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

Tag Archives | energy

J. Stephen Simon, The Exceptional Oil Man

By on 11 July 2009

Cross-posted and featured on Huffington Post, Business Section.

J. Stephen Simon, Director, Senior VP of ExxonMobil (now retired) dies. That will be the official line. But he was simply the man who married my sister; the man who was always there for me.

From the time I was old enough to remember, when I thought of my sister Susie, it was always in conjunction with Steve. That’s because they fell in love in 9th grade and stayed together the rest of their lives.

That is until this past week when this dynamo of a man had a massive heart attack, leaving his family, his beautiful daughters, all of us in slack-jawed disbelief. Gone.

J. Stephen Simon didn’t start at the top. He worked his way up, all the way. When he married Susie they definitely couldn’t afford some fancy honeymoon. It was a quick celebration after an amazing December wedding, then off to work Steve went. Nothing given, all earned, with Susie by his side every step of the way. The noble quest of acquiring all you have through hard work, dedication, love of family, and staying true to your humble Missouri roots. Steve never forgot where he came from and always remembered how hard he and Susie worked to get what they achieved. With the only thing that ever really mattered to him was making Susie happy. That he did, more than they could ever have dreamed might manifest.

Others might remember J. Stephen Simon from congressional hearings. Let’s just say his testimony was animated, which is why I chose this shot. Steve was larger than life.

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Stephen Simon, Senior Vice President, Exxon Mobil Corp. reiterated that point. “Imposing punitive taxes on American companies will discourage the investments needed to safeguard our energy security. The pursuit of alternative fuels must not detract from investments in oil and gas,” he said.

Markey hammered Exxon’s Simon over the company’s investment in renewable energy. “Why is Exxon Mobil resisting the renewable energy revolution?” asked Markey.

Simon said Exxon has given $100 million to Stanford to study renewables. “$100 million?” said Markey. “But you made $40 billion last year.”

When pressed, Simon said Exxon believes the current generation of renewable energy options will not be able to significantly meet demand.

… ..Exxon has long said it is in the business of oil, and that it prefers to leave renewable energy up to the renewable energy companies. Although the company has received some praise – even from its critics – for its investments in cutting-edge battery technology.

I remember when I wrote to Steve and my sister about working on the side of Al Gore on climate change (also Robert Redford). He respected my decision, then sent me an information packet filled with data. We never engaged in a fight over energy or ExxonMobil. As was fitting given my conflict of interest on the subject, I didn’t cover anything that incorporated ExxonMobil and little on the oil industry, writing disclaimers about it to explain the emails asking why I wasn’t. Knowing Steve, it taught me why demonizing people through politics on issues because of what they do, especially when it’s a commodity that’s been instrumental in our country’s history and national security, never tells the full story when it’s a man as good as Steve. I learned that story through my family.

ExxonMobil has many enemies on the progressive and activist side, but I can say with pride and without equivocation that J. Stephen Simon was one of the most honorable, decent, dedicated American patriots you’ll ever find. Yes, even an oil man can be a patriot.

Steve and I had several conversations on politics, though not nearly as many as I would have liked. It was tough given his position and my work. I’ll cherish what he told me in confidence, because you can imagine the access he had. I don’t think he’d mind now me saying this much on one subject. Thumbs up on Hillary. On John McCain…. um… not so much. But you had to know Steve to appreciate the color he added when politics was the subject. Steve’s mental brilliance made for a razor sharp wit.

Yes, he graduated number one from his class at Duke; and number one when he got his MBA from Northwestern. … .. Served in the Army.

However, this isn’t what I’ll remember most about Steve.

It’s the moments Steve was there, like when I was a little girl and dad had died, and he stepped up (as did my hero bro, as always). Then there was Steve’s unending understanding when a rift turned into a divide until I flew to Italy, where he was president, Esso Italiano, Rome. Telling the story of a personal family tragedy, Steve crying along with me as he helped us put the past where it belonged. What he did for me throughout my life, his generosity, the sibling trips he and Susie treated us to, where we all landed in a city taking in the best theater, then barnstorming the best restaurants, where the good food and wine flowed, with so much laughter you cried. Treating me to a fabulous, first-class ticket to Venice on the train, as well as one of the finest hotels on the Grand Canal. It also didn’t surprise me when I walked into my room to see long-stem red roses waiting. That was Steve… and Susie.

So, the loss… it’s all so crushing.

It just seems wrong that “life goes on.” It should stop. Everyone should stop. … .. if just for a moment when someone this good, this remarkable, this dedicated to his family passes from the earth plain.

Steve and Susie. From the time I can remember, there wasn’t one without the other. It was simply the greatest of love affairs.

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The Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University has established the J. Stephen Simon Scholarship Endowment Fund. Memorial contributions to the J. Stephen Simon Scholarship Endowment Fund may be made to Duke University in care of Judge Carr, 305 Teer Engineering Building, Box 90271, Duke University, Durham, NC 27702.

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TM NOTE: I’m off to the wake and funeral. I’d so appreciate everyone pitching in and putting important stories “In the News”. I’ll check in when I can. You can can follow me on Twitter, which will be a bit easier for me than posting over the next couple of days.

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Bye-bye Baghdad

By on 30 June 2009
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Happy holiday!

The oilmen commeth.

An oil consortium led by British Petroleum has won a contract to develop a large oil field in Iraq, as dozens of international firms compete for the rights to the nation’s oil and gas reserves.

BP, along with China’s CNPC, secured the contract for the Rumaila oil field on Tuesday, the largest of Iraq’s six oil fields on offer to foreign and state-owned companies. … A total of 32 firms, including US and European giants ExxonMobil and Shell and companies from China, India and other Asian states, are chasing the opportunity to get 20-year service contracts to develop six giant oil fields and two gas fields.

As a side note, the above screen capture is evidence of MSNBC’s new HD format. I’m loving it.

TO ADD… Tom Ricks brings the pessimism, though some would say it’s simply reality.

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News Around the World

By on 28 June 2009

–updated–

An eerie stillness has settled over this normally frenetic city. … “People are depressed, and they feel they have been lied to, robbed of their rights and now are being insulted,” said Nassim, a 56-year-old hairdresser. “It is not just a lie; it’s a huge one. And it doesn’t end.” – In Tehran, a Mood of Melancholy Descends

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Iran remains in limbo, with people facing a regime that offers no out, no way forward, only more walking into the past. As the regime crushes all dissent, they’ve created much bigger problems for themselves than citizen protests, as the Guardian lays out:

The power struggle inside Iran appears to be moving from the streets into the heart of the regime itself this weekend amid reports that Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani is plotting to undermine the power of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rafsanjani’s manoeuvres against Khamenei come as tensions between the speaker of the parliament, Ali Larijani, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also appeared to be coming to a head.

One very disturbing development is that @persiankiwi has gone silent. Her/his tweets have been instrumental in this fight. Sullivan notices it as well. Nico Pitney has much more.

Another potentially history changing story comes from the Middle East in the voices of the women. It’s inspiring, but more importantly, it’s a potential crack in the dynamics, a new way forward if it’s supported and protected. Obviously, that’s a big if.

… “This is our time, women’s time,” said Khoulod Al Fahed, a Saudi businesswoman and blogger. “It is the time for women to speak up and demand the rights that have been stolen from us in the name of religion and culture.”

Middle Eastern women have long played active roles in the struggle for democracy and human rights. In recent months, women have won small yet unprecedented victories. In Kuwait, four female lawmakers were elected to parliament last month, the first time women have won seats in the nation’s legislature. In Egypt, election law was recently changed to give women a quota of 64 parliamentary seats. Palestinian women have launched protests to free prisoners held by Israel, while Egyptian women have organized labor and pro-democracy strikes in recent years.

Iran’s making the thugocracies sweat:

Out of fear that history might repeat itself, the authoritarian governments of China, Cuba and Burma have been selectively censoring the news this month of Iranian crowds braving government militias on the streets of Tehran to demand democratic reforms.

Between 1988 and 1990, amid a lesser global economic slump, pro-democracy protests that appeared to inspire and energize one another broke out in Eastern Europe, Burma, China and elsewhere. Not all evolved into full-fledged revolutions, but communist regimes fell in a broad swath of countries, and the global balance of power shifted.

Jose Maria Aznar weighs in very critically on Obama regarding Iran.

Delayed public displays of indignation may be good for internal political consumption. But the consequences of Western inaction have already materialized. Watching videos of innocent Iranians being brutalized, it’s hard to defend silence.

In Afghanistan, a new U.S. policy on opium.

At home, the climate bill inches forward, with a push from Pres. Obama, as well as this from Al Gore:

The American Clean Energy Security (ACES) Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation Congress will ever pass. This comprehensive legislation will make meaningful reductions in global warming pollution, spur investment in clean energy technology, create jobs and reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

The next step is passage of this legislation by the Senate to help restore America’s leadership in the world and begin, at long last, to put in place a truly global solution to the climate crisis.

We are at an extraordinary moment, with an historic opportunity to confront one of the world’s most serious challenges. Our actions now will be remembered by this generation and all those to follow – in our own nation and others around the world.

CQ Politics has the party vote breakdown. Rep. Boehner was reduced to ineloquence.

Included in the news unfolding around the world is the drama of Michael Jackson’s death, which continues to play out. The doctor, who has retained counsel, which is prudent in a case like this, is getting some scrutiny.

With Jackson’s death Thursday at age 50, investigators have turned their attention to a new figure in his life, cardiologist Conrad Murray of Las Vegas, whom Jackson called his personal physician. Murray was in Jackson’s rented mansion at the time he collapsed from an apparent heart attack.

People can argue with each other about what news isn’t getting covered, but the truth is that many people care more about this story than anything else. The magnitude of MJ’s passing has rippled across the world, shocking many who just didn’t get what he meant to so many, but also the impact of his stratospheric talent, which is bringing a flood of sales to the Jackson estate.

In honor of Stonewall, Frank Rich has written a piece that I’ll let you judge for yourself. Rich long ago lost me.

UPDATE: Military coup in Honduras.

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Obama: ‘The Iranian People Can Speak for Themselves’

By on 23 June 2009

UPDATE: Some member of the White House press corps have their egos in a bunch because Obama called on Pitney, out of usual sequences, but also with a little coordination on the question. Michael Calderone has written a peevish post about it. But in the update, Burton dismisses any notion that it was a set up to an easy question, which it clearly was not.

UPDATE: Deputy press secretary Bill Burton responds: “We did reach out to him prior to press conference to tell him that we had been paying attention to what he had been doing on Iran and there was a chance that he’d be called on. And, he ended up asking the toughest question that the President took on Iran. In the absence of an Iranian press corps in Washington, it was an innovative way to get a question directly from an Iranian.”

________Original post below________

“…But only I am the President of the United States.” – Barack Obama

Are you hearing him now, Mr. McCain? Any other question, Lindsay?

Did your critics inspire you today, Mr. President? “What do you think?” –insert laughter here–

Reading from notes, somewhat halting in his delivery until he got to the Q&A, Obama addressed the drama in Iran directly. As a response to the first question Obama said “obviously what has happened in Iran is profound.”

“The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost. I’ve made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is not interfering in Iran’s affairs. But we must also bear witness…” - President Barack Obama

To continue, what happened in Iran, Obama makes clear was “indigenous” and “happened organically.

Nico Pitney, whose liveblogging the “green wave” has been so important, was tapped second by Obama to ask a question. The President mentioned that across the Internet people are getting reports out of Iran, and “there may actually be questions from people in Iran who are communicating through the Internet.” Pitney had a question from an Iranian, who had responded to HuffPost’s query online. “Under which conditions would you accept the election of Ahmadinejad, and if you do accept it without any significant changes in the conditions there, isn’t that a betrayal of what the demonstrators are working towards?” Obama began by saying we didn’t have international monitors on the ground, continuing that spanning the Iranian society, people consider this election “illegitimate.”

Moments later he took on Major Garrett from Fox, who questioned why it took so long for Obama to speak forcefully, to which Obama clearly bristled. Then it was Chip Reed, Chuck Todd, invoking Neda, though not using her name, stating that “when a young woman is shot on the street that’s a problem.”

Last question, Suzanne Malveaux asked Obama if he’d seen the video of Neda’s murder. He had, his response, “heartbreaking,” with a nod of his head, emphasizing the tragedy.

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Kurds Reach Oil Deal with Baghdad

By on 11 May 2009

That’s what’s being reported:

Ending months of political stalemate, the Iraqi Oil Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq reached an accord Sunday that would allow the Kurds to export oil for the first time.

…. Under the terms, the Kurds can begin exporting about 60,000 barrels of oil a day from the Tawke field starting on June 1, and an additional 40,000 barrels a day from a second field, Taq-Taq, later in the month. The oil will be marketed by the central government and all revenue will go to Baghdad, said Asim Jihad, chief spokesman of the Oil Ministry.

[...] The oil news came as Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, made a surprise here.

The Wall Street Journal adds an important point:

Mr. Jihad said the oil ministry’s State Oil Marketing Organization will handle the sale and marketing of Kurdish exports, which will be shipped via a major pipeline that snakes to a big export terminal in Ceyhan, Turkey.

Next stop Kirkuk?

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Nobel Laureate Al Gore Silences Marsha Blackburn

By on 25 April 2009

No doubt, one of the things former Vice President Al Gore expected on Friday was to come face to face with the head in the sand crowd. However, even he was likely a bit surprised when Rep. Blackburn insinuated that the whole purpose of his environmental work is personal greed. This woman is one of the most annoying congresspeople, second only to Michele Bachman. Her insinuation even brought back Gore’s famous sigh and with good reason. She made a fool of herself, which is clear even in the short clip here.

Testifying in front of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Commitee, Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore, founder of The Climate Project, had to deal with the Republican head in the sand crowd. In his statement to the committee Mr. Gore said many things, but one in particular struck my heart:

-This year, a number of groups ranging from the National Audubon Society to the Department of Interior, released the U.S. State of the Birds report showing that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species and other threats including climate change. The major shift attributed to the climate crisis related to the migratory patterns and a large shift northward among a vast range of bird species in the U.S.

As much as I love birds, having raised and sheltered peacocks, as well as watching and feeding any number of different species over the years, this one fact alone is worth doing all we can to reverse. But we all, no doubt, have our own personal point of purpose when it comes to reversing global climate change.

It’s really astounding that after all these years ignorant pontificating gas bags like Blackburn still have a job in which they attack people like Al Gore, someone who has given a good deal of his life, time and money to making everyone more aware of global climate change. A purpose that Republicans still refuse to appreciate, regardless of the evidence.

It seems every time a Republican speaks on climate change the world gets dumber and less informed.

Another Republican, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, questioned the scientific basis of some of Mr. Gore’s claims about climate change.

Mr. Gore, clearly exasperated, said, “There are people who still believe that the moon landing was staged on a movie lot in Arizona.”

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High Speed Obamarail

By on 16 April 2009
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Got vision? You betcha.

With “Amtrak Joe” standing beside him, President Obama announced the investment of a high-speed passenger rail network of 100- to 600-mile intercity corridors, the goal to connect communities to cities everywhere in America. As Obama said so aptly as he ran down cities around the world that already have high speech rail, starting with France, if they can do it so can we. It was one of the best and most important announcements to his presidency.

Anyone who depends on public transportation, as well as those of us who have pined for it in cities clogged with traffic congestion, knows that if you’re talking about a better way of life, better energy consumption, as well as changing the face of productivity, high speed rail lines have to be the foundation.

HIGH-SPEED RAIL IS GREEN Today’s intercity passenger rail service consumes one-third less energy per passenger-mile than cars. It is estimated that if we built highspeed rail lines on all federally-designated corridors (on map), it could result in an annual reduction of 6 billion pounds of CO2.

Here’s the vision and the map, with much more available.

* California Corridor (Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego)

* Pacific Northwest Corridor (Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver BC)

* South Central Corridor (Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock)

* Gulf Coast Corridor (Houston, New Orleans, , Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)

* Chicago Hub Network (Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville,)

* Florida Corridor (Orlando, Tampa, Miami)

* Southeast Corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)

* Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)

* Empire Corridor (New York City, Albany, Buffalo)

* Northern New England Corridor (Boston, Montreal, Portland, Springfield, New Haven, Albany)

Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor (Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, New Haven, Providence, Boston) to compete for funds for improvements to the nation’s only existing high-speed rail service, and for establishment and upgrades to passenger rail services in other parts of the country.

This is the sort of vision and strategic planning for America that changes nations forever. As for a presidency, situational need meets opportunity, put in place by the American public who are behind Obama by huge numbers right now. Keep pushing, Mr. President.

It also puts Republicans in a bind, because of the sheer necessity of the project, with Obama’s proposal a brilliant move for his Administration. Arguing against it will be difficult, even for the “tea party” crowd, though I’m sure they’ll find a way, for which the Grand OLD Party would earn its name yet again.

graphic via Zazzle

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Budget Reviews: Obama Wins

By on 03 April 2009
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I know I’ve said it before, but what a week for the American President.

… as well as Democrats, because as you’ll see below, there was nary a Republican to be found.

We’re also learning about Obama’s crisp reminder to bank executives, which came via anonymous sources, but provides a delicious quote of the day. Obama to bank execs:

“My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.” – President Obama (via Politico)

Classic.

The Wall Street Journal takes aim at Al Gore on “cap and collapse,” as they see it. I know, you’re shocked.

Washington Post says not so fast, but no one should expect cap and trade to come easily. No doubt Al Gore knows this all too well.

Love or hate the budget, it was a winner for Obama and his administration. But they sure do own it now. What do you think?

New York Times: A lesson that bipartisanship can’t happen with Republicans. Budget “Viewed As A Victory For The New White House, Particularly Because Most Moderate And Conservative Democrats Went Along.”

Wall Street Journal: “President’s Priorities on Health Care, Energy and Education Are Intact.” … “A Significant Victory.”

Christian Science Monitor: “Obama gets budget passed. Fast? Yes. Bipartisan? Nope”

New York Daily News: A “Political Victory” For The President.

Bloomberg: “Got A Pair Of Wins On Capitol Hill As The House And Senate Approved Drafts Of His 2010 Budget Plan That Largely Adhere To The Administrations Priorities.”

New York Times: The House Budget Voted “…actually reflected a strong show of Democratic support for the budget, since it often barely passes. It was the first time in a dozen years that a budget had received more than 230 votes.”

Politico: “House vote surpassed the size of budget victories for either party over the last decade.”

New York Times: “House Democrats easily defeated Republican alternatives and won backing for their budget from all segments of their party, from conservative Blue Dogs to urban liberals.”

Democrats are definitely flexing their muscles. The New York governor even succeeded in kicking Rush out of New York. It’s an excuse to sit on his posterior in Florida, sulking, no doubt, after Ed Schultz got the MSNBC gig.

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The News Conference

By on 24 March 2009

It begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern. Excerpts were sent out. I’ll just offer a couple of key graphs.

[W]e’ve put in place a comprehensive strategy designed to attack this crisis on all fronts. It’s a strategy to create jobs, to help responsible homeowners, to re-start lending, and to grow our economy over the long-term. And we are beginning to see signs of progress.

… … We will recover from this recession. But it will take time, it will take patience, and it will take an understanding that when we all work together; when each of us looks beyond our own short-term interests to the wider set of obligations we have to each other – that’s when we succeed. That’s when we prosper. And that’s what is needed right now. So let us look toward the future with a renewed sense of common purpose, a renewed determination, and most importantly, a renewed confidence that a better day will come.

Not to miss an opportunity, President Obama also talks about green jobs, something the Wall Street Journal (that’s right) wrote about as well, which is a good sign as far as I can tell.

Green is in:

That’s what clean energy jobs and businesses will do. That’s what a highly-skilled workforce will do. That’s what an efficient health care system that controls costs and entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid will do. That’s why this budget is inseparable from this recovery – because it is what lays the foundation for a secure and lasting prosperity.

Oh, and since we’re talking green stuff, Al Gore has announced his new book, Our Choice, which will pick up where An Inconvenient Truth left off. Got a release from his office today.

Obama up in a little over an hour.

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Busy China

By on 17 March 2009

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James Fallows presents one view of China in the Atlantic that ties into what’s going on right now.

Idle factories, moored container ships, widespread bankruptcies, massive migration back to the hinterlands, strangely clean air—the signs of depression are everywhere in China. Because it makes so many of the goods the world isn’t buying now, China stands to be worse hit than the rest of the world —just as America was during the Depression, when it was the world’s sweatshop. But like America then, China will use tough times to design innovative products that will get it the high profits and the high-value jobs Americans kept to themselves for decades. And that is very bad news for the United States, unless it uses tough times to reinvent itself, too. [...]

Segue to the Washington Post

…On Saturday, Iran announced that it had signed a $3.2 billion agreement with a Chinese consortium to develop an area beneath the Persian Gulf seabed that is believed to hold about 8 percent of the world’s reserves of natural gas.

Even as global financial flows have slowed sharply overall, China has dramatically stepped up its outbound investment. In 2008, its overseas mergers and acquisitions were worth $52.1 billion — a record, according to the research firm Dealogic. In January and February of this year, Chinese companies invested $16.3 billion abroad, meaning that if the pace holds, the total for 2009 could be nearly double last year’s.

Worldwide, the value of mergers and acquisitions transactions so far this year has dropped 35 percent to $384 billion. By comparison, the United States had $186.2 billion in outbound mergers and acquisitions in 2008 and Japan had $74.3 billion.

China’s state-run media outlets are calling the acquisition spree an opportunity that comes once in a hundred years, and analysts are drawing parallels to 1980s Japan.

“That China started investing or acquiring some overseas mineral resources companies with relatively low prices during the global economic crisis is quite a normal practice. Japan did the same thing in its prime development period, too,” said Xu Xiangchun, consulting director for Mysteel.com, a market research and analysis firm.

It’s not just Chinese corporations that are taking advantage of the economic crisis to help others while helping themselves.

The Chinese government also has come to the rescue of ailing countries, such as Jamaica and Pakistan, that it wants as allies, extending generous loans. Even Chinese consumers are taking their money abroad. In a shopping trip last month organized by an online real estate brokerage, a group of 50 individual investors from China traveled to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco to purchase homes at prices that have crashed since the subprime crisis. [...]

China’s very busy. Remains to be seen what President Obama’s response will be.

“… the path embarked on by China is one of peaceful development…” – Wen Jiabao

“To be honest, we are a little bit worried,” Wen said, speaking at the closing press conference of China’s annual legislative session. “We have loaned huge amounts of money to the United States, so of course, we have to be concerned. . . . We hope the United States honors its word and ensures the safety of Chinese assets.” – LA Times

Political editorial art, by Paul Szep, used by permission.

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Chavez is Nervous

By on 16 March 2009

Losing your grip, Mr. President?

President Hugo Chávez ordered the navy on Sunday to seize seaports in states with major petroleum-exporting installations, part of his effort to assert greater control over infrastructure that had come under the dominion of political opponents in regional elections last year.

The move points to a spreading radicalization by Mr. Chávez, as he responds to a slowing economy and the gains made by his opponents. Economic growth slowed in the last quarter to its most sluggish pace in five years, 3.2 percent, weighed down by low oil prices.

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Engaging the Muslim World

By on 12 March 2009
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Nice title for Juan Cole’s new book. It’s something we’ve done a horrible job doing since 9/11. But the timeliness takes on new importance when looking through the prism of the Freeman withdrawal for NIC. Cole’s assessment on President Obama is stark, the review devastating:

Israeli Apartheid will continue unabated under Obama. – Juan Cole

Meanwhile, the Washington Post editorial today embarrasses the paper and everyone who trusts it, labeling Chas Freeman’s rhetoric as “crackpot tirades.” But the worst aspect of the editorial is that they naively believe that the campaign against Freeman manifested out of thin air. Labeling what happened to Mr. Freeman as a “reasonable” approach to asking if Freeman was right for the job is down right ludicrous.

The blundering silence of the Obama administration during the Steve Rosen and friends assault (Rosen is now suing AIPAC for defamation – oh, the irony), has hurt President Obama, of that there can be no doubt. How much is not yet known, though anyone can sympathize with Juan’s pessimism.

Scott Horton interviews Juan about his new book, asking him six questions. Here’s one small portion regarding Pakistan, which is always on my radar, especially these days when the major parties look like they’re about to wage political civil war:

As for Pakistan, the demand that the government exert control over the Federally Administered Tribal Areas is frankly daft. I’ve been through that territory. You might as well demand that we exert control over all the rattlesnakes in New Mexico. And the conviction that the security of the U.S. mainland depends on the urban Pakistani government regimenting those rural clansmen makes no sense to me. Rugged areas where the government is weak are obviously possible havens for terrorists, but they also typically lack the infrastructure to enable major operations to be conducted directly from such territories. We’d be better off working with Pakistan to put in better airport security and computer tracking of people flying in and out. The Pakistani military has been fighting hard in Bajaur, one of the tribal agencies, against the Pakistani Taliban since August. They have had some success, but displaced 300,000 Pashtuns from their homes. That is going to settle the Pashtuns down?

Then there is Iran, which includes Israel and the entire Middle East mess, the biggest area of possible breakthrough for which President Obama could be known. That is if the Obama administration doesn’t kowtow to the Israel Lobby. Right now there is no indication they have the courage to stand up to them, but since this is urgent and Obama understands this, as does Clinton, I remain in the camp that believes the Administration will find a way through, though I fully admit this is out of necessity of the situation, not any evidence coming from the Administration.

The U.S. relationship with Iran is the most perilous area of U.S. foreign policy going forward. But there are actually only two bilateral issues between Washington and Tehran that put that relationship on the front burner. They comprise, first, Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program, which the U.S. fears could veer toward dual use and result in a nuclear weapon. Second, Iran’s rejectionist stance toward U.S. ally Israel, and its support for the Lebanese Hezbollah and, allegedly, for Hamas in Gaza, are highly objectionable to the United States.

[...] As for the Iranian involvement in the Levant, it is the Israelis who give the ayatollahs that opening and they could easily close it off. If they just gave back the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for a Camp David-style peace treaty with Damascus, and gave back the Shebaa Farms occupied territory and made peace with Lebanon, they would deny Hezbollah its pretext for remaining armed and remove a key Hezbollah patron, Syria, from the equation. If they stopped blockading and half-starving the Gazans, ceased colonizing the West Bank and granted the Palestinians a state, Sunni, Christian, and secular Palestinians would not want or need Iranian money and arms. …

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Why is Obama Talking about ‘Clean Coal’?

By on 28 February 2009

–updated–

Psssst… Hey, Mr. President, there is no such thing as “clean coal.”

It makes the Reality Coalition‘s new ad hilarious, but then it would be. It’s done by the famous Coen brothers. The message is not, but it’s hard to permeate the deniers’ world. Even Obama mentioned “clean coal” in his Tuesday speech. Silly for a man so smart, also a bit embarrassing. It’s not like Al Gore, who is part of the Reality Coalition, doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

… Let’s be clear: there are no US homes, factories, shopping centers or churches powered by coal plants that capture and store their global warming pollution.

Today, coal power plants emit carbon dioxide (CO2), the pollutant causing the climate crisis. A third of the America’s carbon pollution now comes from about 600 coal-fired power plants. And of the more than 70 proposed new coal power plants, barely a handful have plans to capture and store their CO2 emissions. If these dirty plants are allowed to be built, this will mean an additional 200 million tons of global warming pollution will be emitted in America each year. Until coal power plants no longer release CO2 to the atmosphere, coal will remain a major contributor to the climate crisis.

So what’s the deal with President Obama saddling up to “clean coal”?

Sometimes confrontation is required.

Oh, and I almost forgot, on the climate change issue alone we’ve got quite a brouhaha that has bubbled up between environmentalists and George Will. Because of the work of Media Matters and others, including readers, the Post is feeling the heat. Even the ombudsman of the Post was pressured on Will’s latest climate change denier rant, responding in a column which will run tomorrow (but is now online). Senator Kerry’s got a fantastic post up taking on George Will. Like I said, sometimes confrontation is required.

Disclosure: The Reality Coalition is an advertiser on this blog, though no agreement to cover the issue comes with that placement.

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China’s Jintao and King Abdullah

By on 12 February 2009
china meets saudi arabia

Now that’s a foreign policy picture worth a thousand words. Marc Lynch framed it as signs of the “coming” new Middle East.

China’s President Hu Jintao meeting with King Abdullah. Oil’s the game.

Travelling with a large entourage of Chinese officials and executives, Hu was greeted at Riyadh airport by Saudi King Abdullah for a three-day visit which underscores the growing importance of the relationship between the world’s biggest oil exporter and its most populous country.

“Saudi Arabia is the biggest oil exporter to China. We value the role it plays and look forward to strengthening cooperation in this field,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said earlier. [...]

But the meeting didn’t raise a blip on the national media meter. So I thought I’d at least mention it here.

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Clinton to China

By on 05 February 2009

Hillary's World
This seems so fitting for her, especially for anyone who remembers her speech when she was first lady. It was a speech that shook the world, all because Hillary Clinton dared to say “women’s rights are human rights.”

Climate is to be a top priority on Secretary Clinton’s first trip, with Japan being the first stop on her Asia trip where economic turmoil will be on the agenda.

From Andrew Revkin of the NY Times on China’s energy focus that includes tackling emissions and greenhouse gases:

As I wrote the other day, it looks like countries are going to remain focused on addressing real-time problems related to energy security (most notably high oil prices) for the time being, even as evidence builds that global warming could fuel turmoil, particularly in already-troubled places like sub-Saharan Africa, in the long run. I ran a panel at a meeting on China, energy, and climate at the Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday, and in the preceding session, Zhou Dadi, one of the leading figures shaping China’s energy and climate policies said energy security will remain China’s top priority for a long while to come. He restated the longstanding mantra from China on climate, saying the responsibility for blunting emissions curves for greenhouse gases will remain with industrialized powers for a long time to come.

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Meeting Robert Redford at the Apollo Alliance Event

By on 12 June 2006

(posted from Washington, D.C., 11:34 a.m. eastern time)

UPDATE: Robert Redford's speech at TBA.

Okay, so better late than never. I took this earlier, but had to come back to my hotel to load it. Frankly, the Hilton's connection for bloggers row sucks. Oh, and by the way, as to Redford's first line; everyone needed a brush, as it was raining cats and canaries this morning!
“Sorry 'bout that,” Redford said to me when our bags got tangled. All I could do was laugh.

“Anybody have a brush?”

That's the first thing I heard when Redford walked into the room. It was a little after 10:00 a.m. when he and Jerome Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance showed up. It was supposed to start at 9:30 a.m., but these types of things rarely if ever come off as planned.

I've been trying to blog it since then, but on bloggers row there's a lot of interruptions and distractions, because people actually are interested in what we do.

The Fox “News” crowd just hate when big celebs lend their name, reputation and passion to issues that matter. But when they do, especially when you're Robert Redford, it can make all the difference. After all, it's not like they need this aggravation, now is it?

They wanted all the bloggers up front during the Redford meeting, especially those with computers, because this meeting was schedule for us. How refreshing is that? Redford continued the welcome, because it was very obvious – he made a point of saying it – that he's a big fan of the blogs.

When Redford started off he didn't go to the podium. He and Jerome sat side by side, with Redford making a very brief opening statement. I live blogged it for content, just now getting it online, but this is how it went down. I don't use quotes, but Redford's statements are close to verbatim, the content
and tone exact.

Robert Redford and Jerome Ringo, president of the Apollo Alliance. (Taken during Bloggers Meeting)

It's like the old west, the blogs. Taking something and running with it, said Robert Redford. Out of the gate he made it clear that he feels the blogs have a big part to play in getting the message on the environment out.

When I met him after the session, he looked in my eyes and shook my hand, strongly and very enthusiastically. In fact, he made an effort to turn and talk with me, however briefly. (Just to add, I'm drawing this picture, not because I saw into his soul, but because his sincerity to connect with me, one blogger, was real. It went to the whole reason he asked for the meeting with us.) I thanked him for what he was intending to manifest through his involvement in the Apollo Alliance, and he said, “No, thank you.” The picture we took together was a generous move on his part, because he wasn't taking pictures with people. (I keep getting disconnected, so I'll upload the shots of Redford when I can.) As it was taken our bags got tangled
and he apologized, which caught him talking and me smiling. We untangled and his handler moved him on a tight schedule doesn't begin to cover it.

In case you don't know what the Apollo Alliance is all about, this should give you a clue.


Why Do We Call It The Apollo Alliance?

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

–President John F. Kennedy

Obviously, with all the work I've done on John F. Kennedy, this organization
has simpatico sensibilities with what I'm doing.

Talking about the Apollo Alliance, Redford was passionate, but soft spoken, mentioning their 10-point solution. An announcement is coming later today on action, evidently. After opening statements, Redford and Ringo took questions.

Regarding the environment and how it was ignored in the 2004 elections:


“It was criminal what happened in the last election … It was pretty rough to sit there in the last election, seeing the issue ignored or shunned.” – Robert Redford

Continuing on, he was asked a question about the media and their coverage on the environment during 2006. The coverage was “down low” … “I'm hopeful,” he said about the next elections going forward.

In one comment that will delight many, Redford said bloggers play a part that the “mainstream media” does not. That's for sure. It's obvious he thought traditional media just doesn't get it.

There was no doubt that Redford believes that bloggers can, should and must play a critical part on the environmental front going global.

Jerome Ringo also announced that the Apollo Alliance met regarding independence meeting with Senators Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid, as well as Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.

Needless to say, former Vice President Al Gore was mentioned in a big way, as Redford talked about him addressing the issue and the solutions, all revolving around his new movie.

Redford had “some involvement” in Gore's movie, which he believes will have a “positive effect.” Then Redford launched into a brief summation of his involvement in the issue way back in the late 1980s global warming conference with the Soviets. The “solutions were the same back then. No vehicle back then to get the language out,” said Redford.


“As long as the public can see it's bad… here 's why it's bad,” and “here's what you can do.” You need to go the part of the solutions, because the evidence is “in their face.” “Solutions,” is where Redford wants to focus, not just scaring the public to death. The “Al Gore film has ended the debate,” according to Apollo Alliance president with Redford. Al Gore's film was an end and a beginning. It addresses the solutions. We must alternatives to fossil fuel and getting oil from foreign countries. – Robert Redford at Special New Media Meeting

Wind power, solar power and other energy solutions are obviously critical

Ironically, Redford worked in the fields for Standard Oil in El Segundo, California many years ago, as did Jerome Ringo, who is from Louisiana. That's their mutual connection to the passion to become energy independent. So, obviously when asked about Katrina, Ringo said the bottom line was “accountability.”

Of course, what would all this be without mention of impeachment? It was broached over Katrina.

That's when Robert Redford became very animated and leaned out to see who exactly answered the question. Then he smiled broadly and let go with a chuckle.

Check out the Apollo Alliance. We need to back this project.

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Rummy vs. Condi, the Fixer, and the Damage Control Spin on Rush

By on 29 April 2006

The mood of the moment is about gas prices,
Republicans who control Congress and the absurd notion that buying us off with
$100 bucks is going to do the trick. Even Duke Cunningham's prostitutes got
more than that! I wonder what Porter Goss paid his pin up gal, that is, if TPM
Muckraker has it right. Mr. Goss is all a twitter about the whole affair. He
shouldn't sweat it. The party of all things corrupt won't care. As for the American
people, baby, we're on hypocrisy overload.

Wanted to share with you one of the most shocking things I've seen from a person
running for Congress ever. As regular readers know, I'm not exactly
a fan of special interest groups, minus the vet groups. But not being a fan
doesn't mean I disrespect their passion and their effectiveness at times. It's
just that their militancy precludes politicians daring to maintain their independent,
which is a killer for us, in my opinion. Case in point, the Sierra Club endorsing
Lincoln Chafee over a Democratic candidate. That said, when I was emailed the
link to an idiot male running for Congress, it just about blew my head off.
Enough introduction, take a look at this.
Vernon Robinson displays conduct unbecoming of being in Congress.

If you're interested in taking a look at the Bush meltdown, this is the
only link you'll need. However, take a look at what's developing, via Glenn Greenwald.

I also wanted to share some of Dowd's behind the pay firewall column today.
It's a look inside the gender war that's been raging inside the Bush administration,
where testosterone rules and women are welcome, but only if they agree with
the boss and genuflect to his boys.



Rummy was ordered to go to Iraq by the president, but he clearly has no stomach
for nation-building, or letting Condi run the show. He seemed under the weather
after a rough overnight ride on a C-17 transport plane from Washington into
Baghdad. And Condi's aides were rolling their eyes at the less than respectful
way the DefSec treated the SecState as she tried to be enthusiastic, in her
cheerful automaton way, about what she considers the latest last chance for
Iraq.

A reporter in Baghdad asked Rummy about the kerfuffle when Condi talked of
“thousands” of tactical errors in Iraq. Rummy later noted that “I
don't know what she was talking about, to be perfectly honest” and that
anyone who said that had “a lack of understanding” about warfare.
She's just a silly girl, after all.

(snip)

As Iran vows to go ahead with its nuclear ambitions, the administration finds
itself relying for help on the very people it steamrolled and undermined before
the Iraq war: the U.N. and international arms inspectors.

“The Security Council is the primary and most important institution
for the maintenance of peace and stability and security, and it cannot have
its word and its will simply ignored by a member state,” Condi said after
a NATO meeting on Thursday.

Rummy may get prickly with his office niece, but who else but the automaton
could make that threat with a straight face?

Say
Uncle, Rummy – by Maureen Dowd

Frankly, if were Rummy, I wouldn't pay attention to Condi either. Her rank
incompetence has now reached legendary proportions.

You may not like Jane Harman or Hillary Clinton, but at least they're capable
of learning as they go, not to mention performing to some level of competency.
The same cannot be said for Condi.

Saturday funnies continue
to amuse amidst the minefield that his George's presidency.

But the truly not to be missed link of the week is Neil Young's new
album. It's free. Take a listen, after all, it's Neil
Young.

But just in case you thought things couldn't get
any weirder, amidst a very busy week, we learned that James Baker III is now
being dispensed to Iraq, as Dowd references in her column today. I've talked
about the Iraq Study Group before. It seems
to me we're way past the stage of a “study group.” It's hard to put
a band-aid on a civil war.



At a time of growing American disenchantment with the war, but no real consensus
on what better course there might be, the choice of Mr. Baker to lead what
is called the Iraq Study Group is filled with historic and familial significance.
It is also seen as the most telling sign yet of the administration's willingness
to admit that it needs help in weighing its options and generating public
support for them.

People close to Mr. Baker say that he was extremely concerned about being
seen as second-guessing President Bush's foreign policy aides and made sure
to get Mr. Bush's approval in person before he took on the job.

Mr. Baker declined to be interviewed, but at a news conference this month,
he said it was not his intention to engage in “hand-wringing about the
past” but to focus on the path ahead “on a bipartisan basis in the
hope that we can come up with some advice and insights that might be useful
to the policy makers in Washington.”

He is co-chairman of the group along with Lee H. Hamilton, a Democrat and
former congressman who served as vice chairman of the commission that studied
the intelligence failures related to the attacks of Sept. 11. Mr. Baker and
Mr. Hamilton chose the other members of the group, trying to pick respected
people who would be prepared to take a fresh look at the situation, they said.

Among their team are William J. Perry, a former defense secretary under President
Clinton; former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York; the former Supreme
Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor; and Vernon E. Jordan Jr., a longtime civil
rights leader, Washington power broker and confidant of President Clinton.

Baker,
Bush Family Fixer, Will Advise President on Iraq

I wonder what Mr. Baker is going to do about that little item of Iraq
becoming a terrorist breeding ground? Can't wait to hear the policy on that
one.

But what the hell, right? Baker got Bush elected via the Supreme
Court in 2000. Why not send the “Bush family fixer” in to rescue George's
presidency among the rubble in Iraq? At this point, Bush has absolutely nothing
to lose.

Last but not least, please take the time to prepare yourself for
the right-wing spin on Rush. It's all about liberals being so disappointed that
he didn't get the slammer. Get a clue and give me a break. We've got a mug shot of the guy who tried to rehabilitate Rummy, Deadeye Dick and the Bush administration. Get it? We popped champagne at my house. Rush slithered into the sheriff's office to turn himself in because an arrest warrant had been issued. Disappointed? Like anyone thought
Rush was going to do a day in jail. Hah!

RadioEqualizer
simply cannot be missed today. Take your time and scroll through the posts.
It's quite a treat in damage control. Rush is being made out the martyr. The
media and a zealous D.A. are to blame. It's the Tom Delay public defense for
the radio king, complete with a mug shot. A MUG SHOT. Never mind that he was a drug addict who railed against drug
addicts, right up until the moment his maid spilled the beans that Rush was a drug addict, too, and his third
wife divorced him. Pay no attention that Rush had to sneak into the jail to
give himself up, late on a Friday to try and mitigate the damage. Ignore the
moral hypocrisy of it all. Slap aside the humiliation that someone who reached
the highest of highs couldn't control himself and remains anything but contrite.
He's not guilty! I did nothing wrong! I'm innocent of the charges! Oh, but I'll
make a deal and pay $30,000 in court fees, just because I'm a good guy underneath
the lies and pr machine that's already in full gear to rehabilitate the right
wing's leading raconteur. Liberals and Rush haters will remember what he did.
Rush Limbaugh, the Bush administration's radio pimp, got caught like a common drug addict and had to buy his way out of it. That's cool, all the rich do it. The capper is Republicans and conservatives won't care. The right-wing radio
base and beyond will embrace him. He's a martyr to the “liberal media.” Shazaam, a new
political myth is born.

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A Nature Trip, a Big Discovery, and a Disclosure

By on 07 February 2006

UPDATE (6.25.06): It’s time to update the disclosure portion of this post. Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to Robert Redford, when he was in D.C. talking about the Apollo Alliance, and former Vice President Al Gore, during a blogger conference call, just this past Friday. I've also done a lot of research on climate crisis, which has brought me to a point of serious and potentially influential (one can hope) activism on the issue. Until the gas prices spiked just this past spring, I only received a couple of emails about gas prices and the oil industry's role in prices at the pump, as well as global warming. Recently this has changed, partically due to the growing influence of people like Redford and Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” This is an issue that affects all of us, but for me, it personally affects my family.

As I said in the post below in early February, my sister's husband is one of the most powerful oil executives in the world, working for Exxon-Mobil. He is also one of the most honorable people I know. The conflict here, I realize, is perplexing. However, let me also add that if it weren't for my sister and her husband's largesse, there are moments in my life that would have been dangerously desperate.

Recently, I've now come out strongly behind Redford and Gore's environmental efforts, which puts me on a collision course with two people I love very much. Frankly, we don't talk politics very much because to say we are on opposite sides is an understatement. But we especially don't talk about climate crisis, for obvious reasons. That won't change, however, my involvement in the issue has dramatically shifted, as I've told them both just recently. My family and I will find some way to deal with the conflict, because we love one another.

Regardless of the personal outcome and the growing pains that lie within, my course is set and my objective is clear. I'm going to speak out loud and often and help Redford's Apollo Alliance and Al Gore's efforts whenever I can, no-holds-barred. I just wanted it to be clear where I stand.

“A lot of what we provide is information,
but it's their future,” he said. “We are trying to empower them to
be the long-term stewards of their mountain range. Is it going to be difficult?
You bet.” People like Mr. Poole agree. When it comes to new species, he
said: “The challenge is not finding them but working out how to protect
them. When we find them, that's when our job begins, working with the government
to say, 'How can we help you protect these areas?'” New Birds of Paradise, Frogs and Giant Flowers!

Birds are a thing with us. We love them. I've fed birds from city
garden patios for over 25 years. So, when I come upon an article or discovery
in the nature world, I just think it's news, worth talking about and appreciating.
Some of the other pictures in the links here are beyond spectacular. The frogs,
just about everything screams hope, miracle and the reason we want to save our
environment. I think about that a lot every time my husband fires up his 1-ton
truck. It's the most energy friendly truck they make, a diesel, which only has to be smog checked every 2 years, but it is still a gas
guzzler. However, as I said on radio the other day, a hybrid hasn't been built
to haul the things he pulls for his business.

We have been so lazy in our efforts
towards energy transference. It wasn't long ago when the entire country collectively
laughed at Al Gore's statement about getting rid of the combustion engine. Now
James Carville is even talking about nuclear. Okay, but what are you going to
do with the waste? Nevada doesn't want it and Yucca Mountain may have been conceived
and built, but it can't safely house it. Find a solution for that and
then we can talk. Unless, of course, you want nuclear waste in your backyard.

As for the oil industry, I'm stunned I don't get more emails on
the subject, but I don't. I've gotten just a handful over the many years I've
been online. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have a conflict of interest
on oil. My sister's husband is one of the most influential oil executives in
the world, and nothing is more important than honoring my family and two people
who have been more generous to me, in times of deep despair, than anyone. The other thing is that I know this man and I can tell you without reservation or hesitation that he is one of the most scrupulous, honest and hard working individuals in any industry on planet earth. To demonize all oil executives is just wrong and I won't, especially when I know people who are devoted to this country and who also work in big oil. Frankly, I
also get a little nauseated when Americans yell at the oil industry, then fire
up their cars, without a thought or care in the world. Sickened when Americans
elect oil men to the White House twice, while throwing aside the foremost conservationist
politician in the country, Al Gore. If Americans wanted to do something about energy they wouldn't elect oil men. But that said, the profits recently reported
by big oil boggle the mind. I also don't understand and abjectly reject the moral bankruptcy attached to reports that the Exxon Mobil Corp. is fighting the $5
billion jury judgment over the Exxon Valdez. I just don't understand it and never will.

But I digress… This nature story is wonderful and I invite you to take a break from
the insanity to peek into a lost recently found world paradise. And while you're watching thank Dr.
Bruce Beehler, who has devoted the last 25 years to finding a new paradise in
New Guinea. If you have children, please take a trip through the latest nature
finds with them and also visit Conservation
International, the organization that runs the Bronx Zoo. And just wait until
your little person sees the frogs!

As for conservation, there is so much more
we can do and talking about our “addiction to oil” isn't going to
get it done.

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