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Taylor Marsh has been writing on line since 1996, with the archives provided here a representation of that work.

Archive | June, 2010

Rumble on the Left

By on 10 June 2010

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Twenty months later, if independents haven’t deserted the party altogether, then they certainly seem to be gathering their things and saying their goodbyes. … According to the latest polling from the Pew Research Center, Obama’s standing among independents has dropped from a high of 63 percent early in his presidency to about 47 percent now.

[...] “What we’ve seen over the course of Obama’s time in office so far is that his constituencies have been relatively sleepy compared to his opposition,” Andrew Kohut, the president of the Pew Research Center, told me. “Voting is a habit. The problem with these people” — meaning the surge voters — “is that they came out for the first time, and so they’re nonhabitual voters. Not only does Obama have to do what he did back in ’08 in terms of getting them to come out in greater numbers, but he has to get them to shake off their drowsiness.”

- Democrat in Chief?, by Matt Bai

Read it, then hunker down.

Now, I’m not a movement progressive, but I know a lot of them and the work they do is selfless, tireless, thankless and endless. They and many of you deserve a lot better than what is coming down from the elite Democratic establishment, directed by Pres. Obama and his administration.

I joined my first union in my teens, which made all the difference once I hit New York City. I know what they can do.

On the other hand, my husband worked for over two decades as a gas man in a non-union company, benefiting from the threat of unionization, because the company paid him well, with good benefits, the works. That was because they were afraid of what might happen if a union planted their flag.

It was a classless act by the White House, but also Robert Gibbs, to be so disrespectful of unions after Blanche Lincoln defeated Bill Halter. Of course, Gibbs represents a White House that isn’t in tune with working families, with a President that wants to help middle America, but is completely clueless on how to do it, which was proven by the comment made to Ben Smith with the purpose of it getting in the news cycle.

The White House is ungrateful, arrogant and obviously believes your vote is a given, because you wouldn’t dare vote for a Republican. I guess they haven’t calculated what could happen if in November the unions and the left stayed home.

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What Israeli Actions have Wrought

By on 09 June 2010

It is time Israel realized that it has obligations to the United States, as well as the United States to Israel, and that it become far more careful about the extent to which it test the limits of U.S. patience and exploits the support of American Jews. This does not mean taking a single action that undercuts Israeli security, but it does mean realizing that Israel should show enough discretion to reflect the fact that it is a tertiary U.S. strategic interest in a complex and demanding world. – Israel as a Strategic Liability?, by Anthony Cordesman

It’s getting louder and coming from all quarters.

You don’t have to go back further than Lebanon 2006 (though you could), then walk forward.

Gaza attack without end, followed by an unending continuing humanitarian crises.

Settlements… continuing, then announced yet again when V.P. Biden is in Israel.

That’s before we even get to a shared Jerusalem.

The recent flotilla raid was just too much for many. This isn’t about IDF soldiers. Tzipi Livni is right. It’s about the Netanyahu government giving the order and knowing the situation, but doing it anyway and falling into a trap that has ensnared us all.

The are many reasons for not revisiting history. It’s just not helpful. Everyone realizes the horrible violence that has been delivered on Israel by bombs and attacks. But it now stands as backdrop to what we’re seeing happening in the present, especially in Gaza.

Andrew Sullivan proves the point about history today. Richard Cohen’s column from 2006 is Sullivan’s starting point.

The greatest mistake Israel could make at the moment is to forget that Israel itself is a mistake. It is an honest mistake, a well-intentioned mistake, a mistake for which no one is culpable, but the idea of creating a nation of European Jews in an area of Arab Muslims (and some Christians) has produced a century of warfare and terrorism of the sort we are seeing now. Israel fights Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, but its most formidable enemy is history itself.

Sullivan’s recent essays, beginning with his “Israel Derangement Syndrome,” illustrate the cumulative cost of Israel’s actions during recent historical times. Israel may have provoked another point of no return with the Gaza flotilla fiasco. Sullivan today:

I’m not going to go into the long and awful history of the way in which the Arab world has treated Israel from the get-go, but I am saying that to add to the original proposition an ongoing, unstoppable colonization of a further swathe of land won in wartime is obviously against the interests of the Jewish state, and compounds and deepens the resentment from 1948 and 1967 and 1974. Not to see this context, indeed to claim that any and all grievances against Israel’s existence – and, much more significantly, ongoing expansion – are entirely a function of Jew-hatred is to lose any nuance in diplomacy or human relations.

That’s where the Israelis have lost me and some others. It was revealed first by how petulantly even the Kadima-led government responded to Obama’s election. The Gaza war, conceptually defensible, was practically gruesome (Hamas and Israel share that blame), but the unapologetic, almost triumphalist and revengeful manner in which it was conducted and defended was and is shocking, as is the contempt for the wounded and dead on the Mavi Marmara. When your heart is hardened against the corpses of children buried in rubble, it is hardened too much. And the job of a real friend is to point this out, not to enable it.

There is no longer one side against the silent. There are two sides, both wanting to save Israel from herself, but it’s getting increasingly hard to do. Because if you’re friends can’t tell you when you’re screwing up so that you’ll listen and change, it’s likely your enemies will let you know in a way you won’t soon forget.

We’re entering a new moment in political analysis and rhetorical criticism where Israel is concerned and they brought it on themselves. We won’t see any courage in Congress for a while, but eventually that rock will be moved. The times and circumstances have changed and demand it.

The first action should be transparent declaration of Israel’s nuclear arsenal. You can’t have a nuclear-free Middle East, let alone hold Iran accountable, if a major player in the region is held to a different standard.

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Politics is an Emotional Sport

By on 09 June 2010


What I want from politicians is competency. It doesn’t matter if a politician feels my pain if he or she doesn’t know what he’s doing or if what he’s doing makes matters worse. See George W. Bush. But to prove the point, Pres. Obama is reportedly going down to the Gulf next week to spend some quality time and “get his hands dirty.” BP’s blowout is a long haul situation, which works in the White House’s favor.

But what Obama has learned the hard way is that politics is an emotional event sport and he can’t dictate otherwise. He’s simply got to suck it up and learn to play the game or face the consequences, which over the last weeks has been very bad for the White House. Events can turn former buffoons into heroes through emotional means, even if Gov. Jindal is finally getting some Rudy Giuliani type criticism, because as with Rudy, who didn’t prepare for 9/11 and made devastating decisions beforehand, now Jindal has been caught not using resources, which is governor management 101.

So the media isn’t completely wrong on covering the element missing from Pres. Obama. They just don’t have the right angle.

There is a reason people now give the Obama-led federal government worse ratings on the BP blowout than during the Bush-led Katrina cleanup and it’s not because the facts support it. They do not, because there is just no comparison to Obama’s response and George W. Bush’s lack of response. But for over 30 days Pres. Obama was not being the educator in chief on what was happening, as people watched oil spill into the Gulf with no end in sight, no answers being given, with BP left on the front lines while the Obama administration played the roulette wheel of catastrophe management until oil-drenched birds started showing up to break our collective hearts and darken the image of our collective soul.

What Obama and the White House didn’t grasp early enough is that like the Wall Street crisis, the economic downturn, and many other inherited nightmares, they are on the receiving end of cumulative incompetent exhaustion and discontent people are feeling. It’s why people don’t want to vote for incumbents, but also why Republican women are breaking out.

Politicians are ultimately defined not by their slogans and successes, but by how they react in a tragedy, no matter how its delivered. In a year where people’s frustration with what’s been going on for a long time has reached a tipping point, Pres. Obama has allowed the impression to develop that he’s just another politician who doesn’t get it.

The talking head media is now simply channeling their own frustration, which voters also feel, that the Obama administration and the Democratic Party have failed to deliver on the promise that was once felt so strongly.

We’re in trouble and Obama is saying everything is going to be okay and no one believes it and for good reason.

Obama was supposed to be The One People Had Been Waiting For. Oprah said so.

Now people are pissed he isn’t, even though there was never a chance Obama could fulfill voters’ lofty expectations, because no one could. Now people are left with the impression that promise, hope and change was simply a marketing slogan and he’s only one politician doing the best he can, but it’s looking like business as usual to them, which means incompetence to make a difference leaving people overwhelmed and feeling powerless.

Soaring rhetoric is not the same as inspirational leadership in a time of crisis. People thought it would be. The hangover is brutal, especially since the disappointment comes with governmental evidence on the wings of waiting to die, oil-soaked birds, with competing news that the worst of the BP blowout may be yet to come, while BP makes promises of reducing the oil flow “to a trickle.” Seeing will be believing it, but we all can hope.

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Blanche Stuns, as Women on the Right Rise

By on 09 June 2010

edited version cross-posted at Huffington Post

Nothing represents change in an anti-incumbent year like a woman.

Since Hillary Clinton’s historic presidential run for office, the 18 million cracks have created a political opening. Sarah Palin was the first through and she’s used her clout to make room for others. It’s just too bad the Republican women rising are against women’s individual freedoms. But make no mistake about it, the collapse of the Republican brand has allowed the ultimate outsider, women, to find a way in. As for Blanche Lincoln the new comeback kid, after the Halter scare that caused the runoff, she changed and won.

“Organized labor just flushed $10 million down the toilet.” – White House Official

The biggest winner last night was Blanche Lincoln, who was bracing for a loss, which showed in her face during her speech. William Jefferson Clinton wins too, which I know will drive some people crazy. It’s a heartbreaking loss for movement progressives who came so close, but their challenge made Blanche Lincoln a better candidate. It was a serious confrontation to elite power that had every establishment Dem quaking, which from the quote above from Ben Smith reveals they didn’t like it much. You can see Lincoln’s response in the ad after Halter forced a runoff. This battle is the stuff the makes for eventual victories. But the loss progressives didn’t expect even has Markos Moulitsas reconsidering the polling firm he uses. Some are writing Lincoln off, and she’ll have to raise a lot of money. November won’t be easy, because the energy will come from the right.

The hottest commodity is Nikki Haley, who will face a runoff on June 22. The good old boys just couldn’t take her down. Even after the slime thrown her way she still came in first and her brand image is through the roof. Dave Wiegel made a good predication last night on Twitter: Prediction: Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) will gave the SOTU response in 2011. She’s also got a presidential glimmer and being governor of a Southern state doesn’t hurt.

The anti-Nikki Haley is represented by birther queen Orly Taitz, but just imagine if she’s the Republican CA Sect. of State. It’s not decided yet (she’s losing badly right now). Thinking about Ms. Taitz playing the Katherine Harris role in 2012 should give everyone nightmares.

Carly Fiorina will be up against Barbara Boxer for the U.S. Senate. Two tough women fighting it out, this race will be one to watch.

If you’re keeping score, both Haley and Fiorina were endorsed by Sarah Palin. She can help raise money and rev up the troops, which has made for a very good 2010 for Palin. Her clout continues to matter as she uses her power to help other women rise.

Meg Whitman spent over $81M to get it done, but she’ll run against Jerry Brown for the California crown. She’s gone to the right to win the primary, so it will be interesting to see how her prior policy stance on things like immigration will be used against her.

…and what can you say about Sharon Angle, Nevada Tea Party spoiler and gift to Harry Reid? Seriously, I’ve got nothin’ on this one and my husband spent his life in Nevada. I also spent time there, so I can say that Nevadans don’t like politics as usual. I did a story during 2008 about my husband’s kids, all of whom backed Ron Paul. They’ve got a very independent western streak in the state, with Harry Reid not particularly beloved. No matter how wacky Ms. Angle sounds, I guarantee you Sen. Reid will not take anything for granted.

It’s taken a very long time but after the failures of Republican men, including Bush’s presidency, which was a big spending Administration, plus the disastrous campaign of John McCain, including his collapse on the economy, women are taking their place on the right. They’re coming from all ends of the Republican spectrum, with some of the display sure to offer awkward moments, but they are definitely energized. Republicans are seeing the rise of the female candidate, even if their politics stand in the face of women’s freedoms that we’ve fought to win. That’s something they’ll have to explain, especially with the rise of ultrasound bills across the country that demand a woman be challenged before taking care of her own body as she sees fit.

As for Democratic women rising… .. Since Hillary Clinton, well, as I’ve been writing for months, the new action has been on the right.

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Election Night Countdown

By on 08 June 2010

UPDATE (10:56 pm): Politico, then AP, call it for Blanche Lincoln with 51%, Halter 49%. Also Orly Taitz wins nomination for CA Sect. of State. Yes, indeed, William Jefferson Clinton is still relevant.

UPDATE (10:04 pm): Big Dawg still relevant? Don’t look now, but Blanche Lincoln may pull this out. See Nate Silver.

UPDATE (9:52 pm): AP declares a runoff between Nikki Haley and Gresham Barrett on June 22; Haley, despite sexist smears came in first tonight.



It’s going to be quite a night. There’s the Arkansas Senate runoff, the South Carolina, Nevada, Iowa and California gubernatorial primaries, Nevada Senate primary, South Carolina 4th, and Virginia 5th district primary for Perriello, to name a few. Chris Cilizza has more.

Poll closings begin at 7 pm eastern time, with Arkansas closing at 8:30 pm eastern. California polls don’t close until 11 pm. Nevada is at 10 pm.

Sarah Palin did a robocall for Carly, hoping to get her into the race against Sen. Boxer, which would be some fight, neither woman afraid to throw a political punch.

In the midst of this for Washington National fans, Stephen Strasburg makes his debut at around 7:00 pm. Exciting moment in baseball.

While the New Orleans Saint are raffling off a Super Bowl ring hoping to raise $1 million for the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Venice, La. Way to go, Saints!

For the big Arkansas battle, check out the local blogs here, here, here, here, and here.

Now we wait.. … What’s your election night drink tonight? If Halter wins it will be Tequila Silver shots at our place.

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Is Obama & Dem Majority Making Case for Big Government or Small Government?

By on 08 June 2010

We’re into dueling competitive narrative territory now. However, there is a much bigger story, which goes beyond what’s being talked about now and it’s not a good one for the Democratic Party currently in power.

Democrats control the Executive and Legislative branches of government.

The BP blowout makes a good case for government and the need for regulation. However, considering Democrats are supposed to be the competent ones who understand, appreciate and know how to make government function, looking at the BP blowout management isn’t exactly inspiring.

Even with full political control of Washington, Democrats are proving inept at utilizing government to control BP’s actions, being slow on the response and still not having other ideas or even a five-level task force in place to challenge BP. There are no tankers in the Gulf (which I still believe should be), which would be better than boom, which Matthew Simmons has been saying for weeks; but then again, everything he’s said on Dylan Ratigan’s show is coming to pass. As for the military option, it’s now clear that Obama nor BP has a clue how to mobilize America for this tragedy. People keep saying the military can’t plug the hole. True, which has never been my contention, but the U.S. military has the best command and control power available, with the capabilities of putting fear into any marauding corporation and their representatives who are on site just by being present.

The Democratic bungling, which began when Ken Salazar started authorizing more acreage for offshore drilling than Republicans, all under Obama’s direction, has led to the other competing narrative.

What’s the point in having a massive federal government if not even a fully controlled Democratic Washington can mobilize it or use it to advance Democratic principles?

So, in fact, Democrats are making the case for a smaller government, because if a Democratic president and Congress can’t mobilize efforts against what’s going on what’s the point of having a big government?

If we only had one competent leader who had the knowledge required and who knew how to mobilize the massive force of the feds.

The election today takes place with the backdrop of the BP blowout and the incompetence of politicians to do anything about a corporation that was allowed to drill at a depth no one should go. At least Democrats in Congress are planning to do something about that, though it could have been done by Obama on day one.

The election today has as its backdrop a Democratic president whose whole energy policy was “drill, baby, drill,” with a Congress that doesn’t have the spine to stand up to this insanity.

It comes after the Wall Street crisis, too big to fail, a stimulus that wasn’t enough, as well as a health care bill that throws people into a monopoly without choice and on demand. So already demoralized people have become even more skeptical that Democrats are any different.

The truth is that Obama came in with so much support behind him that he could have mobilized a massive green energy job push from day one. He just didn’t have the political will or the vision.

Looking at Democrats and Republicans today it appears nobody does.

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Primary Tuesday Not Quite ‘Throw the Bums Out’ But It Should Be

By on 08 June 2010

With white independents deserting in droves, Obama and Democrats desperately need the party’s fractious core of liberal supporters. Recent polls show that progressives are far less willing to turn out to back Democrats this year — and far less energized than the GOP base and conservative tea party activists. – Left to Obama: We’re not happy

It’s a big primary day. It’s also the launch of Obama’s Kick Your Ass media tour.

I don’t see a good reason to vote for one incumbent today. If you have one I’d like to hear it, but it will take convincing. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds that Congress has reached a new low. That’s because we don’t have a Congress like the founders intended anymore. They either obstruct or suck up to the Executive Branch. It’s been a sorry spectacle for a long time, with Democrats as bad as the rubber-stamping Republicans of the Bush-Cheney era.

But can Bill Halter actually pull out a win over Blanche Lincoln? Will Harry Reid get a Tea Party opponent, Sharon Angle, perhaps assuring his re-election? Told you never to count Reid out in Nevada. Via Mike Allen:

Top Arkansas sources tell us the state’s political establishment expects Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) to LOSE her primary runoff tonight by at least 5 points — and perhaps 7 to 10, since insurgents have been outperforming their polls this year. That’ll make her the fifth incumbent member of Congress to get fired even before November.

All of this has a backdrop of the BP oil spill and Pres. Obama’s close ties with a corporation that has a reputation of for bad business practices. Before the stories came flooding out, I had been told by oil experts who I trust and know well that BP could not be trusted. That Pres. Obama and his administration turned over the Gulf to BP to drill the deepest well in history without having real proof they could do it safely will be one of the biggest errors in judgment ever made by a president whose job is to protect our natural resources. From Pro Publica:

A series of internal investigations over the past decade warned senior BP managers that the oil company repeatedly disregarded safety and environmental rules and risked a serious accident if it did not change its ways.

The confidential inquiries, which have not previously been made public, focused on a rash of problems at BP’s Alaska oil-drilling operations. They described instances in which management flouted safety by neglecting aging equipment, pressured employees not to report problems and cut short or delayed inspections to reduce production costs.

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Rolling Stone’s exec. editor Eric Bates was on “Morning Joe” yesterday morning. The video here explains why Pres. Obama’s latest Kick Someone’s Ass tour on “Today” rings so false. Considering that Ken Salazar has reportedly opened up more offshore acreage to drilling than anyone in U.S. history, along with the fact that Pres. Obama’s entire energy policy was “drill, baby, drill,” just like the right, proves that just because you’re voting Democrat doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get anything better than what the other side is offering.

There isn’t anyone on the Democratic side showing leadership that stacks up as a competitive force to BP’s marauding.

Obama’s “kick ass” media tour, while whining about the press doing our job, also comes as news that the Administration joined BP in not telling people the truth about the spill from the get go, according to Rolling Stone. Obama’s a corporate partner with BP and has been for a very long time. That’s our political system today, which is why we have oil-drenched birds and an ecosystem in peril.

Voters should send a message to anyone in Congress who’s been there and been part of the problem. Newcomers can hardly do any worse. Barack Obama should take heed.

As for Pres. Obama, he needs to stop whining about the press, especially with events like Joe Biden’s beach party with art. Candidate Obama didn’t have any trouble when the collective majority of the press was fawning over him. He and his people just doesn’t like it when people tell the truth, something I know about first hand.

Besides, if Rolling Stone is coming at a Democratic president on the environment, you can be sure it’s well earned.

This post has been updated.

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The Last of the Longest Conventional Wars

By on 07 June 2010



The U.S. has been mucking around in (and around) Afghanistan for longer than the U.S. was engaged in Vietnam. A dubious milestone. One thing we never did in Vietnam was try to wrestle the culture to save the country, as we are endeavoring to do now with muscular diplomacy, beyond the military action, which is still due to be drawn down one year from July.

Today in the Women Deliver Conference 2010 (linked earlier today), one man stood up to say that one thing people must do to empower women is to stand up against the cultural pressures they face that are intended to marginalize and keep them down. It’s a very smart man that understands that a country is only as strong as the support of its women.

There is no doubt that the U.S. cannot make the full difference in Afghanistan. It is also a fact that we can never again find ourselves in the position of nation building on such a grand scale. With our deficit now due to overtake our GDP in as little as two years, some reporting shows, the practicalities of what we’re doing in Afghanistan just won’t allow it; besides, this type of interventionist foreign policy is problematic as we’ve seen over history. I continue to wonder what might have been if Pres. George W. Bush, aided by a cowardly Congress, especially on the Democratic side, would have staid the course in Afghanistan and never gotten involved in a preemptive misadventure. We’ll never know.

In the 21st century, we simply can never shirk our responsibility to stand up for women in countries where they are relegated to almost non-person status. This includes Jewish and Palestinian women who also live in patriarchal societies that often disavow their basic freedoms, including the ability to care for themselves through economic avenues.

Religion has been a salve for women, but it is a bigger curse in cultures across the globe.

The role we are playing in Afghanistan to tip the balance is worth it, no matter how painful the birth.

One wonders what a difference a woman like Tzipi Livni could mean to both Israeli and Palestinian women. Ms. Livni has traveled the world usually inhabited by men, so she knows the game. She submitted a proposal of no-confidence against the Netanyahu government, which passed the five opposition parties, amidst unity pleas from PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Her statement that the “current government of Israel is not representing the state to the world,” as well as acknowledging the #1 importance of the U.S. to Israel, proves she at least understands the political ramifications of the stupidity of the IDF flotilla raid, as well as how difficult it has made matters for America. No doubt Livni will put the Israel-can-do-no-wrong crowd (see see MJ) in a tizzy. Livni’s adeptness at blaming the government as they try to blame the IDF soldiers was classic.

We need more qualified females in places of power throughout the world. They have the potential to be beacons of revolution.

Afghanistan is an important place to make this point and fight the systematic, religious and cultural inhumanity to women that must finally be put down forever. It will be a long-term, unconventional battle.

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Helen Thomas Announces Retirement

By on 07 June 2010

Helen Thomas announced Monday that “she is retiring, effective immediately,” according to a statement from Hearst newspapers. – The Hill

A great career ends in controversy.

Thomas was wrong, her comments remarkably tone deaf for someone who has covered politics for decades. She has paid the price and goes the way of Don Imus.

People need to know when to retire. Of course, I could say the same thing about John McCain as well as others who are long past effectiveness and sanity, in some cases.

Meanwhile, Glenn Beck who invokes Mein Kampf when talking about Barack Obama’s presidency, and other right-wing screed provocateurs who use hate speech to make a living remain gainfully employed.

… Do you think David Halberstam would have played water sports w/ Rahm Emanuel & then proudly giggled about it afterward on his Twitter feed… – Glenn Greenwald

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CNN Parades Screed Merchant Pamela Geller

By on 07 June 2010

Pamela Geller is a virulent anti-Muslim screed merchant, who has a book coming out in July, which I wrote about in February, that targets Pres. Obama in the most vile manner. It is through this prism that CNN should judge her presence as a contributor in any discussion on the Middle East.

Robert Spencer, who wrote a piece for FrontPage, is pushing pieces by AtlasShrugged’s Pamela Geller, because the two of them joined together in the book to be published by Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon and Schuster entitled, “The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War on America.” The intro in the book is written by John Bolton. Need I say more?

As of 2005, the “chief editor” of Threshold was Mary Matalin. It’s not Regnery, the behemoth right-wing publisher, which has been behind other Robert Spencer books, but having the imprimatur of Simon and Schuster, which is the publisher usually noted, gives the upcoming and undoubtedly venomous screed to come an aura of respectability. Look for specials from Human Events and WND to come, as Geller will likely get a platform to push her propaganda, because she’ll be an author come July.

Geller is who CNN chose to have as a pundit to expound against the building of a mosque near the epicenter of the 9/11 attacks. In the Bolton – Geller world of international politics, all Arabs and Muslims are terrorists. That’s because Geller is a tribal extremist and one of the reasons the Netanyahu-Lieberman government think they can do whatever they want without thinking about their relationship with the United States and how their actions impact on our security; something that Geller never considers.

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As Gulf Dies, Obama Pushing to Lift Whaling Ban

By on 07 June 2010



“…There will be oil out there for months to come. This will be well into the fall. This is a siege across the entire Gulf. – Com. Thad Allen

Looking at Pres. Obama against BP’s marauding, incompetent corporate malfeasance, the decision for the Administration to lift the moratorium on whaling comes into full view. Just in case anyone thought Mr. Obama had any intention of learning lessons where corporations and ecosystems are concerned.

This subject has been raging underneath the surface for a very long time. Now, with oil-drenched birds dying, and BP’s blowout continuing to spew oil into the Gulf, while an entire ecosystem is dying, Pres. Obama and his administration have evidently decided to give another high hard one to environmentalists and people who love the sea and want to protect it over business interests. This time it’s whales.

The Obama administration is leading an effort within the International Whaling Commission to lift a 24-year international ban on commercial whaling for Japan, Norway and Iceland, the remaining three countries in the 88-member commission that still hunt whales. The administration argues that the new deal will save thousands of whales over the next decade by stopping the three countries from illegally exploiting loopholes in the moratorium.

But environmentalists aren’t buying it.

“That moratorium on commercial whaling was the greatest conservation victory of the 20th century. And in 2010 to be waving the white flag or bowing to the stubbornness of the last three countries engaged in the practice is a mind-numbingly dumb idea,” Patrick Ramage, the whaling director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, told FoxNews.com.

Anyone buying the Administrations malarkey at this point hasn’t been paying attention.

The Economist ran an article back in April that said: Nobody can deny that the present arrangement is messy and hypocritical. That’s because the slaughter continues even under what is supposed to be a moratorium. Japan is exploiting loopholes invoking “scientific whaling,” which is truly a laughable premise for what’s going on and everyone knows it. Their representative having called whales the ““cockroaches of the sea.” Charming, I know. The Economist:

…In February Australia (with quiet sympathy from New Zealand) threatened to take Japan to the International Court of Justice unless it stopped whaling off Antarctica.

Against this nastiness, a “peace plan” was unveiled on April 22nd, Earth Day, by the IWC’s Chilean chairman, Crishán Maquieira, and his Antiguan deputy, Anthony Liverpool. It reflected months of closed-door talks among a dozen countries. The moratorium would be lifted for a decade, but whalers would agree to a sharp reduction in their catch, stricter enforcement measures and a ban on all cross-border commerce in whale products. [...]

… Under the IWC proposal, Japan would halve the number of whales it kills off Antarctica, and face further cuts over the five years thereafter. A South Atlantic sanctuary, barred to all whaling, would be rigorously enforced. Countries that do not already hunt would not be allowed to start. IWC monitors would be placed aboard every vessel to document the kill and take DNA samples, so the meat can be traced. Japan would be allowed to hunt 120 minke whales in its coastal waters as a sop to local sentiment in four ports.

Green activists and anti-whaling countries are calling the deal a victory for whaling nations, but pro-whalers certainly do not see things that way. Masayuki Komatsu—Japan’s former IWC negotiator, who is notoriously blunt and once called minke whales the “cockroaches of the sea”—believes the proposal may mark the beginning of the end for Japanese whaling. After ten years, the industry will be smaller and the Japanese will lose interest, he grouses. Perhaps that is the point.

Suspend the moratorium, then babysit the whalers in hopes they’ll get tired and the industry will die? A lot can happen in 10 years of a moratorium suspension. Have we not learned we cannot trust international corporations when it comes to their profits versus the environment?

Obama’s response in supporting the IWC proposal is as predictable as your average Republican. He’s a friend to business, oil companies and nuclear companies, but as to the environment and its habitat no one should be impressed. The man just won’t put skin in the game for anything.

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Liz Cheney: Bush Blew the Middle East

By on 06 June 2010

Finally.

Someone on the right admits how Israel, but also her allies, got saddled with Hamas in the first place. It’s about time. A good foreign policy motto is to first do no harm; meaning the U.S. shouldn’t make political matters worse than when we began “helping,” aka engaging in another sovereign entities domestic business.

Of course, Liz Cheney didn’t exactly say it as I wrote in the headline, but from 2006 forward it’s what I’ve been writing. If it hadn’t been for Bush involving the U.S. in the Palestinian election process, pushing them when they were not ready, Israel would likely not have Hamas leadership to contend with today.

On “This Week” with Jake Tapper, Cheney came clean, the first politician on either side to point the finger at the Bush-Cheney administration, which was more responsible for Hamas taking a leadership role than anyone else.

“You were at the State Department in 2005, 2006 when these [Palestinian] elections were pushed,” host Jake Tapper said. “And some people were saying ‘Don’t do it, they’re not ready for it.’ Do you think that was a mistake in retrospect?” Tapper asked.

“I do,” Cheney replied. “I don’t think they were ready for it. I don’t think we should have pushed it.”

She emphasized though that “no matter how they came into power, they are a terrorist organization.”

What’s ironic is that for all Liz Cheney and the neoconservative right’s rants, she doesn’t get the irony that Republicans helped put a terrorist organization in power on Israel’s doorstep. Not exactly a friendly act. It caused Israel’s challenges, as well as their domestic headaches, to increase exponentially. Not to mention what a nightmare it’s been for the United States and our Arab allies, but also for the international community.

This is what the right does consistently: They bray about national security, but never make us safer.

They didn’t do anything for Israel’s security during the Bush-Cheney years. Helping put Hamas in power is just one example.

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Sunday Morning News Round-Up

By on 06 June 2010

Latte, anyone?

Good morning, I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

On this day in history, June 6, 1944, the WWII D-Day invasion took place on the beaches of Normandy, France.

~Here is the Sunday talk show run-down (h/t to Firedoglake).

~The NY Times has an eye-opening article about how the U.S. government is enriching the warlords of Afghanistan. Reasonable people can disagree about the wisdom of the Obama administration’s Afghan policy, but there is no doubt that the U.S. public has a right to know more about how some of the vast sums of money are being spent and whether it’s having the desired impact or undermining the very point of our being there.

~Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich explains why we are heading into a double-dip recession.

~The William Jefferson Clinton presidential library released over 45,000 pages of Elena Kagan’s records in response to a Senate request. I think the phrase that best describes her philosophy is this: deliberately vague.

~In the Arkansas Democratic primary, Halter is up in the polls. Analysts are saying that with the run-off around the corner (June 8th), it may all come down to who has the best get-out-the-vote operation.

~Obama has named a new Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Lt. Gen. James Clapper. Good luck to Mr. Clapper because that has to be one of the most thankless jobs in all of DC.

~An interesting and quite open-minded essay on Israeli policy written by an IDF Major (in the reserves) who is now at the Kennedy School of Government. It challenges the notion that to love Israel is to rubber stamp all of her policies and he questions both the human and moral cost of Israel’s actions of late.

~And of course, BP. The Washington Post reports on the sobering reality that it will take decades for the ecosystem to recover from the BP oil disaster. More information on the containment cap can be found here. If the criminal investigation into BP moves forward, don’t expect top corporate officials to end up in orange jumpsuits- they usually escape direct liability. Also related to BP, McClatchy is wondering why the Obama administration continues to low-ball oil flow estimates. Good question.

~Congress returns from “vacation” Monday and there are a lot of issues on their plate that they don’t want to deal with- war funding, jobless benefits, aid for the Gulf Coast. Man-up, Congress, you weren’t sent to Washington to just bask in the limelight and issue talking points. Keeping the government running is work.

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Helen Thomas Apologizes

By on 05 June 2010

“I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.” – Helen Thomas

Ms. Thomas is getting pilloried for remarks that she should have never made. She’s smart enough to know they’d be used against her.

Ari Fleischer, chief propagandist for the Water-boarder in Chief, George W. Bush, says “She should lose her job over this.”

Now the right is on the hunt for her head.

Helen Thomas has never been shy about her politics, especially on the Middle East. Now she’s handed her enemies the sword, which Hearst could use to end her career.

Question: Any comments on Israel?

Thomas: Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine. Remember, these people are occupied and it’s their land. It’s not German, it’s not Polish.

Question: So where should they go, what should they do?

Thomas: Go home.

Question: Where is the home?

Thomas: Poland. Germany.

Question: So you’re saying Jews go back to Poland, Germany?

Thomas: And America and everywhere else.

Ms. Thomas has been one of the most courageous journalists, especially in the White House Press Corps. Her reporting has been invaluable to this nation.

Anyone telling immigrants to go back, well, to anywhere, is simply wrong. Right-wingers do all the time.

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Obama Takes A Hit – Knew BP Blowout Impact

By on 05 June 2010


Birds and wildlife dying, with Pelicans back in danger.

The depth of a politician’s leadership instincts reveals itself on the ability to step into the breach in a crisis. Putting yourself second takes pushing your ego aside and jumping into a crisis, consequences to the hits you might take for any unknowable error put off the table. It’s not about you at a time of national calamity. That is until it becomes about you, because you failed to provide leadership as soon as it was needed.

To give you an idea of how childish the White House political team is on criticism where it’s due, the ultimate Obama insider Richard Wolffe has an anecdote the proves what has become very apparent, which is that Pres. Obama needs more grownups around him.

Obama’s aides have grown increasingly frustrated with the public criticism that the president has failed to express sufficient anger. As Gibbs put it at a recent briefing, “If jumping up and down and screaming were to fix a hole in the ocean, we’d have done that five or six weeks ago. We’d have done that the first night.” [...]

Carville recently chanced upon Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen eating dinner with BP CEO Tony Hayward at a New Orleans restaurant, the senior White House aide says. Allen had called Carville after his first TV outburst to talk about the administration’s response, but Carville failed to return the call. When Allen asked why, Carville said he had been busy, the aide says (Carville did not reply to requests for comment). That does not sit well with administration officials who suggest that Carville’s readiness to go public with his criticism is not matched by his private willingness to offer concrete suggestions about what they could do differently.

Yeah, because it’s James Carville’s responsibility to dig Pres. Obama out of a whole he knew was coming and should have been prepared to fight aggressively, especially on the political front where he had a chance of controlling the messaging.

There was no way Obama shouldn’t have known what was coming his way, which is why after the first call Com. Thad Allen gave, then waiting weeks, I finally unloaded on Pres. Obama and the administration, who responded pathetically to a crisis they knew was only going to get worse. More from Mr. Insider:

What has not been previously disclosed: The president was not only briefed on the real-time events of the spill, but also on just how bad it would be—and how hard it would be to plug the hole.

You’d have to be in a bubble made of rubber not to know what was headed your way. Any oil expert could have told the President this. I had veterans of the oil industry saying it was going to be about how Obama ended up managing the crisis, because it was going to be a bad one. So what did he do? The political shop inside the White House advised him to stay quiet, because they were doing all they could below the radar, calculating that they didn’t to alarm the public before you they had to. It’s insufferably naive.

Meanwhile… an entire ecosystem began dying, wildlife and birds were left to fend for their own innocent lives amidst unstoppable flowing oil, while the lives of people were destroyed waiting for federal action.

The public got more information from Dylan Ratigan’s show than the feds, who were being purposefully opaque, following BP’s lead to keep as much information away from the public as possible.

The public has weighed in and it’s not good news, because the cumulative impact is going to continue as more stories like the email from a Grand Island resident surface.

Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said the Obama administration should be doing more in response to the spill, while 28 percent believe the government is doing all it can. BP scored slightly worse – 70 percent feel the company should be doing more while 24 percent believe it’s doing everything possible to contain the crisis. – CBS

The good news for Pres. Obama is that BP scores worse than he does; 63% believe the Obama administration should be doing more, with 70% believing BP should. The bad news is that his political team has totally failed him (yet again), and you only get one chance out of the gates on crisis management.

It took 46 days before BP’s incompetent, lying CEO Tony Hayward was pushed out of the U.S. limelight. It should have been done on day one. BP could have continued working underneath the water, with a larger task force publicly in place, which I have already written about, without being on point. It was political malpractice that this didn’t happen weeks ago. That it didn’t lands on the White House doorstep.

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Turkish Ambassador: ‘For a final solution, you cannot ignore Hamas.’

By on 04 June 2010

The exploding head version to match the Turkish ambassador’s offensiveness can be found in Charles Krauthammer’s column today.

Turkey meets the Israeli government stupidity, then raises them using a historically incendiary phrase.

In an unfortunate turn of phrase, the Turkish ambassador to Washington twice said Friday that the terrorist group Hamas is a necessary and important part of the “final solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [...] “For a final solution, you cannot ignore Hamas. That’s what we are saying,” said Ambassador Namik Tan. “This is not the first time that we are trying to bring this into the discussion. We have told this to the Israelis, to our American friends, to our international interlocutors, everyone. How could you imagine a final solution without Hamas?”

Everyone in the Middle East has gone mad.

We’re caught in the middle.

The American right, on whatever political side you see it, is now engaged in a race to the bottom, which is tribalism on steroids. It’s an affliction that means supporting Israel no matter what they do, no matter how outrageous their behavior, even when it could end up costing the US every other ally we’ve got, including those helping us to fight Islamic extremism. Exhibit A for this condition is Liz Cheney, who has released a statement. It’s preening neoconservatism talking points.

There is no reasoning with leaders on either side of the flotilla disaster, or the ones caught in the throes of derangement, though the Obama administration continues to try. Frankly, we should wash our hands of it, as there is no evidence whatsoever that we can appease either parties. Turkey wants us to condemn Israel, which Obama will not do; and Israel expects unquestioning support, even when they dig in against an independent investigation. Can there be any doubt they’re even afraid of their own report after Goldstone landed with such a resounding slam?

David Ignatius quotes Chas Freeman: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” Where we are concerned, nonsense. Israel is being an irresponsible partner to the U.S. We are getting nothing for our allegiance. There should be consequences to such insulting, disrespectful arrogance by the Netanyahu government.

One thing is real and that is that Israel has to deal with Hamas at some point. They have committed terrorism, but thanks to George W. Bush, they are also elected.

On the other hand, playing the other side, how can Israel engage Hamas when they are still holding Israeli Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit? On that note, Peter Beinert suggests freeing Shalit to free Gaza. It’s a provocative look at an unending nightmare.

Israeli propaganda minister Ambassador To The U.S. Michael Oren is in comfortable surroundings on Hugh Hewitt, but didn’t add anything I couldn’t have scripted beforehand. But he did concede one thing: We agree that we’d like to find a better way of denying Hamas rockets. If the Secretary of State has ideas about how that might be done, we would be very, very happy to hear them. And we’ll be anxious to hear her suggestions.

The U.S. should simply step back. We won’t, but we should. Let’s see how well Israel fairs without us playing mediator for a while. We’ve given Israel aid without condition. Democrats and Republicans plan U.S. Middle East policy, only after crafting Israel into the picture. But still we get no respect or deference from our friend Israel. On nuclear weapons, Israel stands outside the common purpose for a nuclear free Middle East, because they need “defensive” weapons, which our leaders condone. There is no reason we should and considering that the Netanyahu-Lieberman government is flouting our efforts at peace, because they’re not interested in it, including pleas from the Obama administration to use caution when engaging the flotilla headed for Gaza, we should simply let Israel handle this issue on their own. They’re a grown, independent nation of great means.

As for Turkey, who is a very valuable friend, the U.S. should denounce the language being used by the Turkish ambassador.

Diplomacy in shambles.

Pres. Obama should stay in the Gulf where he can do some real good. There’s nothing to salvage in the Mideast right now.

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Way of Life Dying in Grand Isle, LA

By on 04 June 2010

An email was forwarded to me by someone I trust who verified its legitimacy, which is posted below. It breaks your heart and personalizes BP’s marauding corporate malfeasance, as well the federal government’s flatfooted incompetence. It’s from someone living in Grand Isle, Louisiana, where Pres. Obama will make a stop to talk to residents today. It took our President 46 days to get there.

This is an environmental 9/11 for our nation. So, there is simply no other place Mr. Obama should be or should have been over these last 46 days and counting. In our globalized world, politicians have forgotten their primary responsibility. It is to this nation and the sacred land on which we live and share our habitat.

It got me rethinking many things.

I vote on foreign policy issues, especially for president. However, something is terribly wrong with the balance. It seems today that we are faster to give aid to countries around the world than we are to come to the aid of our own people. What we get from these nations that get our aid in return needs to be weighed more carefully. Watching and reading stories from people in the Gulf region, someone needs to start explaining why we’re spending so much money in aid to countries in place of our own nation. What’s in it for us? In many instances we’re not getting our monies worth. In fact, we’re getting insulted for the privilege.

Not even Mr. Hayward’s head on a plate would be enough. His op-ed in the Wall Street Journal is insulting. Nothing can make up for the criminal negligence of his lack of stewardship, incomprehensible greed, and the despicable tone deaf nature of his PR preening. If other BP executives have any heart at all they will get him off the stage and stick him in an undisclosed location for the duration.

The email below is being posted anonymously for privacy reasons. These people have been through enough.

As a result of the oil spill the town of grand isle is apprehensive to say the least. The mood of both residents and non- resident camp owners is sadness, fear, anger, distraught, helplessness, and the unknown factor. BP and our federal gov’t's response has been casual and with a lack of urgency.local officials are frustrated with federal bureaucracy red tape in getting answers and assistance. many questions remain unanswered. how long will their lives be in turmoil?

The entire island community revolves around the seafood and tourist industry. Consequently the grand isle municipal tax base is eroding and property values are plummeting. the town is in a financial crisis. will the people affected be made whole by BP? what is BP’S definition of “making whole”. will they reimburse victims for their losses this year or perhaps 5 to 10 years for residual damage? This is the unknown factor. how do you place a price tag on our children and grandchildren being deprived from enjoying fishing and crabbing. the answer is no amount of money is adequate.

On a personal note i feel a sense of sadness for all the people who can not experience the joy of fishing and crabbing on Louisiana’s only coastal beach. many camp owners, myself included, have lost rental income due to cancellations as a result of the oil spill. …

Now we prepare for oil to make land in Florida. After that, we wait to see if it indeed travels up the Atlantic coast.

We need more people to help along the Gulf Coast and across into Florida. It should be all hands on deck, including Coast Guard, Navy, you name it. Anyone could help with absorbent boom placement and anchoring.

After 46 days, the federal government is still floundering. The sheer incompetence is overwhelming.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Politics Today: Incompetence, Liars, Sexism, and Racists

By on 04 June 2010

People are furious at politicians and the federal government. It’s easy to see why.

Pres. Barack Obama says he’s “furious” about the BP oil spill. Watching him say it should come with a laugh track. It may be so, but there’s no evidence of it. Does that matter? It’s ultimately up to you. For me what matters is the sheer political incompetence, but more importantly that there obviously aren’t enough bodies on the ground to do the job in the Gulf. The President could change that, but hasn’t yet.

Next we’ve got Rep. Mark Kirk who has lied repeatedly about his military service. Now he’s apologized.

Mr. Blumenthal lied about his military service. He also apologized.

State Rep. Nikki Haley has really been going through it. Her politics are not mine, but this is yet another example why women think twice before jumping into the political arena. Infidelity charges against Mrs. Haley have rocked the race in South Carolina. Now she’s been smeared by one of her own, with Republicans scrambling to demand an apology from a white male bigot who has no business in public office.

“The South Carolina Republican Party strongly condemns any use of racial or religious slurs. Senator Knotts should apologize for his inappropriate comments, so that we can put this unfortunate incident behind us and focus on issues important to moving our state forward,” said Republican Party Chair Karen Floyd in a statement.

Unfortunately for the Republicans in South Carolina, as well as Sarah Palin, who will reportedly endorse Nikki Haley, both the Tea Party activists and Republican voters have said everything imaginable about Pres. Barack Obama. An apology is hardly enough.

We have Republicans across the country vilifying Obama as a socialist, Glenn Beck going the full Nazi, with no point of decency ever invoked. Rand Paul hemmed and hawed about the Civil Rights Act, also taking issue with other groundbreaking legislation that makes this country more equal.

I don’t care about Haley’s politics or with whom she’s slept. But until people call for the resignation of Neanderthal bigots who hold office we’ll never purge our politics from these racists.

“We already got one raghead in the White House, we don’t need a raghead in the governor’s mansion.” – Sen. Jake Knotts

Now that Obama has canceled his diplomatic trip to Indonesia and Australia because of the BP blowout, the countdown begins on where he will travel. The Carteresque worry about his presidency starting to creep in, as he’s being held hostage because the White House got behind on the politics of catastrophe. Helpless to change what BP has done. Trying to catch up politically because the White House political shop didn’t understand the job of the presidency: People want to see their president in action in a crisis; behind the scenes machinations don’t count, especially when an environmental and economic debacle is claiming a way of life for Southerners.

Nothing in politics today is particularly inspiring.

The national pastime, baseball, stepped in to provide it. A blown call in a perfect game, with Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers showing some class after Jim Joyce blew the call. But then the boss, Bud Selig, stepped in to say, tough, he wouldn’t reverse the call.

It takes leadership to make things right and some people just aren’t up to it.

Beyond Gov. Bobby Jindal’s ridiculous call to end the moratorium on drilling off LA coast, he’s stepped in to express the people’s pain, but also make up for his first appearance in the State of the Union response debacle.

But it was Charlie Crist who said, where’s the Navy and the Coast Guard? We need more help down here, so why not deploy everyone we’ve got?

That should have been Obama’s call. I guess he was too busy celebrating at the White House or getting another jersey. President Obama’s performance remains below the curve. Perception in politics is reality and politicians live or die by the public’s judgment of it.

This post has been updated.

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A Special Place in Hell for BP

By on 03 June 2010

I saw a picture of a bird drenched in oil today and all I could do was scream.

Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP, has a special place in hell reserved for him, as do others that saw fit to use our Gulf Coast without any regard to the wildlife, ecosystem and precious resources that we have been charged to keep. For the lives they have ruined there will be no forgiveness.

The ad and PR blitz by BP is as revolting as it is inappropriately tone deaf. It cost them $50m. It’s going to take more than that to resurrect these corporate marauders from their waiting line for hell.

Ocean currents “likely” to carry BP’s oil along the Atlantic coast.

This catastrophe is with us for the duration.

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The Water-Boarder in Chief Speaks

By on 03 June 2010

To the international community and many Americans it’s a war crime.

From the Texan who gave the order to have it done it evidently was simply an answer he got to his prayers. In Grand Rapids he was feeling very comfortable, with the picture saying it all. The smug arrogance remains.

“Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” Bush said of the terrorist who master-minded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. He said that event shaped his presidency and convinced him the nation was in a war against terror.

“I’d do it again to save lives.”

After what we lived through with Pres. Clinton, I never wanted to see another impeachment. You’ll never convince me that Congress and the FBI being trained on Clinton’s zipper didn’t cost us, including 9/11.

However, if ever anyone deserved to be investigated for the lies his Administration perpetrated in the name of “national security” it was George W. Bush. From WMD lies, to subverting intelligence and the press, Democrats simply failed in performing the duties necessary to hold the Bush administration accountable. If the situation was reversed, Republicans would have delighted in doing to a Democratic president what should have been done to George W. Bush.

In fact, I’ve thought for a long time that Republicans taking over the House could portend a nightmare for Pres. Obama. Not because of any just reason, but because hunting Democrats is what Republicans do.

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