discussion of how to fix our education system in this country. Until we address the inequities created by funding primarily from local property taxes, this problem will not go away. More standardized testing will not solve the problem. We need better teachers - with higher pay - and smaller classes. More and better preschool programs. More mentor programs. More and better after school programs.
If we don't fix this, we will continue to deny an embarrassingly large segment of our population the hope that life can get better, that the next generation can leave poverty behind. We will continue to deny ourselves the promise that some poor kid might invent a new source of energy or a cure for cancer. We will lower our chances for competing successfully with India and China in the coming decades, since only by tapping intot he full potential of all 300 million Americans can we hope to match their growing middle classes.
Like developing alternate sources of energy and forcing our government to stop adding to the $9 trillion federal debt, this is an issue of national security for the United States, not a liberal cause to be dismissed or ignored. We cannot afford to allow poverty and inadequate education to plague our country in the 21st century.
Pulling for Lester and the Red Sox...
Boston Red Sox - Extra Bases - Red Sox blog - Boston.com
Not wanting to jinx anything, I won't count my chickens before they hatch. But it is incredible that the Sox are on the verge of their second World Series victory in three years! My father waited his whole life for one and never saw it. My grandfather was at Fenway for the 1918 series and never saw them win again. I waited decades...
But here they are, up 3-0 in the series and with a made-for-tv-movie story in the making tonight. Cancer survivor Jon Lester takes the mound and could potentially be the winning pitcher in the clinching game. Unreal.
So far the Series has been a bit anticlimactic. Other than the 2-1 victory in game 2, the games have been dominated by the Sox. And there's an air of destiny about this team, like the 2004 version. they are happy, goofy even, and relaxed. Just taking it one game at a time. Francona has been brilliant at times in his game management and seems to do an even better job in the clubhouse. He's by far the best manager of the Sox in my lifetime.
The young guys - Pedroia and Ellsbury - have been spectacular. It will be good to be Jacoby this offseason - young, good looking, charming, and the hero of the World Series. Boston will be his city!
It is definitely not as nerve wracking as '04. That championship took care of so much baggage and anxiety. Now it's just a hunger for another. I almost feel like Goerge Steinbrenner - anything less than a WS victory is unacceptable with this team and ownership.
I also have to give credit, again, to the ownership and Theo Epstein the GM. Incredible to be back in the Series so quickly - and pretty much on the timetable Theo foresaw. Even more so to be on the verge of another WS sweep. And they did it with a dramatically different team, built around a core from '04 but with lots of new talent from the farm system, trades, and free agency. Theo has made his mistakes, but overall he's been amazing.
So here's hoping for a victory tonight for Jon Lester! I actually could end up going to game 6 or 7 if it goes that far, but I'd rather have the Sox close the deal ASAP in Colorado. Let's just win...
Not wanting to jinx anything, I won't count my chickens before they hatch. But it is incredible that the Sox are on the verge of their second World Series victory in three years! My father waited his whole life for one and never saw it. My grandfather was at Fenway for the 1918 series and never saw them win again. I waited decades...
But here they are, up 3-0 in the series and with a made-for-tv-movie story in the making tonight. Cancer survivor Jon Lester takes the mound and could potentially be the winning pitcher in the clinching game. Unreal.
So far the Series has been a bit anticlimactic. Other than the 2-1 victory in game 2, the games have been dominated by the Sox. And there's an air of destiny about this team, like the 2004 version. they are happy, goofy even, and relaxed. Just taking it one game at a time. Francona has been brilliant at times in his game management and seems to do an even better job in the clubhouse. He's by far the best manager of the Sox in my lifetime.
The young guys - Pedroia and Ellsbury - have been spectacular. It will be good to be Jacoby this offseason - young, good looking, charming, and the hero of the World Series. Boston will be his city!
It is definitely not as nerve wracking as '04. That championship took care of so much baggage and anxiety. Now it's just a hunger for another. I almost feel like Goerge Steinbrenner - anything less than a WS victory is unacceptable with this team and ownership.
I also have to give credit, again, to the ownership and Theo Epstein the GM. Incredible to be back in the Series so quickly - and pretty much on the timetable Theo foresaw. Even more so to be on the verge of another WS sweep. And they did it with a dramatically different team, built around a core from '04 but with lots of new talent from the farm system, trades, and free agency. Theo has made his mistakes, but overall he's been amazing.
So here's hoping for a victory tonight for Jon Lester! I actually could end up going to game 6 or 7 if it goes that far, but I'd rather have the Sox close the deal ASAP in Colorado. Let's just win...
Friday, October 26, 2007
Cum Laude Speech
Below is the text of the speech I delivered October 25, 2007, at the induction ceremony for the Cum Laude Society at the school where I teach. As with everything on this site, you may quote from it with appropriate citation.
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Cum Laude Speech – October 25, 2007
Note of thanks…
The late Kurt Vonnegut said, “We are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.”
I’m sure none of you will prove Vonnegut true as second semester seniors, but some of your peers might.
But with all due respect to Vonnegut and my good friend, who is a big fan Vonnegut, I disagree. There’s much more to our purpose here on Earth.
In all likelihood for the first time in your life, you are about to embark on a journey in which you are in almost total control of your day-to-day life. Until now, the majority of your waking hours have been dictated by your parents, the state of New York, the school board, your teachers, your coaches, and even your friends.
As you move on from high school, probably to college, your life is now your own to direct. Which classes will you take? Will you take mostly morning or afternoon classes? What will be your major? What will you do with the enormous amount of unscheduled time you will have every week? Perhaps most importantly for your parents, how often will you come home?
Across the country, however, your generation is struggling with this newfound independence, freedom, and responsibility. You are too used to having your lives controlled by others and being insulated from the consequences of their mistakes. You find it difficult to make decisions, to solve problems, to find your way.
Lots of experts on child development, education, and psychology have written about this phenomenon. But the solution, at least in part, may be as simple as having clear goals.
A Harvard Business School study reportedly asked Harvard graduates if they had goals and whether they had written them down. Twenty years later they interviewed the same group. The 3% of graduates who had written down their goals were making 10 times more than the average of all the other graduates…and 98% of all the wealth resided with that same 3%!
A former student of mine recently gave me a book to read: The Extreme Future, by James Canton. Canton is a global futurist, someone who studies trends and tries to predict the future for companies and governments. He often asks his clients, “What do you envision your company will look like in 2020?” After stares of disbelief, his clients are able to figure out their vision and goals, and then plan backward to develop plans and strategies for achieving those goals. Teachers also are encouraged to plan that way – figure out what you want your students to know and be able to do and then figure out how best to get them there.
It makes sense, right? After all, if you don’t know what your destination is, how can you begin to figure out what’s the best route for getting there?
Which leads me to two questions I want you to answer: What do you envision America and the world will look like in 2020? And, perhaps more importantly, what do you envision you will look like in 2020?
In 2020, many if not most of you will be turning 30. For many of us farther along on life’s journey, turning 30 was a big deal. In some ways, it’s been the true beginning of adulthood for people of my generation – the era in which we took on more responsibilities like marriage and parenthood, settled into our careers, and bought real estate. Our parents retired, our social lives mellowed a bit, we took fewer risks.
But that was us. In many ways, you are so very different from us. You seem to be more capable intellectually than we were at the same age. You have more distractions and more demands on your time. And you have grown up in a world dramatically different from the one we grew up in. Yours is the world of the internet. Of Tom Friedman’s “flat” world. Of 9/11 and al Qaeda. Of Iraq. Of global warming. Of stem cell research and nanotechnology. Of change that Canton says will be “blinding, comprehensive in scope, and will touch every aspect of your life.”
Some of that sounds scary. But hopefully some of it also sounds exciting! The new world you will live in is one of challenges and opportunities. And of infinite possibilities – possibilities you will create through the sheer force of your thoughts and beliefs.
So whom do you want to be in 2020? Let’s assume that you want to be someone who is happy and healthy in 2020. What will it take for you to be happy and healthy? What kind of values do you want to have? Where do you want to live? What do you want to be doing professionally? How do you want to spend your free time? What kind of people do you want to be surrounded by?
Canton and others suggest that having this vision, being able to imagine this future you, will help you make better decisions along the way and set you up for inevitable success. And the beauty of this process is that, as you travel along this journey, this vision can and probably should evolve. Like your first choice for a college major, you can and probably will change your mind along the way.
But without this vision, you will be like a captain without a compass, a map, or even a destination.
Now don’t be afraid to think big. Be audacious. Accept no limits on what that future you will look like. It’s not your job to place limits on your vision – it’s your job to imagine a future with maximum joy and love.
So now you’ve got your vision of yourself in 2020 – right? But as a social studies teacher - and someone who cares passionately about my country and my world – I have some kind of moral obligation to remind us of the other question I asked: What do you envision America and the world will look like in 2020? But what I’m really asking you to think about and imagine is what kind of America and world will you help create by 2020?
We live in a day and age in which, more than ever before, one person can make a difference. I’ve seen it and lived it myself, but the power you will have in your lifetime to affect and influence the course of events will dwarf that of previous generations. And given the fact that you will have been given a tremendous gift – the gift of a great education – you have an obligation to do what you can do to forge a future that will make you proud in 2020 and beyond. And your work starts today with the creation of your vision for that future world and the role you will play in creating it.
Today, America and the world around us are full of uncertainty and real and potential threats. But America and the world of 2020 also are, like the future you, full of infinite possibilities! By 2020, we could be well on the way to energy self-sufficiency, stopping or reversing the tide of global warming, eradicating AIDS and malaria in Africa, and eliminating poverty in America.
So which challenges and opportunities do you want America and the world to address in your lifetime? Which values do you want us to live up to? Which great new frontier in medicine, technology, culture, or even politics do you want us to explore?
Once you have your vision, you really have a simple task every day – stay focused. Think about your vision for yourself and the world around you. Give it texture and depth. Focus on how awesome you will feel in 12 short years when your dreams and desires have been realized – and it’s time to create new ones. Enjoy the progress you make every day, however incremental it might be, in moving toward the realization of that vision.
The future truly is in your hands.
Now Vonnegut argued that "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."
Well, that might have been true for Vonnegut or even me, but I think you all will be relieved that you and your peers will be running the country. So enjoy the freedom you have to create that future. Ignore the hecklers and naysayers. Surround yourself with people who will love and encourage you, not hold you back or tear you down. And remember to dream big.
I could not be more excited for you – and I can’t wait to receive what will probably be an email – or whatever we use for instant communication at that point - from you in 2020 letting me know what your vision for 2040 will be!
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---
Cum Laude Speech – October 25, 2007
Note of thanks…
The late Kurt Vonnegut said, “We are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.”
I’m sure none of you will prove Vonnegut true as second semester seniors, but some of your peers might.
But with all due respect to Vonnegut and my good friend, who is a big fan Vonnegut, I disagree. There’s much more to our purpose here on Earth.
In all likelihood for the first time in your life, you are about to embark on a journey in which you are in almost total control of your day-to-day life. Until now, the majority of your waking hours have been dictated by your parents, the state of New York, the school board, your teachers, your coaches, and even your friends.
As you move on from high school, probably to college, your life is now your own to direct. Which classes will you take? Will you take mostly morning or afternoon classes? What will be your major? What will you do with the enormous amount of unscheduled time you will have every week? Perhaps most importantly for your parents, how often will you come home?
Across the country, however, your generation is struggling with this newfound independence, freedom, and responsibility. You are too used to having your lives controlled by others and being insulated from the consequences of their mistakes. You find it difficult to make decisions, to solve problems, to find your way.
Lots of experts on child development, education, and psychology have written about this phenomenon. But the solution, at least in part, may be as simple as having clear goals.
A Harvard Business School study reportedly asked Harvard graduates if they had goals and whether they had written them down. Twenty years later they interviewed the same group. The 3% of graduates who had written down their goals were making 10 times more than the average of all the other graduates…and 98% of all the wealth resided with that same 3%!
A former student of mine recently gave me a book to read: The Extreme Future, by James Canton. Canton is a global futurist, someone who studies trends and tries to predict the future for companies and governments. He often asks his clients, “What do you envision your company will look like in 2020?” After stares of disbelief, his clients are able to figure out their vision and goals, and then plan backward to develop plans and strategies for achieving those goals. Teachers also are encouraged to plan that way – figure out what you want your students to know and be able to do and then figure out how best to get them there.
It makes sense, right? After all, if you don’t know what your destination is, how can you begin to figure out what’s the best route for getting there?
Which leads me to two questions I want you to answer: What do you envision America and the world will look like in 2020? And, perhaps more importantly, what do you envision you will look like in 2020?
In 2020, many if not most of you will be turning 30. For many of us farther along on life’s journey, turning 30 was a big deal. In some ways, it’s been the true beginning of adulthood for people of my generation – the era in which we took on more responsibilities like marriage and parenthood, settled into our careers, and bought real estate. Our parents retired, our social lives mellowed a bit, we took fewer risks.
But that was us. In many ways, you are so very different from us. You seem to be more capable intellectually than we were at the same age. You have more distractions and more demands on your time. And you have grown up in a world dramatically different from the one we grew up in. Yours is the world of the internet. Of Tom Friedman’s “flat” world. Of 9/11 and al Qaeda. Of Iraq. Of global warming. Of stem cell research and nanotechnology. Of change that Canton says will be “blinding, comprehensive in scope, and will touch every aspect of your life.”
Some of that sounds scary. But hopefully some of it also sounds exciting! The new world you will live in is one of challenges and opportunities. And of infinite possibilities – possibilities you will create through the sheer force of your thoughts and beliefs.
So whom do you want to be in 2020? Let’s assume that you want to be someone who is happy and healthy in 2020. What will it take for you to be happy and healthy? What kind of values do you want to have? Where do you want to live? What do you want to be doing professionally? How do you want to spend your free time? What kind of people do you want to be surrounded by?
Canton and others suggest that having this vision, being able to imagine this future you, will help you make better decisions along the way and set you up for inevitable success. And the beauty of this process is that, as you travel along this journey, this vision can and probably should evolve. Like your first choice for a college major, you can and probably will change your mind along the way.
But without this vision, you will be like a captain without a compass, a map, or even a destination.
Now don’t be afraid to think big. Be audacious. Accept no limits on what that future you will look like. It’s not your job to place limits on your vision – it’s your job to imagine a future with maximum joy and love.
So now you’ve got your vision of yourself in 2020 – right? But as a social studies teacher - and someone who cares passionately about my country and my world – I have some kind of moral obligation to remind us of the other question I asked: What do you envision America and the world will look like in 2020? But what I’m really asking you to think about and imagine is what kind of America and world will you help create by 2020?
We live in a day and age in which, more than ever before, one person can make a difference. I’ve seen it and lived it myself, but the power you will have in your lifetime to affect and influence the course of events will dwarf that of previous generations. And given the fact that you will have been given a tremendous gift – the gift of a great education – you have an obligation to do what you can do to forge a future that will make you proud in 2020 and beyond. And your work starts today with the creation of your vision for that future world and the role you will play in creating it.
Today, America and the world around us are full of uncertainty and real and potential threats. But America and the world of 2020 also are, like the future you, full of infinite possibilities! By 2020, we could be well on the way to energy self-sufficiency, stopping or reversing the tide of global warming, eradicating AIDS and malaria in Africa, and eliminating poverty in America.
So which challenges and opportunities do you want America and the world to address in your lifetime? Which values do you want us to live up to? Which great new frontier in medicine, technology, culture, or even politics do you want us to explore?
Once you have your vision, you really have a simple task every day – stay focused. Think about your vision for yourself and the world around you. Give it texture and depth. Focus on how awesome you will feel in 12 short years when your dreams and desires have been realized – and it’s time to create new ones. Enjoy the progress you make every day, however incremental it might be, in moving toward the realization of that vision.
The future truly is in your hands.
Now Vonnegut argued that "True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."
Well, that might have been true for Vonnegut or even me, but I think you all will be relieved that you and your peers will be running the country. So enjoy the freedom you have to create that future. Ignore the hecklers and naysayers. Surround yourself with people who will love and encourage you, not hold you back or tear you down. And remember to dream big.
I could not be more excited for you – and I can’t wait to receive what will probably be an email – or whatever we use for instant communication at that point - from you in 2020 letting me know what your vision for 2040 will be!
---
Monday, October 22, 2007
YouTube - Garry Kasparov on Bill Maher
YouTube - Garry Kasparov on Bill Maher
A fascinating interview with Kasparov. He's tough on Putin - and Bush - and is a sophisticated and witty political analyst. He talks about the same thing Tom Friedman has talked and written about - how high oil prices are propping up thugs like Putin. Chris Matthews notes at the end how impressive Kasparov is compared to American politicians, who tend to talk down to the American public. That is so true and drives me nuts. I long for a candidate who treats us like we have IQs over 50. FDR's fireside chats showed respect for the audience - where's that kind of respect?
A fascinating interview with Kasparov. He's tough on Putin - and Bush - and is a sophisticated and witty political analyst. He talks about the same thing Tom Friedman has talked and written about - how high oil prices are propping up thugs like Putin. Chris Matthews notes at the end how impressive Kasparov is compared to American politicians, who tend to talk down to the American public. That is so true and drives me nuts. I long for a candidate who treats us like we have IQs over 50. FDR's fireside chats showed respect for the audience - where's that kind of respect?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Believe!
Who would have thought that JD Drew of all people would hit the grand slam tonight? Unreal. He's actually having a great ALCS. And Schilling came through in yet another big game in the playoffs.
Dice-K better come up big, as must the bats again. I know that Beckett is going to be available in the 'pen, if necessary, but I hope he's a last resort. Assuming we make the WS - which we will! - we want him rested for game 1. Dice-K needs to be aggressive and challenge hitters. I listened to part of game 3 on a Cleveland radio station and the announcers were wondering why a guy who throws great stuff in the mid-90s doesn't challenge batters more often. As Buster Olney noted on SportsCenter tonight, he seems afraid of contact and nibbles around the edges of the plate. That's what killed Carmona tonight and in game 2. Dice-K has to challenge hitters with his fastball and then use his off-speed stuff to keep them honest and guessing.
As if I'm some kind of expert on pitching, right?
Go Sox!
Friday, October 19, 2007
A conversation with Samantha Power - Charlie Rose
A conversation with Samantha Power - Charlie Rose
Samantha, as usual, is compelling and thoughtful in this recent interview with Charlie Rose. Unfortunately, there is still a willingness on the part of Samantha and other leading voices in the Save Darfur movement to cut the Bush Administration slack over Darfur.
I acknowledge that the Administration has little or no moral or political credibility on this or any other issue abroad. That is no reason to excuse or even endorse what is essentially lip service to addressing genocide. The movement that forced Clinton to intervene in Bosnia and Kosovo had a clear goal (stopping the genocide without rewarding it) and was unwilling to compromise on that. Any pronouncements or policies that fell short of that were not acceptable. I wish the Darfur movement had that clarity, strength and persistence.
Having said that, I wish there were more people like Samantha, with her character, values, intelligence, and passion speaking at the national level about foreign policy and would love to see someone like her on the domestic side. she sees the big picture and is far from an inflexible ideologue. She also paints a very appealing picture of Obama...
Samantha, as usual, is compelling and thoughtful in this recent interview with Charlie Rose. Unfortunately, there is still a willingness on the part of Samantha and other leading voices in the Save Darfur movement to cut the Bush Administration slack over Darfur.
I acknowledge that the Administration has little or no moral or political credibility on this or any other issue abroad. That is no reason to excuse or even endorse what is essentially lip service to addressing genocide. The movement that forced Clinton to intervene in Bosnia and Kosovo had a clear goal (stopping the genocide without rewarding it) and was unwilling to compromise on that. Any pronouncements or policies that fell short of that were not acceptable. I wish the Darfur movement had that clarity, strength and persistence.
Having said that, I wish there were more people like Samantha, with her character, values, intelligence, and passion speaking at the national level about foreign policy and would love to see someone like her on the domestic side. she sees the big picture and is far from an inflexible ideologue. She also paints a very appealing picture of Obama...
Markets Slide as Wall Street Sees Signs of Trouble - New York Times
Markets Slide as Wall Street Sees Signs of Trouble - New York Times
More market jitters... Interesting and sobering excerpt:
---
But a prominent figure in the hedge fund industry, Julian H. Robertson Jr., said yesterday that the economy was heading for a “doozy of a recession.”
“I think the credit situation is worse than anybody realizes,” he said on CNBC. “I don’t think any of the normal indicators you would look at in the economy are really very strong. As a matter of fact, they are weak, and not really getting any better.”
---
The impact of the credit crisis could be enormous - some estimates are as big as $600 billion or more just in bad loans. Then there are the many institutions and investors with exposure to it.
And the oil market is incredibly volatile - almost $90 a barrel over nothing! Can you imagine what happens when demand catches supply or peak oil arrives?
Where's the sense of urgency?
More market jitters... Interesting and sobering excerpt:
---
But a prominent figure in the hedge fund industry, Julian H. Robertson Jr., said yesterday that the economy was heading for a “doozy of a recession.”
“I think the credit situation is worse than anybody realizes,” he said on CNBC. “I don’t think any of the normal indicators you would look at in the economy are really very strong. As a matter of fact, they are weak, and not really getting any better.”
---
The impact of the credit crisis could be enormous - some estimates are as big as $600 billion or more just in bad loans. Then there are the many institutions and investors with exposure to it.
And the oil market is incredibly volatile - almost $90 a barrel over nothing! Can you imagine what happens when demand catches supply or peak oil arrives?
Where's the sense of urgency?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Eugene Robinson - Which Black America? - washingtonpost.com
Eugene Robinson - Which Black America? - washingtonpost.com
Good op-ed from Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post. Points out that many in America - especially the media and even some leading black organizations - do't understand that there really isn't a "black America" anymore. The black community is more diverse economically and socially than ever before.
That's probably one reason why so many of these problems have failed to be addressed seriously. The needs and challenges of middle class blacks in the suburbs are radically different than those of inner city poor blacks. There isn't a one-size-fits-all policy or program or message.
Good op-ed from Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post. Points out that many in America - especially the media and even some leading black organizations - do't understand that there really isn't a "black America" anymore. The black community is more diverse economically and socially than ever before.
That's probably one reason why so many of these problems have failed to be addressed seriously. The needs and challenges of middle class blacks in the suburbs are radically different than those of inner city poor blacks. There isn't a one-size-fits-all policy or program or message.
Bill Cosby on Meet the Press talking about race and poverty
Meet The Press with Tim Russert - Video, Podcasts, News and Politics, Transcripts - MSNBC.com - MSNBC.com
Bill Cosby and his co-author, Harvard professor Dr. Alvin Poussaint, were on Meet the Press today. I highly recommend the show - catch it on reruns tonight or this week or watch excerpts online (above).
Cosby's been one of the few prominent African Americans who has openly and starkly discussed the challenges and tragedies facing blacks in America today. he acknowledges that systemic racism that exists but calls on blacks to tackle their problems, as well - as his book title suggests, to move from victims to victors.
The systemic racism is tough to overcome, they note. But Cosby knows that just focusing on how one is victimized will just perpetuate the victimization.
The issues surrounding racism, discrimination, and iequality in our country are so important to me. I spend more time on these issues in my US History classes than any other. I would love to hear from anyone out there with some creative thinking on how we can begin to fix these problems. We cannot afford to let the current situation continue.
Bill Cosby and his co-author, Harvard professor Dr. Alvin Poussaint, were on Meet the Press today. I highly recommend the show - catch it on reruns tonight or this week or watch excerpts online (above).
Cosby's been one of the few prominent African Americans who has openly and starkly discussed the challenges and tragedies facing blacks in America today. he acknowledges that systemic racism that exists but calls on blacks to tackle their problems, as well - as his book title suggests, to move from victims to victors.
The systemic racism is tough to overcome, they note. But Cosby knows that just focusing on how one is victimized will just perpetuate the victimization.
The issues surrounding racism, discrimination, and iequality in our country are so important to me. I spend more time on these issues in my US History classes than any other. I would love to hear from anyone out there with some creative thinking on how we can begin to fix these problems. We cannot afford to let the current situation continue.
Ugh... The wheels come off in the 11th...
Boston Red Sox - Red Sox - Boston.com
The Sox had every opportunity to win the 2nd game of the ALCS tonight - but didn't. Cleveland hung in there and in a battle of bullpens came away 13-7 victors. Eric Gagne started the implosion for the Sox, but he had plenty of company after he was yanked; Lopez and Lester were no better. What a shame, since the 'pen had been mostly solid to that point. Manny Delcarmen was not on his game, but Okajima, Timlin, and Papelbon more than made up for it.
When the core of the Sox lineup - Papi, Manny, and Mike Lowell - went down in order in the bottom of the 10th against Mastny, with barely a wimper, things didn't look good for the home team. And the Sox left plenty of men on base tonight.
Even though the Sox couldn't score after the 5th, you'd like to think 6 runs should win a game. We need our starters to do better than Schill did tonight, allowing 5 runs in less than 5 innings. Hopefully Dice-K can give us at least 6 solid innings Monday.
Hopefully the Sox will shake it off on the way to Cleveland and Dice-K will find his early season stuff.
The Sox had every opportunity to win the 2nd game of the ALCS tonight - but didn't. Cleveland hung in there and in a battle of bullpens came away 13-7 victors. Eric Gagne started the implosion for the Sox, but he had plenty of company after he was yanked; Lopez and Lester were no better. What a shame, since the 'pen had been mostly solid to that point. Manny Delcarmen was not on his game, but Okajima, Timlin, and Papelbon more than made up for it.
When the core of the Sox lineup - Papi, Manny, and Mike Lowell - went down in order in the bottom of the 10th against Mastny, with barely a wimper, things didn't look good for the home team. And the Sox left plenty of men on base tonight.
Even though the Sox couldn't score after the 5th, you'd like to think 6 runs should win a game. We need our starters to do better than Schill did tonight, allowing 5 runs in less than 5 innings. Hopefully Dice-K can give us at least 6 solid innings Monday.
Hopefully the Sox will shake it off on the way to Cleveland and Dice-K will find his early season stuff.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Frank Rich on Clarence Thomas and race
Nobody Knows the Lynchings He's Seen - New York Times
This op-ed by Frank Rich is a "must read!" Rich is writing in response to the media frenzy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' new memoir and other recent events regarding race in the U.S. I'll let Rich speak for himself and won't attempt to summarize him here.
But recent events suggest that we really have made little progress addressing racial prejudice or the social and economic results of 300 years of discrimination and segregation. One only has to look around most corporate board rooms, high school classrooms, and suburban neighborhoods in America to know that while segregation and discrimination based on race are illegal in the U.S., segregation remains a fact of life in 2007. The headlines about nooses being hung in Jena and at Columbia University are harsh reminders that there are those who wish official segregation were still a reality and seek to terrorize those who seek equality and respect today.
According to the US Census Bureau, "[b]lack households had the lowest median income in 2004 ($30,134) among race groups. Asian households had the highest median income ($57,518). The median income for non-Hispanic white households was $48,977." (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/005647.html)
In addition, the Census bureau reported that in 2006 the poverty rate for blacks was 24.3 but for non-Hispanic whites only 8.2% (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty06/pov06hi.html).
Just as troubling, the situation has become worse for blacks in the last decade. While poverty rates for blacks did not change much between Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in 1968 (34.7% of blacks lived in poverty) throgh 1993 (33.1%), the economic expansion of the 1990s did pull some blacks out of poverty. By 2000, the black poverty rate was down to 22.7% - still far above the rate for whites (7.4%) but a considerable improvement. But now we see the rate for blacks inching back up to 24.2% in 2006. (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/histpov/hstpov2.html)
This should be unacceptable to Americans. It is morally reprehensible that we have yet to redress the poisonous effects of segregation and discrimination in this country. And while the Roberts Court's support for a color-blind Constitution might be laudable, until the country - including our school systems - are truly color-blind and color neutral, we must pursue policies that will truly level the playing field.
It also is foolish for us to allow such a significant segment of the population to languish in poverty with little or no hope of escaping if we are to compete successfully with over one billion Indians and over 1.5 billion Chinese in the coming decades. We will need all Americans to have the opportunity and support to pursue their passions and explore their potential. We need to find and develop the potential innovators and CEOs who grow up in inner cities and poor rural areas as well as those living in comfortable and safe suburbs.
Barack Obama's candidacy has the potential to help shift our attitudes toward race in America. He might be judged by the voting public more by the content of his character instead of the color of his skin. If so, win or lose, Obama's candidacy will serve as evidence that we have made some progress since Dr. King's premature death. But only if Obama - or whoever does win the presidency next year - has the courage and vision to address the deeply rooted and tenacious causes of inequality and racism in our country will we truly be on the path to realizing Dr. King's dream.
This op-ed by Frank Rich is a "must read!" Rich is writing in response to the media frenzy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' new memoir and other recent events regarding race in the U.S. I'll let Rich speak for himself and won't attempt to summarize him here.
But recent events suggest that we really have made little progress addressing racial prejudice or the social and economic results of 300 years of discrimination and segregation. One only has to look around most corporate board rooms, high school classrooms, and suburban neighborhoods in America to know that while segregation and discrimination based on race are illegal in the U.S., segregation remains a fact of life in 2007. The headlines about nooses being hung in Jena and at Columbia University are harsh reminders that there are those who wish official segregation were still a reality and seek to terrorize those who seek equality and respect today.
According to the US Census Bureau, "[b]lack households had the lowest median income in 2004 ($30,134) among race groups. Asian households had the highest median income ($57,518). The median income for non-Hispanic white households was $48,977." (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/005647.html)
In addition, the Census bureau reported that in 2006 the poverty rate for blacks was 24.3 but for non-Hispanic whites only 8.2% (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty06/pov06hi.html).
Just as troubling, the situation has become worse for blacks in the last decade. While poverty rates for blacks did not change much between Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in 1968 (34.7% of blacks lived in poverty) throgh 1993 (33.1%), the economic expansion of the 1990s did pull some blacks out of poverty. By 2000, the black poverty rate was down to 22.7% - still far above the rate for whites (7.4%) but a considerable improvement. But now we see the rate for blacks inching back up to 24.2% in 2006. (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/histpov/hstpov2.html)
This should be unacceptable to Americans. It is morally reprehensible that we have yet to redress the poisonous effects of segregation and discrimination in this country. And while the Roberts Court's support for a color-blind Constitution might be laudable, until the country - including our school systems - are truly color-blind and color neutral, we must pursue policies that will truly level the playing field.
It also is foolish for us to allow such a significant segment of the population to languish in poverty with little or no hope of escaping if we are to compete successfully with over one billion Indians and over 1.5 billion Chinese in the coming decades. We will need all Americans to have the opportunity and support to pursue their passions and explore their potential. We need to find and develop the potential innovators and CEOs who grow up in inner cities and poor rural areas as well as those living in comfortable and safe suburbs.
Barack Obama's candidacy has the potential to help shift our attitudes toward race in America. He might be judged by the voting public more by the content of his character instead of the color of his skin. If so, win or lose, Obama's candidacy will serve as evidence that we have made some progress since Dr. King's premature death. But only if Obama - or whoever does win the presidency next year - has the courage and vision to address the deeply rooted and tenacious causes of inequality and racism in our country will we truly be on the path to realizing Dr. King's dream.
Leak not destroy? - Who pays for this?
White House on Bin Laden: Leak not destroy? - MSNBC Video
If you have not seen this video from MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, you need to watch it now. You may remember that the White House recently released the tape of Osama bin Laden's latest video. In fact, they released it days before Osama did! Incredible coup, right?
Well, the video was actually obtained by a private security firm that had found a "back door" to an extremist Islamist web site used by al Qaeda. Doing the right thing, the firm turned the video over to the White House, asking that the video and its source be kept private.
In an apparent attempt to deflect attention from inconvenient news that week - namely, the less than stellar report on Iraq by Gen. Petraeus - the White House leaked the video to Fox News Channel (surprise!). It should come as no shock that al Qaeda subsequently shut downt he web site.
So let's get this straight - the Bush White House compromised a potentially invaluable source on America's #1 enemy - al Qaeda - in order to diminish criticism about its failures in Iraq. Doesn't that sound like treason? I know that's a strong word, but our national security was compromised. What if that web site could have been a source of information on the plans for a future attack here in the US? What if innocent lives are lost as a result? We'll never know for sure the cost of this selfish and stupid act by the White House, but it sure looks like it could be potentialy devastating.
Someone whould be punished, right? Is this an impeachable offense?
We seem so tolerant of our leaders and their dishonorable acts these days. Clinton got reelected in spite of complicity in two genocides (Bosnia and Rwanda). He survived an impeachment trial in spite of committing perjury. bush got reelected in spite of allowing America to get attacked on 9/11, failing to defeat al Qaeda and capture bin Laden, and launching a disastrous war in Iraq. And he survives still - continuing his failed policies and seemingly making America less secure every day! - with over a year left to go...
When will we get fed up as a nation and finally hold our leaders accountable for their errors and crimes? We truly do get the leaders we deserve...
If you have not seen this video from MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, you need to watch it now. You may remember that the White House recently released the tape of Osama bin Laden's latest video. In fact, they released it days before Osama did! Incredible coup, right?
Well, the video was actually obtained by a private security firm that had found a "back door" to an extremist Islamist web site used by al Qaeda. Doing the right thing, the firm turned the video over to the White House, asking that the video and its source be kept private.
In an apparent attempt to deflect attention from inconvenient news that week - namely, the less than stellar report on Iraq by Gen. Petraeus - the White House leaked the video to Fox News Channel (surprise!). It should come as no shock that al Qaeda subsequently shut downt he web site.
So let's get this straight - the Bush White House compromised a potentially invaluable source on America's #1 enemy - al Qaeda - in order to diminish criticism about its failures in Iraq. Doesn't that sound like treason? I know that's a strong word, but our national security was compromised. What if that web site could have been a source of information on the plans for a future attack here in the US? What if innocent lives are lost as a result? We'll never know for sure the cost of this selfish and stupid act by the White House, but it sure looks like it could be potentialy devastating.
Someone whould be punished, right? Is this an impeachable offense?
We seem so tolerant of our leaders and their dishonorable acts these days. Clinton got reelected in spite of complicity in two genocides (Bosnia and Rwanda). He survived an impeachment trial in spite of committing perjury. bush got reelected in spite of allowing America to get attacked on 9/11, failing to defeat al Qaeda and capture bin Laden, and launching a disastrous war in Iraq. And he survives still - continuing his failed policies and seemingly making America less secure every day! - with over a year left to go...
When will we get fed up as a nation and finally hold our leaders accountable for their errors and crimes? We truly do get the leaders we deserve...
Boston Red Sox - Sox put a chill on Indians in opener - The Boston Globe
Boston Red Sox - Sox put a chill on Indians in opener - The Boston Globe
As Shaugnessy writes, this Sox team is feeling like a team of destiny. Last night's win, against a Cleveland team that handled the tough Yankees with relative ease in 4 games, was awesome! Manny and Papi are dialed in - they are in the zone with no signs of leaving before a parade in downtown Boston later this fall. Beckett, always a tough, hard-throwing force from the mound, is now a smart, patient, tough, hard-throwing force from the mound. He doesn't overthrow like he used to - as recently as last year on a regular basis. He isn't trying to make the perfect pitch all the time, and as a result seems to have amazing control these days. He uses his off-speed pitches with great effectiveness, buckling the knees of otherwise impressive hitters. The bullpen isn't perfect - Gagne continues to remind us of that - but it is avoiding the big mistakes and disastrous innings. They may bend - like Lopez giving up a run or Gagne two hits and a walk - but they don't break.
Of course, it's early - the Sox were down 0-3 in the 2004 ALCS, I know - but there's a feel to this team that is just incredible. It's the feel of destiny...
As Shaugnessy writes, this Sox team is feeling like a team of destiny. Last night's win, against a Cleveland team that handled the tough Yankees with relative ease in 4 games, was awesome! Manny and Papi are dialed in - they are in the zone with no signs of leaving before a parade in downtown Boston later this fall. Beckett, always a tough, hard-throwing force from the mound, is now a smart, patient, tough, hard-throwing force from the mound. He doesn't overthrow like he used to - as recently as last year on a regular basis. He isn't trying to make the perfect pitch all the time, and as a result seems to have amazing control these days. He uses his off-speed pitches with great effectiveness, buckling the knees of otherwise impressive hitters. The bullpen isn't perfect - Gagne continues to remind us of that - but it is avoiding the big mistakes and disastrous innings. They may bend - like Lopez giving up a run or Gagne two hits and a walk - but they don't break.
Of course, it's early - the Sox were down 0-3 in the 2004 ALCS, I know - but there's a feel to this team that is just incredible. It's the feel of destiny...
The Vision Thing
Listening to a discussion of the Republican candidates on Tim Russert's talk show on MSNBC, I was struck by the comparison of Fred Thompson's sober view of America - things are ok now but could get worse, that's why we need his leadership - vs. that of Ronald Reagan in 1980 (morning in America, etc.). The comparison is interesting for two reasons. First, Thompson is marketing himself as the reincarnation of Reagan - a larger-than-life former actor with a vision - the visions are so different in tone and even substance in many ways. Russert and Co. point out that Romney's vision is more Reagan-esque.
But I also found it interesting to take a step back and think about the vision I'd like to see guide America well into the 21st century. With the major candidates reluctant to get specific on their vision or detailed policies, the campaign is a bit frustrating. Chuck Todd of NBC noted how voters and focus groups want "authenticity" - for candidates to talk candidly about who they are, what they believe, and what they will do if elected. Me, too!
Let's take foreign policy. There have been strains of isolationism, protectionism, and nativism throughout our country's history - and we've seen those ideologies of fear, insecurity, and distrust in policies that avoided confronting the aggression and genocides of Hitler and Milosevic, raised tariffs that sparked reciprocal barriers to American companies trying to sell abroad, and established discriminatory and harsh immigration quotas that separated families and legitimized prejudices.
But America became the world's superpower - defeating the two greatest evils of the 20th century, fascism and communism - and grew an economy that not only dominates the new globalized world but also brought enormous wealth and hope to millions of Americans in an expanding middle class by demonstrating strength, courage, and persistence in confronting its enemies and challengers; promoting free trade; and harnessing the hard work and innovation of immigrants.
In The World Is Flat, Tom Friedman frames the choice for America as choosing between seeing the new "flat" world as one of challenges and opportunities or one full of threats, whether they be from new economic challengers in India and China or terrorists from al Qaeda and other extremist organizations.
It is my hope and belief that we will embrace this new world as one that presents vital challenges and opportunities. That we will tap into that great tradition of innovation and hard work - and, dare I say, sacrifice? - to seize the moment and solve our problems and lead the world into a new era of peace and prosperity.
That doesn't mean we should not press China to improve its labor and environmental laws and regulations or design a sensible immigration policy that will reduce the number of illegal immigrants while providing new workers and opportunities for family reunions. But it means that when we encounter problems and challenges we don't revert back to the failed ideologies of the past that were based on fear and prejudice. We need solutions that will be consistent with our time-hnored traditions and values and will make America even stronger in the coming decades.
But I also found it interesting to take a step back and think about the vision I'd like to see guide America well into the 21st century. With the major candidates reluctant to get specific on their vision or detailed policies, the campaign is a bit frustrating. Chuck Todd of NBC noted how voters and focus groups want "authenticity" - for candidates to talk candidly about who they are, what they believe, and what they will do if elected. Me, too!
Let's take foreign policy. There have been strains of isolationism, protectionism, and nativism throughout our country's history - and we've seen those ideologies of fear, insecurity, and distrust in policies that avoided confronting the aggression and genocides of Hitler and Milosevic, raised tariffs that sparked reciprocal barriers to American companies trying to sell abroad, and established discriminatory and harsh immigration quotas that separated families and legitimized prejudices.
But America became the world's superpower - defeating the two greatest evils of the 20th century, fascism and communism - and grew an economy that not only dominates the new globalized world but also brought enormous wealth and hope to millions of Americans in an expanding middle class by demonstrating strength, courage, and persistence in confronting its enemies and challengers; promoting free trade; and harnessing the hard work and innovation of immigrants.
In The World Is Flat, Tom Friedman frames the choice for America as choosing between seeing the new "flat" world as one of challenges and opportunities or one full of threats, whether they be from new economic challengers in India and China or terrorists from al Qaeda and other extremist organizations.
It is my hope and belief that we will embrace this new world as one that presents vital challenges and opportunities. That we will tap into that great tradition of innovation and hard work - and, dare I say, sacrifice? - to seize the moment and solve our problems and lead the world into a new era of peace and prosperity.
That doesn't mean we should not press China to improve its labor and environmental laws and regulations or design a sensible immigration policy that will reduce the number of illegal immigrants while providing new workers and opportunities for family reunions. But it means that when we encounter problems and challenges we don't revert back to the failed ideologies of the past that were based on fear and prejudice. We need solutions that will be consistent with our time-hnored traditions and values and will make America even stronger in the coming decades.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Manny being Manny...
So we're in the second inning of the ALCS. Manny Ramirez - who drives me nuts - is having a grat game so far. RBI single in the first, great catch to end the top of the 2nd.
They showed his stats with Cleveland and with the Sox - almost the same # of games (a few less with Boston) and the stats are almost identical!!! Is he the most consistent hitter ever?
I really don't get Tito Francona starting Kielty for Drew. I'm no JD Drew fan - I'm not sure after this season one can be a Sox fan AND a Drew fan! - but Kielty's success against Sabathia is old news and Drew has been hot since early September, batting .367 with an OBP of .467 and SLG of .673 over the last 30 days according to the Sox web site.
Tito stuck with Drew all year and benches him now? Of course, it's easy for me to write now - I started this post when Kielty was on deck and then he struck out...
They showed his stats with Cleveland and with the Sox - almost the same # of games (a few less with Boston) and the stats are almost identical!!! Is he the most consistent hitter ever?
I really don't get Tito Francona starting Kielty for Drew. I'm no JD Drew fan - I'm not sure after this season one can be a Sox fan AND a Drew fan! - but Kielty's success against Sabathia is old news and Drew has been hot since early September, batting .367 with an OBP of .467 and SLG of .673 over the last 30 days according to the Sox web site.
Tito stuck with Drew all year and benches him now? Of course, it's easy for me to write now - I started this post when Kielty was on deck and then he struck out...
Monday, October 08, 2007
The Yankees lose! Theeee Yankees LOSE!
Game 4 Final: Indians 6, Yankees 3 - Bats - Baseball - New York Times Blog
A Yankees loss is almost as good as a Red Sox win - so I'm pretty darn happy tonight! The Sox move on to the ALCS and the Yankees do not! Now don't get me wrong - I'm not looking forward to Cleveland's pitching in the next round, but I couldn't be happier to see the Yanks go home early. Sweet justice...
I have had enormous respect for Joe Torre's incredible record of success in the 90s - and he seems like a classy guy - but he's been given so many chances with enormous payrolls and All-Star lineups with no WS victory that no one can fault George for finding a new manager.
A Yankees loss is almost as good as a Red Sox win - so I'm pretty darn happy tonight! The Sox move on to the ALCS and the Yankees do not! Now don't get me wrong - I'm not looking forward to Cleveland's pitching in the next round, but I couldn't be happier to see the Yanks go home early. Sweet justice...
I have had enormous respect for Joe Torre's incredible record of success in the 90s - and he seems like a classy guy - but he's been given so many chances with enormous payrolls and All-Star lineups with no WS victory that no one can fault George for finding a new manager.
Charge It to My Kids - New York Times
Charge It to My Kids - New York Times
Friedman is on target again with yesterday's op-ed piece. It drives me nuts that we continue to fund not only the Iraq War but upper class tax cuts and out of control government spending by borrowing on our kids' - including my kids'! - futures. the Republicans abandoned fiscal conservatism during the Reagan era and haven't looked back. Democrats have been loath to call for tax increases alongside spending reducations for fear that the Republicans will shine the spotlight only on the tax increases and the label of "tax and spend liberals" will be back.
But it's time for someone - anyone!!! - to start treating the American people like intelligent adults. Heck, even Ross Perot with his wacky personality was able to get deficit reduction on the front burner. You can't tell me that there isn't one major candidate in either party who couldn't pull off a similar feat this time around.
It is unconscionable that we continue to mortgage our children's future because we are not willing to pay our own bills, tighten our belts, or make some minor sacrifices. The resulting federal debt and reluctance to consider even sensible new taxes to pay for things like research into new sources of energy have tied our hands and limited our ability to invst for our - and our kids' future as well. So now our kids face a lifetime of paying for our inability to pay our own bills or invest in their future.
It's disgusting. It's not the American way - at least not the one my parents, part of the Greatest Generation, brought me up to be proud of.
Friedman is on target again with yesterday's op-ed piece. It drives me nuts that we continue to fund not only the Iraq War but upper class tax cuts and out of control government spending by borrowing on our kids' - including my kids'! - futures. the Republicans abandoned fiscal conservatism during the Reagan era and haven't looked back. Democrats have been loath to call for tax increases alongside spending reducations for fear that the Republicans will shine the spotlight only on the tax increases and the label of "tax and spend liberals" will be back.
But it's time for someone - anyone!!! - to start treating the American people like intelligent adults. Heck, even Ross Perot with his wacky personality was able to get deficit reduction on the front burner. You can't tell me that there isn't one major candidate in either party who couldn't pull off a similar feat this time around.
It is unconscionable that we continue to mortgage our children's future because we are not willing to pay our own bills, tighten our belts, or make some minor sacrifices. The resulting federal debt and reluctance to consider even sensible new taxes to pay for things like research into new sources of energy have tied our hands and limited our ability to invst for our - and our kids' future as well. So now our kids face a lifetime of paying for our inability to pay our own bills or invest in their future.
It's disgusting. It's not the American way - at least not the one my parents, part of the Greatest Generation, brought me up to be proud of.
Jimmy Carter's Shamefully Ignorant Statement on Darfur
Jimmy Carter's Shamefully Ignorant Statement on Darfur
Here we go again... Jimmy Carter is tryng to appease some of humanity's worst thugs. Again.
In spite of his reputation as a great humanitarian, Nobel Prize winner and former US President Jimmy Carter has made a second career out of kissing up to the post-Cold War world's worst dictators and genocidal maniacs. During the first round of the North Korea nuclear crisis, Carter undermined then-President Clinton's diplomacy to appease Kim Jong Il and cut a deal that essentially allowed North Korea to continue its nuclear program while receiving considerable US and Japanese economic aid. In Bosnia, Carter broke a US-backed isolation of Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic in another ill-fated effort at appeasement. Many human rights activists with whom I worked in DC during the 90s told me that at least several elections certified as "free and democratic" by Carter had been seriously tainted.
So now, as Eric Reeves so brilliantly points out, Carter is trying to sweep a genocide under the carpet in Darfur. If Marion Jones can be stripped of her five Olympic medals for using steroids, can Carter be stripped of his Nobel Prize for appeasing Sudan's genocidal leaders?
Here we go again... Jimmy Carter is tryng to appease some of humanity's worst thugs. Again.
In spite of his reputation as a great humanitarian, Nobel Prize winner and former US President Jimmy Carter has made a second career out of kissing up to the post-Cold War world's worst dictators and genocidal maniacs. During the first round of the North Korea nuclear crisis, Carter undermined then-President Clinton's diplomacy to appease Kim Jong Il and cut a deal that essentially allowed North Korea to continue its nuclear program while receiving considerable US and Japanese economic aid. In Bosnia, Carter broke a US-backed isolation of Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic in another ill-fated effort at appeasement. Many human rights activists with whom I worked in DC during the 90s told me that at least several elections certified as "free and democratic" by Carter had been seriously tainted.
So now, as Eric Reeves so brilliantly points out, Carter is trying to sweep a genocide under the carpet in Darfur. If Marion Jones can be stripped of her five Olympic medals for using steroids, can Carter be stripped of his Nobel Prize for appeasing Sudan's genocidal leaders?
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Obama Explores Abortion Issue - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog
Obama Explores Abortion Issue - The Caucus - Politics - New York Times Blog
This link is to a transcript from a recent campaign appearance in Iowa by Obama at which he answered a question from someone who is clearly "pro-life."
What I liked about Obama's answer - which is pretty much the same thing he wrote about the topic in his book, "The Audacity of Hope" - is that he seeks the common ground for those on both sides of this divisive issue: reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies.
The reality is that those who are "pro-life" or "pro-choice" are unlikely to switch sides. The only hope for a national policy that will actually reduce the number of abortions is one that focuses on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies.
Much of Obama's book explores this kind of thinking about tough issues. He is adept at understanding both sides of an issue and seeing where common ground can be found without either side feeling like they sold out. Now that would be a refreshing kind of leadership in Washington...
This link is to a transcript from a recent campaign appearance in Iowa by Obama at which he answered a question from someone who is clearly "pro-life."
What I liked about Obama's answer - which is pretty much the same thing he wrote about the topic in his book, "The Audacity of Hope" - is that he seeks the common ground for those on both sides of this divisive issue: reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies.
The reality is that those who are "pro-life" or "pro-choice" are unlikely to switch sides. The only hope for a national policy that will actually reduce the number of abortions is one that focuses on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies.
Much of Obama's book explores this kind of thinking about tough issues. He is adept at understanding both sides of an issue and seeing where common ground can be found without either side feeling like they sold out. Now that would be a refreshing kind of leadership in Washington...
Red Sox win ALDS!
Boston Red Sox - Red Sox - Boston.com
It's starting to feel like another special year for the Sox... They swept the Angels today and now await the winner of the Yankees-Indians series. Granted, the Angels were pretty beat up, but the Red Sox look like a well-oiled machine, pitching and hitting extremely well. They look confident, relaxed, and determined - much like 2004.
Unlike 2004, I'm not itching for a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS. The need to defeat the Yankees in the playoffs was satisfied in '04 when the Sox humiliated the Yankees by making history and coming back from an 0-3 deficit. Instead, I'm hoping for a Cleveland sweep tonight - it would be so sweet. Already, it's a great night - seeing Roger Clemens leave in the 3rd was nice. And a Yankees defeat would be the perfect way to end a day in which the Pats and Sox won big.
I'll admit that when it comes to the Yankees my usually good nature and kind heart turn cold. Too many memories from '78 and '03, too many Yankee fans and their arrogance pre-2004. Too many chants of "1918" before that incredible World Series victory.
Of course, this could all come back to bite me on the butt. The Yankees could still win tonight and win the ALDS. Or Cleveland could continue its dominant pitching in the ALCS. But for now, I'll enjoy the Sox sweep and hope the Indians brought their brooms to NYC, too...
It's starting to feel like another special year for the Sox... They swept the Angels today and now await the winner of the Yankees-Indians series. Granted, the Angels were pretty beat up, but the Red Sox look like a well-oiled machine, pitching and hitting extremely well. They look confident, relaxed, and determined - much like 2004.
Unlike 2004, I'm not itching for a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS. The need to defeat the Yankees in the playoffs was satisfied in '04 when the Sox humiliated the Yankees by making history and coming back from an 0-3 deficit. Instead, I'm hoping for a Cleveland sweep tonight - it would be so sweet. Already, it's a great night - seeing Roger Clemens leave in the 3rd was nice. And a Yankees defeat would be the perfect way to end a day in which the Pats and Sox won big.
I'll admit that when it comes to the Yankees my usually good nature and kind heart turn cold. Too many memories from '78 and '03, too many Yankee fans and their arrogance pre-2004. Too many chants of "1918" before that incredible World Series victory.
Of course, this could all come back to bite me on the butt. The Yankees could still win tonight and win the ALDS. Or Cleveland could continue its dominant pitching in the ALCS. But for now, I'll enjoy the Sox sweep and hope the Indians brought their brooms to NYC, too...
Friday, October 05, 2007
Hillary distorts husband's record on Bosnia and dishonors the dead...
I finally watched Hillary Clinton's interview on This Week with George Stephanopolous from almost three weeks ago. I shouldn't be surprised that a Clinton would lie or misrepresent what had happened in the Balkans, but I have to admit that I was a bit shocked when she characterized her husband's Balkans policy in a way that portrayed him as the guy trying to stop ethnic cleansing and forge a coalition to stop the bloodshed in Bosnia and Kosovo. Outrageous! And she claimed the Republican-controlled Congress at the time tried to block her husband's efforts. Unbelievable.
The reality was that Bill Clinton and his aides repeatedly lied about and denied the genocide in Bosnia and refused to engage in a serious response to the Serbian aggression in Bosnia and Kosovo until forced to by bipartisan congressional pressure. In Bosnia, it was the passage of legislation - by veto-proof margins in both houses! - that would have allowed the Bosnians to defend themselves that compelled Clinton to finally step in, though the belated intervention was essentially to appease the infamous dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Clinton had refused to acknowledge that a genocide was being committed in Bosnia, refused to lift the arms embargo himself to allow the Bosnians to defend themselves (though he had pledged in the 1992 election to do exactly that!), and failed to live up to our NATO obligations to use air power to stop the shelling of civilians in so-called "safe areas" - actually the least safe areas in Bosnia during the war.
Hillary's gross distortion, turning her husband's complicity in Bosnia into an alleged heroic act, should come as no surprise. After all, her husband refused to intervene to stop the genocide in Rwanda, as in Bosnia denied it was a genocide, and even forced the UN to withdraw its limited peacekeeping force in Rwanda so that if it failed to stop the slaughter he would not feel pressure to send troops to protect innocent lives. Then several years later he had the audacity to travel to Rwanda and tell the survivors he wished we had known what ad happended there so we could have helped. Unbelievable.
I have not chosen a candidate to support in the '08 campaign. But I do know for whom I will not vote. I had enough of Clinton foreign policy failures and lies in the 1990s. And I've had enough of Hillary Clinton's disrepect for the truth and the victims of genocides who could have been saved had her husband just let others do what they wanted to do: defend the innocent.
The reality was that Bill Clinton and his aides repeatedly lied about and denied the genocide in Bosnia and refused to engage in a serious response to the Serbian aggression in Bosnia and Kosovo until forced to by bipartisan congressional pressure. In Bosnia, it was the passage of legislation - by veto-proof margins in both houses! - that would have allowed the Bosnians to defend themselves that compelled Clinton to finally step in, though the belated intervention was essentially to appease the infamous dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Clinton had refused to acknowledge that a genocide was being committed in Bosnia, refused to lift the arms embargo himself to allow the Bosnians to defend themselves (though he had pledged in the 1992 election to do exactly that!), and failed to live up to our NATO obligations to use air power to stop the shelling of civilians in so-called "safe areas" - actually the least safe areas in Bosnia during the war.
Hillary's gross distortion, turning her husband's complicity in Bosnia into an alleged heroic act, should come as no surprise. After all, her husband refused to intervene to stop the genocide in Rwanda, as in Bosnia denied it was a genocide, and even forced the UN to withdraw its limited peacekeeping force in Rwanda so that if it failed to stop the slaughter he would not feel pressure to send troops to protect innocent lives. Then several years later he had the audacity to travel to Rwanda and tell the survivors he wished we had known what ad happended there so we could have helped. Unbelievable.
I have not chosen a candidate to support in the '08 campaign. But I do know for whom I will not vote. I had enough of Clinton foreign policy failures and lies in the 1990s. And I've had enough of Hillary Clinton's disrepect for the truth and the victims of genocides who could have been saved had her husband just let others do what they wanted to do: defend the innocent.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Can a Plucky U.S. Economy Surmount $80 Oil? - New York Times
Can a Plucky U.S. Economy Surmount $80 Oil? - New York Times
Boy, isn't this one of the biggest questions we face today? With peak oil coming sooner rather than later, the degree to which our economy can handle a spike in oil prices - starting with the much feared $100/barrel mark - without triggering a significant recession or worse remains a great unknown. This article does a great job of exploring this question, though it doesn't even mention peak oil - a frustrating blind spot the media continues to have.
The problem is that we live in a global economy the likes of which we have never seen before and it is constantly changing. The U.S. may still be the world's largest consumer of oil - leading some economists to argue that a recession would in turn trigger lower oil prices - but at some point in the not too distant future China will overtake us in oil consumption. And before we even reach that mark, China and India and other countries will consume enough (and maybe do already) to prop up oil prices even if US consumptions declines in a recession.
Given the uncertainty, however, shouldn't we plan prudently and ratchet up our efforts to develop alternate energy sources, rather than using the uncertainty to ationalize a "do nothing" approach?
Boy, isn't this one of the biggest questions we face today? With peak oil coming sooner rather than later, the degree to which our economy can handle a spike in oil prices - starting with the much feared $100/barrel mark - without triggering a significant recession or worse remains a great unknown. This article does a great job of exploring this question, though it doesn't even mention peak oil - a frustrating blind spot the media continues to have.
The problem is that we live in a global economy the likes of which we have never seen before and it is constantly changing. The U.S. may still be the world's largest consumer of oil - leading some economists to argue that a recession would in turn trigger lower oil prices - but at some point in the not too distant future China will overtake us in oil consumption. And before we even reach that mark, China and India and other countries will consume enough (and maybe do already) to prop up oil prices even if US consumptions declines in a recession.
Given the uncertainty, however, shouldn't we plan prudently and ratchet up our efforts to develop alternate energy sources, rather than using the uncertainty to ationalize a "do nothing" approach?
A Swiftly Melting Planet - New York Times
A Swiftly Melting Planet - New York Times
Is it me, or doesn't it seem that, in spite of Al Gore and Co. raising awareness about global warming, we continue to whistle past the graveyard? So the Arctic ice cap is melting faster than anticipated. Not a shock to me. And I've got plenty of friends and relatives who, in a change from 2-3 years ago, now list global warming as an urgent problem we need to address. Then they hop in their SUV or fail to buy more energy efficient light bulbs or appliances. Or to switch the electricity supplier to a green alternative (I'm able to get my electricity through a "green" ConEd option using wind and water power). They drive their kids to school instead of having them take the bus. They refuse to car pool. They pay little or no attention to the presidential candidates' positions on global warming or energy policy.
Time for us to hold ourselves and each other accountable. Time to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Time to start acting like global warming and our addiction to oil are real problems we need to address now, not just paying lip service to sound like we care.
Is it me, or doesn't it seem that, in spite of Al Gore and Co. raising awareness about global warming, we continue to whistle past the graveyard? So the Arctic ice cap is melting faster than anticipated. Not a shock to me. And I've got plenty of friends and relatives who, in a change from 2-3 years ago, now list global warming as an urgent problem we need to address. Then they hop in their SUV or fail to buy more energy efficient light bulbs or appliances. Or to switch the electricity supplier to a green alternative (I'm able to get my electricity through a "green" ConEd option using wind and water power). They drive their kids to school instead of having them take the bus. They refuse to car pool. They pay little or no attention to the presidential candidates' positions on global warming or energy policy.
Time for us to hold ourselves and each other accountable. Time to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Time to start acting like global warming and our addiction to oil are real problems we need to address now, not just paying lip service to sound like we care.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Friedman does it again...
9/11 Is Over - New York Times
Tom Friedman continues to be one of the best at seeing the big picture and having some kind of vision. This column calling for a vision for America that looks beyond the 9/11-centric politics of the Bush Administration (which Giuliani seeks to ride to the White House) should be required reading for all the presidential hopefuls.
I have been thirsty my whole life for a politican with real vision. I have never really voted "for" a candidate - I've voted against the opponent. Most politicians don't treat the voters with respect - they play to the lowest common denominator and fear the voters wouldn't really understand or appreciate the real issues and challenges of the day. the one exception, interestingly enough, was Ross Perot, who, in a modern day version of FDR's firside chats, would buy time on network TV to explain the danger of exploding deficits and fiscal irresponsibility to the voters. Perot believed - correctly - that if you treated the voters with respect and didn't talk down to them or play to their worst instincts, they would understand and vote accordingly. As a result, Perot, in spite of his eccentricities, garnered almost 20 % of the vote and his crusade against deficits was adopted by Bill Clinton and Republicans in Congress in 1993. By the end of the 1990s, the budget had been balanced.
We need a politician today who will provide some real "straight talk" to the American public. Someone who will explain, again, why annual deficits and a debt over $9 trillion are irresponsible and limit our ability to deal with current and future challenges and crises and to invest properly for the future. Someone who will make clear the urgency of developing and deploying new energy technologies in the face of global warming and peak oil. Someone who will shine the light on the challenges and opportunities of the "flat" world Friedman wrote about so powerfully, making it clear that if we are to compete in the 21st century we will need to finally redress the inequities in education and provide a real path out of poverty while fixing our health care system. Someone who will help Americans see that foreign policy is more than fighting terrorism and deaing with Bush's failed war in Iraq.
That's a tall order, I know. I'll take someone who can provide a clear and compelling vision on one or two of those issues, I suppose. Oh, and I'd like some charisma, if possible. And character does matter - I'm tired of Presidents who lie about sex with interns and WMDs.
Too much to ask? No! This is the United States of America - a country that aspires to be the greatest on the planet and has only begun to tap into the enormous potential it's incredible citizenry possess. We deserve the best leadership possible. We deserve a candidate we are proud to vote for.
Tom Friedman continues to be one of the best at seeing the big picture and having some kind of vision. This column calling for a vision for America that looks beyond the 9/11-centric politics of the Bush Administration (which Giuliani seeks to ride to the White House) should be required reading for all the presidential hopefuls.
I have been thirsty my whole life for a politican with real vision. I have never really voted "for" a candidate - I've voted against the opponent. Most politicians don't treat the voters with respect - they play to the lowest common denominator and fear the voters wouldn't really understand or appreciate the real issues and challenges of the day. the one exception, interestingly enough, was Ross Perot, who, in a modern day version of FDR's firside chats, would buy time on network TV to explain the danger of exploding deficits and fiscal irresponsibility to the voters. Perot believed - correctly - that if you treated the voters with respect and didn't talk down to them or play to their worst instincts, they would understand and vote accordingly. As a result, Perot, in spite of his eccentricities, garnered almost 20 % of the vote and his crusade against deficits was adopted by Bill Clinton and Republicans in Congress in 1993. By the end of the 1990s, the budget had been balanced.
We need a politician today who will provide some real "straight talk" to the American public. Someone who will explain, again, why annual deficits and a debt over $9 trillion are irresponsible and limit our ability to deal with current and future challenges and crises and to invest properly for the future. Someone who will make clear the urgency of developing and deploying new energy technologies in the face of global warming and peak oil. Someone who will shine the light on the challenges and opportunities of the "flat" world Friedman wrote about so powerfully, making it clear that if we are to compete in the 21st century we will need to finally redress the inequities in education and provide a real path out of poverty while fixing our health care system. Someone who will help Americans see that foreign policy is more than fighting terrorism and deaing with Bush's failed war in Iraq.
That's a tall order, I know. I'll take someone who can provide a clear and compelling vision on one or two of those issues, I suppose. Oh, and I'd like some charisma, if possible. And character does matter - I'm tired of Presidents who lie about sex with interns and WMDs.
Too much to ask? No! This is the United States of America - a country that aspires to be the greatest on the planet and has only begun to tap into the enormous potential it's incredible citizenry possess. We deserve the best leadership possible. We deserve a candidate we are proud to vote for.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Global Warming and Darfur - More of the same...
On Warming, Bush Vows U.S. 'Will Do Its Part' - washingtonpost.com
President Bush's comments this week on global warming - acknowledging that it is a major challenge and caused by "human activities" while resisting any mandatory goals for reducing greenhouse gases - echoes his record on the genocide in Darfur. Bush has been great - at least when compared to former President Clinton's lies in Bosnia - about calling the atrocities in Darfur a genocide. But he's done little to actually live up to our obligations under the Genocide Convention to stop the mass murder, rapes, and expulsions.
Like peak oil - which is on its way - global warming demands immediate and dramatic investments in alternate fuel technologies, improved federal fuel economy standards, tax incentives for consumers and businesses to go "green," and major diplomatic efforts to bring China and India along as well. We all must come to realize that this is a matter of national security and an opportunity. New energy technologies and greater efficiency and conservation will reap major economy and security benefits for the U.S. and any other country that embraces these challenges rather than ignoring them...
President Bush's comments this week on global warming - acknowledging that it is a major challenge and caused by "human activities" while resisting any mandatory goals for reducing greenhouse gases - echoes his record on the genocide in Darfur. Bush has been great - at least when compared to former President Clinton's lies in Bosnia - about calling the atrocities in Darfur a genocide. But he's done little to actually live up to our obligations under the Genocide Convention to stop the mass murder, rapes, and expulsions.
Like peak oil - which is on its way - global warming demands immediate and dramatic investments in alternate fuel technologies, improved federal fuel economy standards, tax incentives for consumers and businesses to go "green," and major diplomatic efforts to bring China and India along as well. We all must come to realize that this is a matter of national security and an opportunity. New energy technologies and greater efficiency and conservation will reap major economy and security benefits for the U.S. and any other country that embraces these challenges rather than ignoring them...
Sox clinch home field!
Boston Red Sox - Red Sox - Boston.com
Well, it al came together this weekend - finally! After some serious anxiety the past month as th Sox allowed their lead over the Yankees to dwindle, the Sox secured the division and then home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Phew! Now it's on to the dance...
Dice-K appears to have been demoted to the #3 slot in the rotation, with Schilling moving up to #2. In a short series, that's a great 3-man rotation, especially if Dice-K and chill pitch like they did their last outings. And the Angels have been hurting lately - lots of players banged up or coming off injuries. And even JD Drew is on fire! Now that's a good omen! :-)
October baseball in Boston... it has meant so much to me. I went to my first Sox game the last game of the '67 Impossible Dream year - and my dad and grampy went to the home games of the Series - have two of the tickets hanging in my house! The end of the '75 series was the first time I saw my father cry. I was at the Bucky Dent playoff game in '78 - and had been at every game of the horrific September Massacre that led up to that nightmare. The Buckner '86 Series I was living in Mexico, so it was a bit surreal and cloudy for me - thankfully.
The 1999 playoffs were incredibly exciting - rejuvenating my love of the game. 2003 was the worst experience since '78. I was in a bar in NYC with a Yankee fan friend watching game 7 of the ALCS. Screamed when Grady Little left Pedro in the game - I still can't beliee it. And felt my heart being crushed in a staggering case of deja vu, with Aaron Boone playing the role of Bucky Dent.
But then came 2004. Redemption. Rebirth. that season felt special from early on. Things had changed in the fall of '03. Fans no longer fell silent when the chips were down - they got on their feet! '04 began to take on a feeling of a new destiny. The old Shakepearean tragedy or late season collapses was no longer to be. When then Sox swept the ALDS, I WANTED the Yankees in the ALCS! I wanted revenge. I wanted to beat the best. I wanted all the questions answered, all the doubts erased.
Falling 0-3 to the Yankees in the ALCS tested all of our faith, but it seemed like every at bat from game 4 on was like new blood coursing through the collective veins of Red Sox Nation. Looking back, this was the way it as meant to play out - the way it had to play out. To show the Sox fans and the world that the Sox no longer were destined to fall short, ripping out the hearts of their faithful. A new era had been born. The Yankees were the ones to choke, to fall jut short of nirvana. The Sox would prevail.
After that ALCS, the momentum was palpable. A sweep almost inevitable. My friend Martin, who was living in China at the time, called me after the ALCS and asked where I was watching game 1 of the WS. When I told him I'd be right there in my living room, he said it wasn't true: I'd be at Fenway! He had secured tickets to every game and was flying back to Boston. And I was the lucky person who would accompany him to see history being made - game 1 of the first WS the Sox would win in 86 years!
Yawkey Way was incredible! I got there very early to soak it all in. I collected every free thing - signs, magazines, newspapers - people were giving away to commemorate this historic occasion. Martin still gives me crap about all the crap I had in my arms that night. There was so much electricity. If ever I had doubted that the universe is really just made up of eneergy and that we humans can control our own energy, that night should have put it to rest. It felt like Red Sox Nation could power an entire country that night.
We moved inside the Park and found our seats. So there I sat - next to WEEI's Glenn Ordway and his family, right behind the Sox dugout!!! It was a cold, but that didn't matter. I was sitting in the same Park where my grandfather had sat when he watched the Sox win in 1918. I felt like some kind of cosmic family circle was now being completed. My father had lived his whole life and never seen his team win it all. But I would - right here, right now.
Game 1 was by far the most exciting - and high scoring, high energy game. From the introductions on, it felt like a unique moment in time and space. And it was.
The rest, as they say, is history. I passed on going to game 4 in St. Louis (money was tight) and watched at home as the Sox finished the sweep. I couldn't believe it. I cried, I screamed. My cousin Carolyn - who is my Red Sox soulmate - and I spoke on the phone. I was euphporic and a bit sad - my father had never known this joy and relief.
Carolyn and her daughter Tricia and I went to the parade together - extending the joyous celebration.
So here we are - sorry for the long trip down memory lane! But it's amazing what gets triggered when the Sox return to October baseball. Full of hope and possibility. Play ball!
Well, it al came together this weekend - finally! After some serious anxiety the past month as th Sox allowed their lead over the Yankees to dwindle, the Sox secured the division and then home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Phew! Now it's on to the dance...
Dice-K appears to have been demoted to the #3 slot in the rotation, with Schilling moving up to #2. In a short series, that's a great 3-man rotation, especially if Dice-K and chill pitch like they did their last outings. And the Angels have been hurting lately - lots of players banged up or coming off injuries. And even JD Drew is on fire! Now that's a good omen! :-)
October baseball in Boston... it has meant so much to me. I went to my first Sox game the last game of the '67 Impossible Dream year - and my dad and grampy went to the home games of the Series - have two of the tickets hanging in my house! The end of the '75 series was the first time I saw my father cry. I was at the Bucky Dent playoff game in '78 - and had been at every game of the horrific September Massacre that led up to that nightmare. The Buckner '86 Series I was living in Mexico, so it was a bit surreal and cloudy for me - thankfully.
The 1999 playoffs were incredibly exciting - rejuvenating my love of the game. 2003 was the worst experience since '78. I was in a bar in NYC with a Yankee fan friend watching game 7 of the ALCS. Screamed when Grady Little left Pedro in the game - I still can't beliee it. And felt my heart being crushed in a staggering case of deja vu, with Aaron Boone playing the role of Bucky Dent.
But then came 2004. Redemption. Rebirth. that season felt special from early on. Things had changed in the fall of '03. Fans no longer fell silent when the chips were down - they got on their feet! '04 began to take on a feeling of a new destiny. The old Shakepearean tragedy or late season collapses was no longer to be. When then Sox swept the ALDS, I WANTED the Yankees in the ALCS! I wanted revenge. I wanted to beat the best. I wanted all the questions answered, all the doubts erased.
Falling 0-3 to the Yankees in the ALCS tested all of our faith, but it seemed like every at bat from game 4 on was like new blood coursing through the collective veins of Red Sox Nation. Looking back, this was the way it as meant to play out - the way it had to play out. To show the Sox fans and the world that the Sox no longer were destined to fall short, ripping out the hearts of their faithful. A new era had been born. The Yankees were the ones to choke, to fall jut short of nirvana. The Sox would prevail.
After that ALCS, the momentum was palpable. A sweep almost inevitable. My friend Martin, who was living in China at the time, called me after the ALCS and asked where I was watching game 1 of the WS. When I told him I'd be right there in my living room, he said it wasn't true: I'd be at Fenway! He had secured tickets to every game and was flying back to Boston. And I was the lucky person who would accompany him to see history being made - game 1 of the first WS the Sox would win in 86 years!
Yawkey Way was incredible! I got there very early to soak it all in. I collected every free thing - signs, magazines, newspapers - people were giving away to commemorate this historic occasion. Martin still gives me crap about all the crap I had in my arms that night. There was so much electricity. If ever I had doubted that the universe is really just made up of eneergy and that we humans can control our own energy, that night should have put it to rest. It felt like Red Sox Nation could power an entire country that night.
We moved inside the Park and found our seats. So there I sat - next to WEEI's Glenn Ordway and his family, right behind the Sox dugout!!! It was a cold, but that didn't matter. I was sitting in the same Park where my grandfather had sat when he watched the Sox win in 1918. I felt like some kind of cosmic family circle was now being completed. My father had lived his whole life and never seen his team win it all. But I would - right here, right now.
Game 1 was by far the most exciting - and high scoring, high energy game. From the introductions on, it felt like a unique moment in time and space. And it was.
The rest, as they say, is history. I passed on going to game 4 in St. Louis (money was tight) and watched at home as the Sox finished the sweep. I couldn't believe it. I cried, I screamed. My cousin Carolyn - who is my Red Sox soulmate - and I spoke on the phone. I was euphporic and a bit sad - my father had never known this joy and relief.
Carolyn and her daughter Tricia and I went to the parade together - extending the joyous celebration.
So here we are - sorry for the long trip down memory lane! But it's amazing what gets triggered when the Sox return to October baseball. Full of hope and possibility. Play ball!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Ugly Side of the G.O.P. - New York Times
The Ugly Side of the G.O.P. - New York Times
Wow... Bob Herbert has taken off the gloves with a provocative and hard-hitting reaction to Republicans blocking the bill that would have given DC representation in Congress.
Herbert not only condemns today's Republicans in the Senate but also the decades-old "Southern strategy" Republicans have followed to secure the elections of Nixon, Reagan, and both Bush presidents. It's a powerful piece, but perhaps the most striking evidence of long-standing GOP bias is a quote from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater:
“You start out in 1954 by saying, ‘Nigger, nigger, nigger,’ ” said Atwater. “By 1968, you can’t say ‘nigger’ — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things, and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.”
Wow. I shouldn't be so surprised or shocked, I imagine, but it is stunning to see Atwater admit this so explicitly. Add in Herbert's reminder that Reagan launched his 1980 campaign at the site of an infamous Civil Rights era slaying of three civil rights activists, proclaiming in slightly veiled language that he supported "states' rights." Reagan was essentially telling wite voters that he opposed the federal government's interventions to protect blacks against state-sponsored segregation and racism. The stuff we forget...
I wish we could find a way to have a more honest and open conversation/debate about race and poverty in this country. People like Jonathan Kozol and bob Herbert are trying. But until we do, the politics of avoidance will continue. Democrats who fail to confront the realities of life for African Americans trapped in the legacy of Jim Crow or the growing gap between rich and poor (blacks, white, Latinos, and all poor Americans) are as complicit as the Republicans - even if the Dems don't court white bigots. They do, however, have a track record of 40 years of broken promises to blacks and the poor.
Other than John Edwards, who has made a serious attempt to address these issues?
Wow... Bob Herbert has taken off the gloves with a provocative and hard-hitting reaction to Republicans blocking the bill that would have given DC representation in Congress.
Herbert not only condemns today's Republicans in the Senate but also the decades-old "Southern strategy" Republicans have followed to secure the elections of Nixon, Reagan, and both Bush presidents. It's a powerful piece, but perhaps the most striking evidence of long-standing GOP bias is a quote from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater:
“You start out in 1954 by saying, ‘Nigger, nigger, nigger,’ ” said Atwater. “By 1968, you can’t say ‘nigger’ — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things, and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites.”
Wow. I shouldn't be so surprised or shocked, I imagine, but it is stunning to see Atwater admit this so explicitly. Add in Herbert's reminder that Reagan launched his 1980 campaign at the site of an infamous Civil Rights era slaying of three civil rights activists, proclaiming in slightly veiled language that he supported "states' rights." Reagan was essentially telling wite voters that he opposed the federal government's interventions to protect blacks against state-sponsored segregation and racism. The stuff we forget...
I wish we could find a way to have a more honest and open conversation/debate about race and poverty in this country. People like Jonathan Kozol and bob Herbert are trying. But until we do, the politics of avoidance will continue. Democrats who fail to confront the realities of life for African Americans trapped in the legacy of Jim Crow or the growing gap between rich and poor (blacks, white, Latinos, and all poor Americans) are as complicit as the Republicans - even if the Dems don't court white bigots. They do, however, have a track record of 40 years of broken promises to blacks and the poor.
Other than John Edwards, who has made a serious attempt to address these issues?
ODAC-Oil Depletion Analysis Centre
ODAC-Oil Depletion Analysis Centre
One of the issues I am most consumer with is peak oil. This web site is for a British organization dedicated to educating the public on oil depletion and related issues. I just took a quick look around, but I saw it referenced in n article I read recently. Supposedly, they issued a report this year with analysis indicating that peak oil production could come in the next 4 years!
The article that really turned me onto this issue was this one by Peter Maass in the NYT in 2005:
http://www.petermaass.com/core.cfm?p=1&mag=124&magtype=1
Peter's always been a favorite of mine and his lengthy analysis on this topic is important and gripping. We do seem to be whistling past the graveyard. I have not heard a major presidential candidate address this in any serious fashion. Yet, if peak oil - or the point where demand outstrips supply - is just over the horizon, we are already far behind where we need to be in terms of deeloping affordable alternate sources of energy. We cannot change our economy from oil-based to something else overnight. The economic disruptions could be dramatic. Add to it the other fundamental economic challenges - $9 trillion federal debt, weak dollar, mortgage and housing crisis, personal debt crisis, infrstructure that needs repiar and replacing (bridges, electrical grid, water and sewage systems), etc. and our ability to deal effectively and efficiently with the peak oil "breaking point" could be quite limited.
So where's the leadership and vision on this issue?
One of the issues I am most consumer with is peak oil. This web site is for a British organization dedicated to educating the public on oil depletion and related issues. I just took a quick look around, but I saw it referenced in n article I read recently. Supposedly, they issued a report this year with analysis indicating that peak oil production could come in the next 4 years!
The article that really turned me onto this issue was this one by Peter Maass in the NYT in 2005:
http://www.petermaass.com/core.cfm?p=1&mag=124&magtype=1
Peter's always been a favorite of mine and his lengthy analysis on this topic is important and gripping. We do seem to be whistling past the graveyard. I have not heard a major presidential candidate address this in any serious fashion. Yet, if peak oil - or the point where demand outstrips supply - is just over the horizon, we are already far behind where we need to be in terms of deeloping affordable alternate sources of energy. We cannot change our economy from oil-based to something else overnight. The economic disruptions could be dramatic. Add to it the other fundamental economic challenges - $9 trillion federal debt, weak dollar, mortgage and housing crisis, personal debt crisis, infrstructure that needs repiar and replacing (bridges, electrical grid, water and sewage systems), etc. and our ability to deal effectively and efficiently with the peak oil "breaking point" could be quite limited.
So where's the leadership and vision on this issue?
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Boston Sports Blog - Boston.com
Boston Sports Blog - Boston.com
Eric Wilbur has a great blog entry about the Sox not wanting the division badly enough - I think he's dead on (see my post below). I've been one of those people talking about how the Cards and Tigers folded last season only to rise again in the playoffs. Hope the Sox can find some of that magic this year!
Eric Wilbur has a great blog entry about the Sox not wanting the division badly enough - I think he's dead on (see my post below). I've been one of those people talking about how the Cards and Tigers folded last season only to rise again in the playoffs. Hope the Sox can find some of that magic this year!
Boston Red Sox - Red Sox - Boston.com
Boston Red Sox - Red Sox - Boston.com
It's amazing how the Red Sox can bring either euphoria or that feeling of impending vomit. A 14 game lead down to 1 1/2. No sense of urgency or energy behind winning the division and/or securing home field advantage. It's not a winning mentality. If it were quiet confidence I would get it. But it's more like indifference or arrogance at best. And then there's Gagne, who perhaps cares too much and has forgotten how to pitch like a closer. He's just trying to throw heat - and throwing too hard while forgetting about his change-up. He' a mess. And his ineptitude sems to be contagious - Papelbon has caught it!
I am the eternal otpimist, however, and believe that as long as the Sox can get hot in the playoffs all will be well. But that means the bullpen finding it's earler dominance and at least some bats getting hot again.
Soon - please, soon!
It's amazing how the Red Sox can bring either euphoria or that feeling of impending vomit. A 14 game lead down to 1 1/2. No sense of urgency or energy behind winning the division and/or securing home field advantage. It's not a winning mentality. If it were quiet confidence I would get it. But it's more like indifference or arrogance at best. And then there's Gagne, who perhaps cares too much and has forgotten how to pitch like a closer. He's just trying to throw heat - and throwing too hard while forgetting about his change-up. He' a mess. And his ineptitude sems to be contagious - Papelbon has caught it!
I am the eternal otpimist, however, and believe that as long as the Sox can get hot in the playoffs all will be well. But that means the bullpen finding it's earler dominance and at least some bats getting hot again.
Soon - please, soon!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Iraq and The Surge - The Democrats' Dilemma
The Democrats are in quite a bind right now. Bush's policy in Iraq has clearly failed thus far. Iraq is increasingly less stable politically, violence is increasing, and civil war seems increasingly inevitable.
But Iraq is not yet lost. A full-blown civil war has, amazingly, yet to explode. Most Iraqis still seem to be holding out for a better future. Islamic extremists have not taken over the government. While Iran and Syria seem to be intervening by supporting allies inside Iraq, the long-feared regional conflict is still but a possibility.
The dangers of losing Iraq have been extensively discussed and are generally acknowledged by Bush's supporters and critics alike.
So what to do? Bush's escalation seems ill-conceived. It involves too few troops, though sending more troops seems to be not an option. Many military analysts say that the US military is "broken" and we are limited in terms of available combat troops. So we are left with Bush sending 21,000 plus combat troops, plus additional support troops, to attempt to secure Baghdad and, perhaps, one additional province. It is possible that the troops will succeed in the short term, but the surge seems unlikely to change the political landscape in Iraq or to enable the Iraqi Army to finally take over security for its own country.
Moreover, even though Rumsfeld, Wolfowtiz and Feith are gone, it is difficult to imagine the Bush Administration suddenly finding the ability to be competent in Iraq - or anyplace, for that matter. Why allow this commander-in-chief to send even one more soldier into harm's way after the way he has mismanaged this war, the war in Afghanistan, Katrina, etc.?
But if not the surge, then what?
That's the Democrats' - and the sane Republicans' - dilemma. We can't afford to lose Iraq. But we can't trust Bush to save it. The Iraq Study Group's recommendation to engage Iran and Syria in regional talks is worth trying - what's there to lose? - but it would be naive to think that Syria or, certainly, Iran will suddenly shift it's priorities in Iraq just because Condy Rice asks them to. It is worth trying to engage Iran in serious talks about a range of issues - its nuclear program, its support for Hezbollah and Hamas, its involvement in Iraq, etc. - but let's not bet everything on Iran suddenly becoming a partner for peace and stability in the region, much as it might benefit from such an outcome.
In terms of trying to broker an internal political arrangement in Iraq, that remains our best bet, but I can't help but think that if Zal Khalilzad couldn't pull it off during his tenure as our ambassador to Iraq, it's unlikely that even an experienced diplomat like his successor, Ryan Crocker, will find success any time soon.
So here we are, back to the dilemma. Handed the majority in Congress by an electorate seen to be fed up with the failures of existing Iraq policy, the Democrats need to find some way to apply pressure on the Administration to change course without assuming responsibility for what increasingly seems like an inevitable disaster. Compelling a hasty withdrawal or cutting off funding for the existing troop deployment or the surge could lay that failure squarely on the laps of the Democrats in Congress. But passing a non-binding resolution against the surge while approving the funding to make the surge possible could make them seem complicit should the surge fail in its objectives and result in even more American body bags coming home.
Perhaps the least bad option would be to deny funding for the surge - if you think it's the wrong thing to do, how could you vote to fund it? - and then throw it back on the President's desk. Make it clear that this is his mess and that the American people voted clearly in November for a new approach - not more of the same failed approach. Tell the President he's just going to have to do better with the troop levels he already has.
Otherwise, the Democrats will be left with, at best, a symbolic non-binding resolution against the surge and waiting to see if it work in the short term. If by the fall the situation in Baghdad is not considerably better and a political settlement is not in place, then the Democrats can say they gave Bush one last try, but the voters may see that as having been a violation of the trust they invested in the Democrats last November.
But Iraq is not yet lost. A full-blown civil war has, amazingly, yet to explode. Most Iraqis still seem to be holding out for a better future. Islamic extremists have not taken over the government. While Iran and Syria seem to be intervening by supporting allies inside Iraq, the long-feared regional conflict is still but a possibility.
The dangers of losing Iraq have been extensively discussed and are generally acknowledged by Bush's supporters and critics alike.
So what to do? Bush's escalation seems ill-conceived. It involves too few troops, though sending more troops seems to be not an option. Many military analysts say that the US military is "broken" and we are limited in terms of available combat troops. So we are left with Bush sending 21,000 plus combat troops, plus additional support troops, to attempt to secure Baghdad and, perhaps, one additional province. It is possible that the troops will succeed in the short term, but the surge seems unlikely to change the political landscape in Iraq or to enable the Iraqi Army to finally take over security for its own country.
Moreover, even though Rumsfeld, Wolfowtiz and Feith are gone, it is difficult to imagine the Bush Administration suddenly finding the ability to be competent in Iraq - or anyplace, for that matter. Why allow this commander-in-chief to send even one more soldier into harm's way after the way he has mismanaged this war, the war in Afghanistan, Katrina, etc.?
But if not the surge, then what?
That's the Democrats' - and the sane Republicans' - dilemma. We can't afford to lose Iraq. But we can't trust Bush to save it. The Iraq Study Group's recommendation to engage Iran and Syria in regional talks is worth trying - what's there to lose? - but it would be naive to think that Syria or, certainly, Iran will suddenly shift it's priorities in Iraq just because Condy Rice asks them to. It is worth trying to engage Iran in serious talks about a range of issues - its nuclear program, its support for Hezbollah and Hamas, its involvement in Iraq, etc. - but let's not bet everything on Iran suddenly becoming a partner for peace and stability in the region, much as it might benefit from such an outcome.
In terms of trying to broker an internal political arrangement in Iraq, that remains our best bet, but I can't help but think that if Zal Khalilzad couldn't pull it off during his tenure as our ambassador to Iraq, it's unlikely that even an experienced diplomat like his successor, Ryan Crocker, will find success any time soon.
So here we are, back to the dilemma. Handed the majority in Congress by an electorate seen to be fed up with the failures of existing Iraq policy, the Democrats need to find some way to apply pressure on the Administration to change course without assuming responsibility for what increasingly seems like an inevitable disaster. Compelling a hasty withdrawal or cutting off funding for the existing troop deployment or the surge could lay that failure squarely on the laps of the Democrats in Congress. But passing a non-binding resolution against the surge while approving the funding to make the surge possible could make them seem complicit should the surge fail in its objectives and result in even more American body bags coming home.
Perhaps the least bad option would be to deny funding for the surge - if you think it's the wrong thing to do, how could you vote to fund it? - and then throw it back on the President's desk. Make it clear that this is his mess and that the American people voted clearly in November for a new approach - not more of the same failed approach. Tell the President he's just going to have to do better with the troop levels he already has.
Otherwise, the Democrats will be left with, at best, a symbolic non-binding resolution against the surge and waiting to see if it work in the short term. If by the fall the situation in Baghdad is not considerably better and a political settlement is not in place, then the Democrats can say they gave Bush one last try, but the voters may see that as having been a violation of the trust they invested in the Democrats last November.
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