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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 | Palestinians

Sheldon Adelson Couldn’t Buy Newt Florida

By on 30 January 2012

If you wanted to know the state of Newt Gingrich’s campaign right now all you had to do was watch Fred Thompson on Meet the Press on Sunday. With his hair slicked back and wisps of uncut frizz flipping out in the back, Thompson delivered his lines haltingly and with his head bowed, while focusing downward as he talked. I won’t get into the fantasy Thompson floated that if Republicans had held out during the government shutdown in the mid-90s they’d have… er, won. It was a tour de force whine from camp Gingrich about how big bad Mitt had played too dirty. Hypocrisy unlimited, the bellyaching stems from the reality that Newt can’t match Mitt’s money, because if he could he’d be doing the same thing. Anybody doubt that fact?

Favorite recent headline: Newt May Be Mad and Mental Enough to Fight On Long After Florida, an article by John Heilimann.

Here’s an excerpt:

In a weekend of trailing the former speaker to a series of events along the I-4 corridor, there was just no escaping that a campaign that was flying high (and even into outer space) ten days ago has now come crashing back to earth. At what was billed as a Hispanic town hall meeting at another church yesterday in Orlando, Gingrich was greeted by row after row of empty pews and maybe 40 voters in attendance. For a full hour after the scheduled starting time, Gingrich and his wife, Callista, sat outside, cloistered in his campaign bus — possibly sulking, possibly fuming at his campaign’s horrid advance work, and surely praying that a few more souls would show up. When Gingrich finally entered the building, it was announced that the event was a town hall no more; the candidate would speak briefly, then take pictures with the scant few who’d turned up. And “briefly” was an understatement: Standing behind a Lucite lectern, Gingrich talked for a bare eight minutes and eleven seconds, looking deflated and exhausted. By no small margin, it was the worst and saddest campaign event that I have witnessed in this presidential cycle.

Now all the talk in the political world is about how badly Newt Gingrich could get beat tomorrow, with everyone anticipating a large margin win by Mitt Romney.

A lot of Republicans are hoping for it and an end to the savage bloodletting, as well as the debates. Sen. John McCain said on Meet the Press Sunday that they’ve got to end. Chris Wallace said the debates were “ridiculous,” “insane,” and “stupid” recently on a radio show. The next one is at the end of February, which will be a very long month for Newt Gingrich.

Sheldon Adelson bought Newt Gingrich South Carolina. What he’s gotten for his money is another story. It’s about Israel and Iran, but having a candidate in the race that can define the debate rightward where the Middle East is concerned.

RT @RyanLizza: Newt warning Iranians could easily blow up Jacksonville with nuclear weapon (via boat).

I retweeted the above to make the point. You may remember Gingrich saying the Palestinian people were “invented.”

We should all be thankful Mitt Romney’s rich, organized and that his campaign is not going to take their foot off Gingrich’s throat again.

“It not about winning here anymore,” one Romney staffer told BuzzFeed. “It’s about destroying Gingrich — and it’s working.” – Zeke Miller, BuzzFeed

There’s no comfort when you look at Mitt Romney where the Middle East is concerned either. To say foreign policy isn’t his forte is an understatement. So with neoconservatives and John Bolton in the background, with Newt in cahoots with Adelson, it’s all very weirdly counterproductive for Israel and for the U.S. on the right.

Mr. Adelson and his wife were evidently cynical enough to believe that American Jews living in Florida would buy Newt’s message. It doesn’t look like it’s selling. The question is whether Adelson will keep the money flowing if Gingrich loses big in Florida, because where this race heads next depends on it.

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A Word About the ‘Israel Firster’ Debate

By on 27 January 2012

From Spencer Ackerman in The Tablet:

Some on the left have recently taken to using the term “Israel Firster” and similar rhetoric to suggest that some conservative American Jewish reporters, pundits, and policymakers are more concerned with the interests of the Jewish state than those of the United States. Last week, for example, Salon’s Glenn Greenwald asked Atlantic writer Jeffrey Goldberg about any loyalty oaths to Israel Goldberg took when he served in the IDF during the early 1990s. (On Tuesday, writer Max Blumenthal used a gross phrase to describe Goldberg: “former Israeli prison guard.”) The obvious implication is that Goldberg’s true loyalty is to Israel, not the United States. For months, M.J. Rosenberg of Media Matters, the progressive media watchdog group, has been throwing around the term “Israel Firster” to describe conservatives he disagrees with. One recent Tweet singled out my friend Eli Lake, a reporter for Newsweek: “Lake supports #Israel line 100% of the time, always Israel first over U.S.” That’s quite mild compared to some of the others.

“Israel Firster” has a nasty anti-Semitic pedigree, one that many Jews will intuitively understand without knowing its specific history. It turns out white supremacist Willis Carto was reportedly the first to use it, and David Duke popularized it through his propaganda network. And yet Rosenberg and others actually claim they’re using it to stimulate “debate,” rather than effectively mirroring the tactics of some of the people they criticize.

…and the ruckus on the left beats on.

As I’ve written before, this is about a very real battle on the left and in progressive circles, with American Jews pushing back very, very hard on being called anti-Semitic when they criticize Israeli policy.

Giving the right and so-called analysts of the Middle East who interpret any criticism some of their own medicine to see how they like it is exploding the debate, but also making an important point. Ackerman’s take seems to miss this point entirely.

This post has been updated.

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Jacksonville is Mittville

By on 26 January 2012


A Palestinian Republican? Check.

A question about the candidate’s wives, none of whom actually work, which is a much different circumstance than 99% of the families in this country.

The words “manufacturing” and “blue collar” weren’t uttered until Rick Santorum said them at the end of the debate.

Mitt Romney has a new debate coach and it showed. He had game. From the New York Times:

Mitt Romney, facing his greatest challenge of the campaign so far, relentlessly pressed Newt Gingrich on Thursday night in their final debate before the Florida primary, seeking to regain the offensive against an insurgent candidacy that is unexpectedly threatening to upend his once seemingly indomitable front-runner’s status.

On immigration, on personal finances and, even, on Mr. Gingrich’s proposal for lunar colonies, Mr. Romney gave Mr. Gingrich no quarter, adding prime-time voice to his campaign’s all-out assault on Mr. Gingrich that is now running morning, noon and night here.

The most important thing he did was prove to voters he could stand and fight, but also make the case for himself and defend his biography without sounding apologetic. There was more alpha aggressiveness to Romney. His answer on his wealth and Swiss bank account was the best possible. He does, however, need to work on his Romneycare answers, because Rick Santorum took him out on the mandate. The Jacksonville audience liked Romney and it was his best debate in weeks.

Newt Gingrich is over. As the video at the top teases, he intends to keep going and make Romney bleed, but it’s going to increase the attacks on him. Gingrich seems to have one tactic and that’s punch the media. But he just wasn’t in it at any time tonight.

Ron Paul provided the comic relief, but also clarity at times. He didn’t annoy Republicans because there were few foreign policy questions.

Rick Santorum had a stellar debate, but I can’t consider this guy seriously, because he’d lose 70% of the independent vote due to his belligerent intolerance. Without his backward bigotry, he’d likely be in this race in a serious way. His 93 year-old mother was a huge hit and offered a wonderful moment.

Oh, and Newt tried to pull his media attack stunt on CNN’s Blitzer and Wolf bit back.

This post has been edited.

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Hillary Clinton has Attended Last SOTU as Obama’s SoS

By on 26 January 2012

“I think after 20 years — and it will be 20 years — of being on the high wire of American politics and all of the challenges that come with that, it would be probably a good idea to just find out how tired I am.” – Secy. Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on January 25, 2012. State Department photo/ Public Domain

I tweeted about this likelihood on Tuesday. She’ll no doubt work up until the very last second on her very last day, for which Pres. Obama is no doubt grateful, as are we all.

We can only imagine that it’s “a little odd for me to be totally out of an election season,” as she also admits she “didn’t watch any of those debates.”

After she leaves State, Hillary Clinton will be able to rest, write, and then assess other options. This includes, come 2014, coming to grips on whether she’s ready to walk away from another run for the White House and possibly being the first female president of the United States.

There will be a different breed bidding for the Democratic presidential spot in 2016. However, no one in politics would be more prepared. She would, however, have to defend her continued militaristic foundation, whether it’s Libya or her continued belief in the war in Afghanistan. Her close relationship to the Pentagon and the U.S. defense industry would also be at issue. Mrs. Clinton’s closeness to Israel’s leaders and the trust built between them, would, however, hold great possibilities. Her involvement during the Libya bombing proved unparalleled, as she worked to convince Arab leaders to come on board. It would be a serious campaign, not a walk in the park, at least with progressive primary voters, though there would also be great emotions on the left to making a Democratic female a seminal part of American history.

Mrs. Clinton has also said time and again she will not run for president again.

TM NOTE: An international women’s foundation, raising money from all sides, like her husband’s CGI, and impacting women’s lives in countries around the world, is one very good bet, which I’d put money on myself.

Taylor Marsh is the author of The Hillary Effect, which traces the history of the near twenty years of press coverage and political events that followed Hillary Clinton into the 2008 presidential race and helped make her candidacy as impossible as it was part of her destiny.

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Who is More Pro Israel?, Progressive Edition

By on 29 December 2011

“This is where James Baker and George H.W. Bush were, this is where Brent Scowcroft is, this is where Tom Pickering and Colin Powell are – this is not crazy stuff, we’re talking about mainstream, bipartisan positions,” said Jeremy Ben Ami, the executive director of J Street, which has sought in recent years to build an American “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobby. – Israel rift roils Democratic ranks, by Ben Smith

File this under in case you missed it.

With Ron Paul’s foreign policy views finally getting attention, especially his Israeli views, as he shakes the race in Iowa, it’s important to review what’s been happening in December on the left.

Unfortunately, the piece by Ben Smith linked above, posted in early December, begins with an unfair characterization of MJ Rosenberg, someone with whom I’ve had exchanges, usually after New America Foundation events on the Middle East, back before I began work on my book, which has taken my focus elsewhere. Smith’s report will give you a foundation for what’s been brewing, for those who care about progressive power inside the Middle East debate, though you’ll have to skip over the editorializing.

It revolves around Media Matters and the Center for American Progress, both of which are trying to open up debate on U.S. Israeli policy. It begins with pushing back on the idea that criticizing Israel means you’re anti-Israel or worse, anti-Semitic, the most scurrilous accusation hurled at people in order to silence dissent, debate or discussion.

Justin Elliot reported on a right wing listserv, first reported by Smith in 2010, which revealed Josh Block, a former AIPAC spokesperson, was fishing for coverage of a screed against anyone who dared to discuss Israel openly, honestly and critically. One of Block’s targets was Eric Alterman, himself a Jew, with Block leveling a full tilt attack. From early December:

Block was quoted in the story accusing CAP columnist Eric Alterman of writing “borderline anti-Semitic stuff,” a charge Alterman (who is himself Jewish) dismissed as “ludicrous.”

Block’s email to the Freedom Community list arrived under the subject line “Important piece to echo and the research to do it….” – a reference to the Politico story. He wasted no time throwing around more accusations of anti-Semitism.

“This kind of anti-Israel sentiment is so fringe it’s support by CAP is outrageous, but at least it is out in the open now — as is their goal – clearly applauded by revolting allies like the pro-HAMAS and anti-Zionist/One State Solution advocate Ali Abunumiah and those who accuse pro-Israel Americans of having ‘dual loyalties’ or being ‘Israel-Firsters’ – to shape the minds of future generations of Democrats,” Block writes. “These are the words of anti-Semites, not Democratic political players.”

Greg Sargent has also written about the anti-Semitic slurs and tactics.

Well, it finally came to a head last week when Josh Block was officially excommunicated, so to speak, from the pack.

From another report from Smith, this one just before Christmas Day:

“There’s two explanations here – either the inmates are running the asylum or the Center for American Progress has made a decision to be anti-Israel,” said Josh Block, a former spokesman for AIPAC who is now a fellow at the center-left Progressive Policy Institute. “Either they can allow people to say borderline anti-Semitic stuff” – a reference to what he described as conspiracy theorizing in the Alterman column – “and to say things that are antithetical to the fundamental values of the Democratic party, or they can fire them and stop it.” (Alterman called the charge “ludicrous” and “character assassination,” noted that he is a columnist for Jewish publications, and described himself as a “proud, pro-Zionist Jew.”)

Truman National Security Project founder Rachel Kleinfeld notified Block he was out.

“This has nothing to do with your policy views, and is a decision solely made on the basis of the need for this community to privilege the ability to debate difficult topics freely, without fear of mischaracterization or character attacks,” she said in the email. “Your actions outside the community have caused too many to fear conversation within the community. That fear is not baseless, given your own actions. As the point of the Truman Fellowship is to help the next generation of leaders think about hard topics together, we need people to feel that they can debate with security.”

Ms. Kleinfeld made the right decision, in my opinion, and she deserves credit for calling Mr. Block out, which his actions and words proved was earned.

With 2012 about to heat up, as they say, stay tuned, because Who is more pro-Israel?, however shameful to ask, is a seasonal political sport during elections.

If you know anything at all about Harry Truman, beyond his important backing of the state of Israel, it’s hard to imagine Mr. Truman allowing invective like “anti-Israel” or “anti-Semitic” without push back. Truman was never afraid of debate, which is all we’re talking about here.

As for the “Clinton Democrat” view, which Smith characterizes in one of his posts as the “Clinton Democrats’ traditional staunch support for Israel,” once again he joins in to imply that criticism of Israel is inherently proving lack of support, which is nonsense and damaging to open debate.

In the other of his posts (linked above), Smith gets a blind quote from “a liberal Israel policy thinker and CAP ally”:

“They’re obviously a progressive place, but if you want to attract a mainstream Clinton, New Democrat milieu, you can’t really do real progressive Israel stuff.”

Smith goes on to write that most of the criticism doesn’t come from Clintonites, citing Matt Duss, someone also present at most of the Middle East forums at NAF I’ve attended.

What side you come down on is another subject, but free and open discourse simply must be the foundation of any foreign policy discussion, especially when it comes to the Middle East.

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Romney’s $10,000 Bet Trends Worldwide, While Gingrich Flunks History

By on 11 December 2011

While Twitter and the press were giddy over Romney’s $10,000 bet-pocalypse line, the serious gaffes of the night went to “historian” Newt Gingrich, who called himself a Reagan conservative, doubling down on his “invented” Palestinian line, which doesn’t come close to Reagan’s views at all.

Throughout this period of difficult and time-consuming negotiations, we never lost sight of the next step of Camp David — autonomy talks to pave the way for permitting the Palestinian people to exercise their legitimate rights. – Ronald Reagan (h/t Ben Smith via Twitter)

You can make your own bets over which will get more coverage.

“He’s going to own that $10,000 bet line,” DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse said on Twitter. “Nothing else he has said in this debate matters.” – TPM

Earlier in the debate, Newt landed a beautiful zinger that pretty much characterized Gingrich’s demeanor the entire debate.

“The only reason you didn’t become a career politician is you lost to Teddy Kennedy in 1994.” – Newt Gingrich to Mitt Romney

However, Mitt didn’t go “beet-red,” as has been predicted, with this providing a moment that proved Romney could take a punch, which he turned around with a nice line that if his dreams to be a pro football player had come true he’d have had a career in the NFL.

But at the end of the debate, Matthew Dowd proclaimed Newt Gingrich now the candidate to beat, as Mitt Romney’s $10,000 bet line ricocheted across Twitter. It’s stunning Romney’s people are trying to push that it won’t hurt him, as #What10kbuys was trending worldwide.

“I’ll bet you a bottle of 1961 Chateau Lafitte that I’m a regular guy.” – Paul Begala

There was little discussion of jobs, with climate change not addressed at all, neither was China or the war in Afghanistan. Diane Sawyer took a beating on Twitter.

I’m still not there on Newt Gingrich and this debate moved people like Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann up, maybe even Santorum and Perry, because he served up the Romney trap. Maybe I’m blind to Gingrich, because I know his history, but tonight I simply disagree with the majority who think he “won.” I found him pompous, though the base will like that, though I think his surly demeanor, but also his clear petulance at Bachmann’s bites, made him look like an elite who doesn’t like to be questioned.

Newt will tell “the truth” all the way to losing 40 states in November… – Mike Murphy

Michele Bachmann grabbed hold of Mitt and Newt, conjuring up the perfect political clone of the two heavy weights, naming it “Newt Romney” and never let go. She even was able to draw first blood on Gingrich, whom she clearly pissed off by going after his record, making Newt look surly and small at one point. Bachmann was able to remind her home state fans just why she won the Ames straw poll, while invoking Herman Cain every chance she got to try to pull his supporters over to her side. Watch her numbers this next week.

Rick Santorum, yes, him, had his best night.

It’s why neither Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney will be impacted much by what happened last night, though the problem for Romney is the reverberation of the $10,000 bet line. For one thing, it will aid Obama and the Democrats greatly and help them continue to drill down that he’s slick Mitt, the one-percenter, because the line wasn’t off the cuff, it came out like a serious bet.

Kathie Obradovich of the Des Moines Register tweeted this: Not too many Iowa caucusgoers are the sort to offer a $10,000 bet, even on a sure thing.

The fact that Romney would have won the bet hardly matters (h/t @JakeTapper). That’s not what it was about. The tone deafness rang like John Kerry’s I-voted-for-the-87-billion… yada-yada line, which stuck to him like a bad smell the whole campaign.

However, Newt Gingrich’s Palestinian line has real legs too and an impact that would have real and lasting damage if this wasn’t a Republican primary. Rick Santorum backed up Romney’s analysis of the line in the debate.

Newt during the debate (emphasis added in the quotes shown below):

“Is what I said factually correct? Yes. Is it historically true? Yes,” he answered. “Are we in a situation where every day rockets are fired into Israel while the United States? The current administration tries to pressure the Israelis into a peace process… Somebody ought to have the courage to tell the truth. These people are terrorists. They teach terrorism in their schools. They have textbooks that say, if there are 13 Jews and nine Jews are killed, how many Jews are left? We pay for those textbooks through our aid money. It’s fundamentally time for somebody to have the guts to stand up and say, enough lying about the Middle East.”

Romney countered:

“The last thing [Israeli Prime Minister] Bibi Netanyahu needs to have is not just a person who’s a historian, but someone who is also running for president of the United States stand up and say things that create extraordinary tumult in… his neighborhood,” Romney said. “And if I’m president of the United States, I will exercise sobriety, care, stability and make sure that I don’t say anything like this. Anything I say that can affect a place with — with rockets going in, with people dying. I don’t do anything that would harm that — that process. And, therefore, before I made a statement of that nature, I’d get on the phone to my friend, Bibi Netanyahu and say, would it help if I say this? What would you like me to do? Let’s work together because we’re partners. I’m not a bomb-thrower. Rhetorically or literally.”

When Diane Sawyer asked who won the debated between them, Santorum cited Romney:

“I think you have to speak the truth. But you have to do so with prudence.. it’s a combination,” Santorum said. “I sat there and I listened to both. I thought they both… made excellent points. But we’re in a real life situation. This isn’t an academic exercise… We have an ally here that we have to work closely with. And I think Mitt’s point… was the correct one. We need to be working with the Israelis to find out, you know what? Is this a wise thing for us to do? To step forward and to engage this issue? Maybe it is. My guess is at this point in time, it’s not. Not that we shouldn’t tell the truth, but we should be talking to our allies. It’s their fight.”

Newt’s second gafferiffic moment came when talking about Iran he said, “If we do survive…” it will be because of people like Rick Santorum, tipping his hat to him. Survive? It’s Middle East dog whistle stuff that matches his dream of John Bolton as his secretary of state. Establishment Republicans will be downing antacids like candy on this one.

The other effective candidate was Ron Paul. Romney tipped his hat to Paul’s supporters. Perry tipped his hat to him on the Federal Reserve. Newt tipped his as well. While Paul just continued to illustrate and proclaim his constancy. Watch his numbers, too.

After last night, more than ever before, Iowa is anybody’s ballgame.

Well, it’s not Romney’s, and I don’t think it’s Newt’s either, though he clearly has perfect pitch with right wing primary voters, while getting a thumbs down from the conservative intelligentsia. But it’s anyone’s guess who wins it after last night, with it really about who has the more sophisticated caucus goers, because it’s never easy inside that voting brawl.

“I think Obama won tonight.” – Al Gore on CurrentTV (The only network to do live analysis after the debate.)

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The Things Newt Says

By on 10 December 2011

A classic Newt bomb:

“I believe that the Jewish people have the right to have a state,” Gingrich said in the interview. “Remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we’ve had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, who are historically part of the Arab community.”

Oh, but not to worry. He still supports a Palestinian state.

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Hillary’s Close-Up

By on 30 October 2011

“We came. We saw. He died.” – Secy. Hillary Clinton, TIME magazine

The issue above is slated to hit newsstands on November 7, the day before my book, The Hillary Effect – Politics, Sexism and the Destiny of Loss comes out. I urge you to read this article, which is behind a subscriber wall. It will cost you $2.99 to get access for one week. Do it, if you possibly can. The media establishment needs to see evidence that Hillary Rodham Clinton, whether you love her or hate her, is a woman worthy of coverage and that people will pay to read candid articles and books about her, because of what she has accomplished. It’s how Sarah Palin happened, even after her vice presidential candidacy collapse. Sarah became bankable because of her fans. No one deserves to become monetized in media terms, that people will pay to read about her, more than Hillary Rodham Clinton.

They say timing is everything and I certainly hope so. Because Hillary has earned it, that’s why I wrote my book. This woman, this dynamo, this fighting female made history and her story matters to American politics, but now even the world.

The TIME article also has an iconic Hollywood type shot of Secy. Clinton looking positively fabulous, by Diane Walker. You will love it. As she heads into what will be her last year at the State Department, at least according to her own statements, there can be no doubt that Hillary Rodham Clinton is riding the wave she created, the Hillary Effect.

Beyond American politics, including the galvanizing impact her loss represented for both women and men, in and out of Washington, which is the focus of my book, the Hillary Effect can be seen across her diplomatic efforts, but also in the latest action by Pres. Obama, the bombing of Libya. It’s one of the things over which Secy. Clinton and I differ greatly. But if you believe the New York Times reporting, among others, which I do, Hillary was instrumental in what manifested. The militaristic reaction by Pres. Obama and his administration, including Clinton, toward Kaddafi’s threats to massacre Libyans made them act through NATO with bombings and force. And guess what, it worked to get rid of Kaddafi.

I was strongly against Pres. Obama’s decision and disagreed with Clinton’s choice to side with Samantha Power and Dr. Susan Rice, though I understand and sympathize greatly with their humanitarian reasons to suggest bombing Libya to save the people. But what will replace Kaddafi? The stories so far are not promising, nor is what this action means to U.S. foreign policy as part of an overall strategic vision.

It’s the militaristic reaction from women, now represented very well through Libya, that proves we’ve got a long way to go before females can add the dimension needed on foreign policy matters. Of course, it helps that it’s just not practical anymore to send a large footprint into nations. However, a smaller force doesn’t mean no involvement or that our impact will not be costly to the U.S., not just financially, but more importantly in our global focus.

When it comes to military action, Secy. Clinton, as well as Power and Rice, but also Madeleine Albright, have proven women aren’t yet ready to lead differently than men. Albright once saying “What’s the point of you saving this superb military for, Colin, if we can’t use it?”

Will it be different as American women take larger roles in the military and get more involved on the front lines of battle? Conservative women are always the first to say fight, “man up,” while simultaneously spewing that women shouldn’t have combat roles. The irony is not lost on people like me who study these issues and the surrounding hypocrisy.

There’s a story that’s gone around for a long time about Clinton being one of the most trusted Democrats by the Pentagon establishment, because she understands the military. It’s something former Pres. Bill Clinton did not enjoy. All of the research I’ve done proves this to be the case regarding Hillary. It comes out of her generation and her persona, which has at its core traditionalism, something that informs all she does, particularly her larger foreign policy philosophy, beyond her diplomatic instincts, but particularly her domestic priorities.

If Secy. Clinton wasn’t the star talent she is, knowing how to speak the language of men and might, she would never have convinced the Arab League and leaders of the Arab world to approve of Pres. Obama’s actions through NATO.

This is also part of the Hillary Effect.

But so was Sarah Palin’s history making presence on the Republican presidential ticket; Michele Bachmann’s Tea Party candidacy, which also made her the first Republican female in U.S. history to win a straw poll, primary or caucus; so is Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who’s stepping out to help women like Rep. Hochul and many others; as is Elizabeth Warren, whose fan base makes her look like a presidential contender. These are just a few examples of women breaking out since Hillary’s historic candidacy that made her the first woman in U.S. history to win a major party presidential primary.

Secy. Clinton’s tenure at the State Dept., through the brilliance of Pres. Obama choosing her to not only run State but resurrect it from the ashes of Bush-Cheney, has shifted the world in the short-term. This shift is one reason why Clinton’s work post-State will be so important, because it’s a continuation of her “human rights are women’s rights” speech in Beijing, China as first lady, which began the charge of her life: convincing the world that women and girls matter to countries and that the stability of nations depends on females being part of the political process and economic future of each country.

Clinton’s feminist philosophy, if you will, has established “human rights are women’s rights” as a tenet to U.S. diplomacy, which includes women’s ability, no matter where they live, to have access to reproductive health care, in order for women to plan their life and their family.

How she’s altered the State Dept. through her leadership is the story yet to be told, which will no doubt happen once she starts her next chapter. Experts on diplomacy and statecraft will no doubt weigh in soon, though I’ve offered a brief preamble in my book.

Clinton opens a chance for women to succeed in the hierarchy of U.S. foreign policy. What has not happened is that women today have yet to break out of the male dominated militaristic language and attachment to use of force tactics to solve problems that are well outside America’s strategic interest.

Secy. Clinton has made U.S. history in putting women and girls at the forefront of U.S. diplomacy. Her impact in Afghanistan, Africa, but also in the world at large is undeniable. Across the globe backward countries like Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan still abuse and marginalize women, as will no doubt happen in Libya if sharia law is implemented. But Clinton gave women a voice, a megaphone and a platform, and though there will be brutal battles ahead to drag religious fundamentalist Arab and Muslim countries and the citizenry into modernity, it has begun.

It’s another facet of the Hillary Effect.

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Hamas Frees Gilad Shalit as Prisoner Swap Begins

By on 18 October 2011

From the New York Times:

Buses containing the Palestinian prisoners — the first group of what will eventually be more than 1,000 — made their way into Egypt and from there to the West Bank and Gaza Strip where jubilant relatives awaited and celebrations were planned.

The soldier, Sergeant First Class Gilad Shalit, was taken from Gaza, where he had been held since being abducted in a cross-border raid in 2006, into Egypt and from there to Israel, where he was given a quick medical check and declared in good health. He changed into a military uniform before being flown by helicopter to an Israeli military base where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was reunited with his family.

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The Sunday Early Bird News Round-Up

By on 02 October 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday.

On this day in history, October 2, 1967 my favorite Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall, was sworn in to sit on the nation’s highest Court.

Some interesting news and tid-bits from around the net:

~Congress has suspended aid to the Palestinian Authority as punishment for their UN bid. Apparently Bibi Netanyahu asked them not to do this because he knows that it could jeopardize the security cooperation between the PA security forces and Israel and lead to more violence.

~Wall Street is pointing their big guns at Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren.

~Justice Clarence Thomas’ financial disclosure oversight needs to be investigated.

~The targeted killing of Anwar al-Awlaki has generated some debate (also see here, here and here) about the legality of targeting known/suspected terrorists who are American citizens abroad. Among politicians, libertarian Republican candidate Ron Paul is the only one willing to raise the legality issue. Clearly he hates America.

~The administration is pushing back against the criticism of the legality of targeted assassinations by leaking information to the Washington Post explaining why such assassinations are legal based on an internal review the administration did. The rationale given by a slew of anonymous officials is eerily similar to those given by the Bush administration for various constitutionally questionable actions. Basically, we are at war everywhere against anyone deemed a threat so in the name of security, we can do whatever we want.

~Fox News still thinks President Obama is very weak on terror.

~Newt Gingrich thinks that the repeal of DADT demonstrates President Obama’s anti-military prejudice. Newt who?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussing Egypt the other day with Al-Hayat TV:

~Since when did public protests where people exercise their First Amendment rights become such an annoyance to everyone in this great land of ours? The mainstream media has largely been criticizing if not outright mocking the Occupy Wall Street protests and Mayor Bloomberg really feels bad for Wall Street and says “we’ll see if the city will allow Occupy Wall St. to continue.” What?

~You would think the police might be a little more sympathetic to the Occupy Wall St. protesters.

~I’m a big Barbara Ehrenreich fan and so I was glad to see her commentary in the WaPo where she calls out the media and other elites for turning America’s millionaires and billionaires into victims of class warfare.

~Is Iran really an existential threat to Israel and the U.S.? This particular CIA veteran and counter-terrorism expert says no.

~Anti-gay marriage organizations are targeting lawmakers up for re-election in NY who support gay marriage by implying that such support was what sank Democrat Dave Weprin’s campaign in the NY-9 special election.

~Bank of America still sucks. The law Congress passed to limit unfair practices regarding bank/credit card fees is useless b/c the banks just add new fees/charges onto other services. It never ends.

~Our great ally Bahrain has sentenced 20 medical professionals to 15 year jail sentences for providing first aid to wounded protesters. Of course, that’s not the reason Bahrain gave, but that’s essentially what happened. Congress is currently approving the sale of $53 million worth of weapons to our great ally.

~Congratulations America, research shows that when compared to all the other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations, we come in dead last when it comes to worker protections.

~Montana Governor Schweizer is moving to enact single-payer health coverage in his state. Good on him.

~The Palestinians are waging a full frontal diplomatic assault on Mideast Quartet head Tony Blair. There have been revelations in British newspapers and television about possible financial conflicts of interest related to his diplomatic work in the Middle East which make the Quartet look even worse than it already does.

~The California Attorney General has reportedly rejected the massive foreclosure fraud settlement that would essentially reward the big banks/mortgage companies for wrongdoing leading to the collapse of the real estate market. The Obama administration has been leaning hard on states to support the settlement.

~Here is a video and transcript of President Obama’s speech before Human Rights Campaign last night.

~Justice Scalia continues to demonstrate that judicial ethics isn’t his strong suit. Church and State? What’s that?

~Speaking of the Supreme Court, their new session begins Monday and the issues on their plate for this term will have significant impact on issues including privacy rights, the health care law, affirmative action, the rights of gay adoptive parents and the limits (or not) of federal power.

~Congress has slashed the State Department budget because, you know, who needs diplomacy?

~Obama approved a controversial weapons sale to Israel and people still are running around claiming he’s anti-Israel.

~Chelsea Clinton on her father’s announcement that he would run for President 20 years ago.

The End.

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Bill Clinton: It’s Netanyahu’s Fault

By on 23 September 2011

Josh Rogin’s piece is a perfect button on the drama unfolding this week at UNGA.

But the Netanyahu government has moved away from the consensus for peace, making a final status agreement more difficult, Clinton said. “That’s what happened. Every American needs to know this. That’s how we got to where we are,” Clinton said. “The real cynics believe that the Netanyahu’s government’s continued call for negotiations over borders and such means that he’s just not going to give up the West Bank.” – Bill Clinton: Netanyahu killed the peace process

Mr. Netanyahu had his chance at a “Nixon goes to China” moment. He walked away from it.

Then there is what Clinton emphasizes regarding the Saudis, the most important player in the region.

“The King of Saudi Arabia started lining up all the Arab countries to say to the Israelis, ‘if you work it out with the Palestinians … we will give you immediately not only recognition but a political, economic, and security partnership,‘” Clinton said. “This is huge…. It’s a heck of a deal.”

The Netanyahu government has received all of the assurances previous Israeli governments said they wanted but now won’t accept those terms to make peace, Clinton said.

Former Pres. Bill Clinton is right. Bibi blew it.

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Clemons: Obama ‘has assured the rise of Hamas’

By on 22 September 2011

**UPDATED BELOW**

Obama’s first meeting after the speech was with Netanyahu, who praised his sometime-nemesis for his “principled position,” and for taking it “in this house, which has … automatic majorities against Israel.” It’s “a badge of honor,” Bibi said — adding, as he turned to Obama, “I want to thank you for wearing that badge of honor and also to express my hope that others will follow your example.” – O’s moment of glory is instantly tarnished by French diss

There are few people I respect more than Steve Clemons, though we’ve had our disagreements, whose foreign policy acumen is among the best on the progressive side. He proves again he’s a leading thinker, offering an unflinching take on the issue of Palestinians working for a sovereign state through UNGA, with a strong piece in The Atlantic that eviscerates Pres. Obama all the way to the bone.

Steve Clemons slams Pres. Obama and calls out his lack of courage to stand up for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations where it could really matter.

Obama Tells Palestinians to Stay in Back of Bus

President Obama’s UN General Assembly speech shows that the President has lost much of his groove since Cairo and amidst the Arab Spring is telling Palestine to be patient, to stay seated in the back of the bus, until Israel and Palestine leaders decide to be responsible. Obama fails to understand that Israel and Palestine can never sell a deal internally without blaming outside powers for compelling them to do what is in their long term interests. It’s time for Obama to read up on “gaiatsu” and understand the practice and utility of “foreign pressure”.

[...] If this was 2013, Obama might be in a different groove — but by then Palestinian and the broader Arab temperature may be such that they ultimately decide the two state track is folly — and much like Turkey giving up on its European identity aspirations — decides to pull back and subject a recalcitrant Israel to never-ending harassment and violence, assuring that Israel ultimately becomes a state of hard-edged, security-demanding Apartheid, all while the Palestinian demographic edge inside Israel’s borders booms while the Israeli Jewish population growth slows and perhaps even declines.

Obama is assuring the further emasculation and perhaps final demise of Palestine’s moderates. Obama is also treating the Israelis and Palestinians as if they are on equal footing, equally able to concede to each other’s demands. What Obama doesn’t get is that a substantial portion of Israel’s population loves not having a deal and never wants one. They are OK with a peace process to nowhere — but that is not acceptable for the less-endowed, less-powerful Palestinian side. Hamas is in the rejectionist corner as well, seeing its fortunes rise as earnest efforts at peace go nowhere.

Steve defies American conventional wisdom, that it would be catastrophic to allow a vote on statehood through the U.N. Security Council and that “no good can come from it,” to quote Richard Haas, who heads the Council of Foreign Relations, a dinosaur organization.

The world watched Barack Obama lose a battle in the last two years with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israeli settlement expansion in contested and occupied territories. This is like the Soviet Union having lost a war of wills at the height of its power with Cuba.

The client state trumped the President of the United States — telegraphing to many around the world that President Obama ultimately didn’t have the courage of his convictions and wasn’t able to deploy power and statecraft to achieve the outlines of what he called for in his lofty rhetoric. …

George W. Bush aided the rise of Hamas and assured their legitimacy through pushing elections when the Palestinians warned they weren’t ready.

Barack Obama stood up against the building of more and more settlements, only to back down because of domestic pressures and reelection concerns. Pres. Obama, after having offered so much hope and lofty words and outreach towards the Arab world, empowering moderates with what his presidency would mean to the greater Middle East and U.S. influence in the region, has failed to deliver on any measurable scale.

The last American president to put his own skin in the Middle East peace game, working to the last day in office, was Pres. Bill Clinton. Arafat spit in his face.

It’s now finally clear the American era of diplomacy in the Middle East is over.

TM Note: I just want to add that the point of emphasizing Steve’s analysis is that it challenges everyone to think of the situation in a new way, because what were currently doing isn’t cutting it. I haven’t a clue how this serious situation resolves itself completely, but Israel needs Palestine as badly as the Palestinians.

UPDATE: Rep. Keith Ellison has broken with Pres. Obama, as well as Democratic Party tradition, over the Palestinian state vote.

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Who is More Pro Israel?, the Ongoing Saga

By on 19 September 2011

Barack Obama is the best thing Israel has going for it right now. Why is that so difficult for Netanyahu and his American Jewish allies to understand? – The Tsuris, by John Heilemann

For those who don’t have the time to look it up, “tsuris” means trouble, which for Heilemann goes very well with his alliteration “tsunami of tsuris,” while invoking Pres. Obama’s 1967 border policy. Remembering also that it came “with land swaps,” mimicking everything that’s come before.

Obama was furious with Netanyahu, who in choosing to ignore the crucial qualifier about land swaps had twisted Obama’s words beyond recognition—the kind of mendacious misinterpretation that makes the presidential mental. The seniormost members of Obama’s team felt much the same. Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Bob Gates, Bill Daley, the former Mideast-peace envoy George Mitchell: All were apoplectic with the prime minister, whose behavior over the past two years had already tried their patience. “The collective view here is that he is a small-minded, fairly craven politician,” says an administration source deeply involved in its efforts to push the parties to the negotiating table. “And one who simply isn’t serious about making peace.”

I wrote well over a year ago that Israel would be a 2012 election year issue, which NY9 proved it can be in certain areas, among a minority of Jewish voters.

As for PM Netanyahu, Thomas Friedman said it very well yesterday:

O.K., Mr. Netanyahu has a strategy: Do nothing vis-à-vis the Palestinians or Turkey that will require him to go against his base, compromise his ideology or antagonize his key coalition partner, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, an extreme right-winger. Then, call on the U.S. to stop Iran’s nuclear program and help Israel out of every pickle, but make sure that President Obama can’t ask for anything in return — like halting Israeli settlements — by mobilizing Republicans in Congress to box in Obama and by encouraging Jewish leaders to suggest that Obama is hostile to Israel and is losing the Jewish vote. And meanwhile, get the Israel lobby to hammer anyone in the administration or Congress who says aloud that maybe Bibi has made some mistakes, not just Barack. There, who says Mr. Netanyahu doesn’t have a strategy?

Meanwhile, former PM Tony Blair is the one trying to head off catastrophe and convinced Mahmoud Abbas that the vote for Palestinian statehood at the U.N. is a colossal mistake. So far it’s not going very well.

“I gulped,” Mr Shaath said. “This was the statement that was supposed to persuade President Abbas not to go? Mr. Blair doesn’t sound like a neutral interlocutor. He sounds like an Israeli diplomat sometimes.” – Palestinian statehood bid: Tony Blair ‘like an Israeli diplomat’

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The Sunday Early-Bird News Round-Up

By on 18 September 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday.

On this day in history, September 18, 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol.







Here are some stories in the news that caught my eye:

~Oh, who needs roads anyway? It’s just more socialism.

~Bank of America sucks.

~President Obama is set to announce a new “millionaires tax” this week. The GOP already opposes it.

~Some good news- it looks like the U.S. hikers detained in Iran may finally be released. I can’t even imagine what they and their families have been going through.

~Michele Bachmann is making life very easy for political fact-checkers because she really doesn’t seem to grasp the idea that when making sweeping political claims, they should have some basis in fact.

~Union-busting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is in a wee bit of hot water.

~As if we needed more evidence of the U.S.’ waning influence in all matters concerning the Middle East, Turkey has told the U.S. to kindly butt-out when it comes to the diplomatic standoff between Turkey and Israel.

~Fox News seems to have a problem with some of the most important labor laws on the books (child labor, workplace safety, minimum wage/hours etc.) because they are a bummer to businesses. It sounds like they think communist China’s system of zero workplace protections is the way to go. Ironic.

~The Obama administration is running around trying to do damage control as a result of Ron Suskind’s new book despite the fact that they totally cooperated with Suskind and provided most of the material that they now consider so politically damaging. Duh.

~Elizabeth Warren for Senate! She’s raised quite a bit of money in only a few days and she has the benefit of having the support of progressive bloggers all over the nation, most of whom are more than willing to fund-raise and get her message out. I live in Boston and I am volunteering for her campaign. Some are saying that she should forget the Senate and go work on Wall Street.

~A tragic accident at an air show in Nevada yesterday.

~The White House, Pentagon and State Dept. are apparently somewhat at odds over the legal limits inherent in fighting terrorism in countries like Somalia and Yemen. It’s nice to know that someone is finally asking some hard legal questions about the exact source of authority (and accountability) for things like targeted assassinations or drone attacks abroad.

~Gay marriage opponents are hoping to use the congressional New York 9th district results as a template/rallying cry for attacks against state and local politicians who even hint at being supportive of gay marriage. I actually think they are misreading the NY9 election result given the environment and demographics of the particular district, not to mention what led to the special election in the first place- I don’t think that it is illustrative of a growing hostility to gay marriage.

~Gay rights activists are bird-dogging Michele Bachmann everywhere she goes. See the video here. Sorry Michele, we’re just not that into you.

~The GOP candidates are all paying homage to Donald Trump, feeding his already over-inflated ego.

~Thomas Friedman has an unusually cogent and concise interpretation of Israel’s current dilemma which will please some and anger others.

~Eric Alterman ponders the persistent problem of media stupidity (yeah David Gregory, he’s talking to you).

~The administration continues to beg, plead, bully and threaten allies in order to prevent a huge avalanche of votes in favor of the Palestinians in their UN statehood bid, even though it is a given that the Palestinians have zero chance in the security council. Even if EU states vote against statehood, they have made clear that they know that the last-minute flurry of diplomatic activity from the White House is a result of Obama’s domestic political concerns as opposed to concerns about what may or may not be best for long or short term stability in the region.

~Yossi Sarad, writing over at Haaretz, thinks that even if Israel and the U.S. succeed in thwarting the Palestinian bid for statehood next week, Bibi’s scheduled speech will be a diplomatic disaster for Israel and serve to isolate it further because it will in effect be the final nail in the Oslo coffin (even though Oslo has really been dead for a while- we still like to pretend it exists). You may agree with him or not, but I think we have to admit that over in Israel they are much more willing to honestly discuss these thorny issues than we are over here in the U.S. Also, Ramsgate over at the ‘in the news’ diaries points to this interesting Spiegel article about some of the pressure on Netanyahu’s government due to recent diplomatic crises.

~For a critical view of the Palestinian bid and the Obama administration’s handling of it, see this article from Michael Magan over at Foreign Policy.

~U.S.-Pakistan relations have been dealt another blow as Washington announced that the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul was tied to Pakistan and the Haqqani network.

~Have you noticed that the GOP field just isn’t very good at foreign policy?

~An very unusual albino seal pup that was shunned by it’s family and other seals because it looked different has been saved and given a second chance at survival.

The End.

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‘In the News’ Diaries Spotlight

By on 16 September 2011

The first one is from Sunlight:

Census Bureau — and Procter & Gamble — “Get” the Persistently Weak Economy, but Obama Doesn’t, by Sunlight

This past Tuesday the 12th the Census Bureau issued a disquieting report on the nations economic well-being, or lack thereof. Some key findings

As of 2010, median “real” (ie., inflation adjusted) income for families sat at 1996 levels
Incredibly, real income for male workers sits at 1973 levels, though income for women is rising to a higher percentage of that earned by men than previously
2.6 million more people fell below the poverty line in 2010 than in 2009
The New York Times article on this survey can be found here.

It just so happened that today The Wall Street Journal (and Yahoo Finance) also carried videos describing Procter & Gamble’s strategy for adjusting to the prolonged economic weakness we are dealing with. Through most of its history P&G has been known for high-margin household products, and managing to sell at least some of them into, get this, 98% of US households. Now P&G has actually adopted what it calls an “hourglass” marketing strategy. To complement its high-end products, P&G has launched low-priced entries in key categories such as dish soap and laundry detergent, with an eye to selling them in dollar stores. P&G will now have a whole set of offering for lower income consumers (the bottom bulge in the hourglass) in addition to its venerable brand names that have always been marketed to those with middle class (and more) comfort.

Translation: this premier manufacturer of consumer packaged goods, which boasts the world’s largest ad budget, has decided that the problems bedeviling many Americans, aren’t going away any time soon. You don’t launch whole new product lines if you expect their markets (in this case the downwardly mobile former middle class) to disappear. P&G is going after the dollar store shoppers because it has to.

Taken together these items — coincidentally hitting the media on the same news day — show just how wrong Obama’s economic team have been in assuming that the recession was the product of a normal, garden variety economic cycle. Both the original stimulus plan and the current edition now sent to Congress are once again shown to be too little, too late. And in these circumstances he continues to advocate slashing what’s left of the social safety net. The mind boggles.

Cujo359 does a write-up of NY9 that’s a good read.

Ramsgate points to a story on the upcoming Palestinian vote for statehood in the U.N. Politico has several op-eds and other articles on this upcoming challenge for Pres. Obama, with this piece worth a read.

Everyone is welcome to post an “In the News” diary. I may not always comment, but I read them all. So appreciate everyone who takes the time to write.

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Abbas: ‘We need to have full membership at the U.N.’

By on 16 September 2011

It’s a go.

Just when you thought Pres. Obama’s challenges couldn’t get any rougher. The Times calls this decision unsurprising, but “stinging.”

Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey called recognizing a Palestinian state “not an option, it is an obligation.”

PM Netanyahu said simply, “Peace will not be achieved by a unilateral approach to the United Nations.”

Next week’s going to be something.

more at Memeorandum

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The Meaning of ‘Special Relationship’: Israel vs. Saudi Arabia

By on 12 September 2011

Incoming from Arabia.

From Turki al-Faisal:

The United States must support the Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations this month or risk losing the little credibility it has in the Arab world. If it does not, American influence will decline further, Israeli security will be undermined and Iran will be empowered, increasing the chances of another war in the region.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia would no longer be able to cooperate with America in the same way it historically has. With most of the Arab world in upheaval, the “special relationship” between Saudi Arabia and the United States would increasingly be seen as toxic by the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims, who demand justice for the Palestinian people.

Which “special relationship” is more special?

Strategic interests abound, domestic politics prominently weighing down the inevitable awkwardness and the predictable conclusion.

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Sunday Morning Early-Bird News Round-Up

By on 11 September 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday.

On this day in history, September 11, 2001, the U.S. suffered it’s worst terror attack on domestic soil as terrorists hijacked 4 planes and targeted NY and Washington D.C. for attack. The Sunday talk shows will be replete with commemorations, interviews, retrospectives, etc.

Some morning links:

~Here is a link to a video message from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about 9/11.

~Relations between Egypt and Israel have suffered another setback after a mob of Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo, causing the Ambassador and his family to flee. Riots also broke out in Tahrir Square as protesters become disillusioned with the current military dictatorship. Speaking of which, Human Rights Watch says that the Egyptian military post-Mubarak has been trying thousands of civilians in closed-door military trials, consolidating their power and undermining and real attempt to transition to democracy.

~After 9/11 the Department of Homeland Security wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on pet projects that enriched the security/military industrial complex. Where’s the outrage from the fiscal hawks?

~A Wisconsin state employee has been fired for whistleblowing regarding voter suppression in the state. I certainly hope this person has their day in court and sues the pants off Wisconsin.

~Ohio Governor John Kasich is warning that the state’s union-busting, anti-worker law is overturned via referendum it would be very, very bad for Ohio. [read: bad for Big Business]

~Over at The Nation, Greg Mitchell rips NYT editor Bill Keller a new one for Keller’s way-too-late-and-still-clueless non-apology for the NYT being a shameless cheerleader for the Iraq War. You know, instead of being a journalistic venue that seeks to hold those in power accountable, particularly during times of crisis and fear, when the government is more likely than not to abuse that power.

~Barack Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are no longer speaking.

~Oklahoma state Republican Sally Kern is commemorating 9/11 by claiming that homosexuality is a bigger threat to the United States than terrorism.

~Dick Cheney, still a liar.

~Speaking of Dick Cheney, I wonder what his response to this would be?

~The ACLU has released a detailed report about the devastating impact the government’s response to 9/11 has had on civil liberties.

~Along those same lines, Justin Elliot looks at how the Obama administration has used “terrorism” to selectively silence and criminalize certain speech.

~NBC’s twitter feed was hacked.

~The issue of Israel looms large over the race for Anthony Weiner’s former Congressional seat. Here are some of the questionable GOP ads/mailers they are sending out. The WaPo’s Jennifer Rubin is helping out the GOP candidate in the race by smearing Obama’s record with/on Israel- she does so by “interviewing” Bill Kristol of the Emergency Committee for Israel but she neglects to disclose that she is a founding member of that decidedly partisan group.

~A positive story- the program ‘Give Back A Smile’ provides free dental care for survivors of abuse whose teeth have been broken or damaged. It may not seem like much but I am sure for the women who can’t ordinarily afford the services, it is very important. Here is the website for the program.

~In Madisonville, Tennessee students are trying to get school officials to allow them to form a gay-straight alliance, due in large part to the pervasive bullying of glbt students. The school officials are refusing. What year is it again?

~Mel Gibson seems to be trying to rehabilitate his [anti-Semitic] image with a new film about the Jewish historical figure Judah Maccabee. Some aren’t buying into this conversion.

~A moose in Sweden apparently got drunk on fermented apples and got himself stuck in a tree. He was ok after they got him down.

~Will the Democrats really step up to the plate and formally embrace gay marriage as a policy stance? That seems overly optimistic.

~The House of Representatives passed a resolution to “never forget 9/11.” That’s all well and good but it’s time to get past the symbolic gestures and do some actual, you know, work.

~Obama’s re-election team is hoping to raise $55 million in just the third quarter. Many are saying this will be a billion dollar election. That’s obscene and it doesn’t speak well for our democracy.

The End.

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Sunday Early Bird News Round-Up

By on 04 September 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday, I’m Stacy and I’ll be your host.

On this day in history, September 4, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine black students from entering the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

I’ve perused the internets for some good reads, to save you the trouble:

~The AP is reporting that the CIA worked with Moammar Gadhafi’s intelligence services when we rendered terrorism suspects to Libya to be, you know, tortured. Part of the reason the U.S. is so nervous about the “Arab Spring” is that as word continues to leak out about how we enabled these dictator’s repression of their own people, it’s a good bet the governments that are eventually formed will ensure that they are never again beholden to the United States for anything.

~Late last week a WikiLeaks cable was released which seems to raise the question of whether Iraqi civilians were massacred by U.S. forces, followed by a cover-up. For all those people in the media who were saying “there’s really nothing new in the WikiLeaks documents,” here you go. But don’t expect David Gregory or Candi Crowley to discuss this today on the Sunday talk shows. No, instead, we will hear more endless speculation about whether or not Sarah Palin is going to enter the 2012 race.

~Yet again, President Obama sides with big business and ties the hands of the EPA by putting a halt to tougher smog/pollution rules. Why? Because the Republicans and the pollution lobby opposed it, that’s why. So, now that Obama has done their bidding are they grateful and willing to compromise on something? No, of course not. Now, they want more environmental regulations rolled back.

~The head of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, is hoping for a bold new jobs plan from President Obama next week. Is there some other Obama he knows who is coming out with a job creation plan?

~A very interesting interview with Gen. James Cartwright by Josh Rogin over at The Cable. It demonstrates several things about Obama’s leadership style and how Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen did everything they could to ensure that Obama had no other choice than to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan rather than take the advice of Cartwright and Joe Biden, who believed that a surge would accomplish little and instead advocated a smaller U.S. footprint. And guess who turned out to be right?

~The total deterioration in ties between Turkey and Israel is not only bad news for the region, but is bad news for the Obama administration. The administration apparently expended a great deal of effort to get the two sides together, but was unsuccessful, again demonstrating to the entire world that the U.S. no longer has the influence it once did in the Middle East.

~Dana Priest has another great piece of investigative journalism [part of the Top Secret America series of articles] in the Washington Post. The article describes how the Joint Special Operations Command has morphed into a very large, top secret army that seems to operate without any accountability to anyone.

~The American Spectator’s Matthew Vadum thinks that registering poor people to vote is unamerican because they are nonproductive and a burden on society.

Sorry puppy, this cat is so over you:

~The S&P continues to give triple A ratings to subprime mortgage-backed securities. You know, the same ones that helped spawn the global financial crisis.

~Between January and June, approximately 24,000 Afghan soldiers went AWOL.

~There is no state in this country with a more deplorable, ethically-challenged implementation of the death penalty, than Texas. And yet few are raising questions about this particular case, where Governor Rick Perry denied a stay of execution of a man (Cameron Todd Willingham) who many say, was innocent [based on scientific/forensic evidence]. While all the talk of Perry’s extremism, swagger and gaffes are interesting, when will someone in the elite mainstream media ask Perry about this directly?

~As everybody who has electricity is aware, Dick Cheney is doing the talk show circuit in order to generate buzz for his egotistical tome, In My Time. Putting aside the fact that only in this particular democracy could a former Vice President go to each cable news station and openly boast about his role in an impressive list of crimes and deceits, here’s a question- when is someone in the elite media going to actually ask him a tough question? Have you noticed that the David Gregory/Jake Tapper/Bob Schieffer types seem totally intimidated by Cheney? While Glenn Greenwald posted this commentary about how Cheney is profiting off “the fruits of elite immunity” last week, if you didn’t see it, it’s worth a read.

~Political whiz and democratic consultant Joe Trippi is now doing public relations work for the autocratic, un-democratic, human-rights-abusing Kingdom of Bahrain.

~You know, I truly love doing the news round-up but sometimes as I read all these stories, I find myself getting utterly disgusted with not only the Washington, D.C. polls and lobbyists, but also the navel-gazing media who pander so shamelessly to them. Imagine if the MSM actually did their job?

~Did the Obama administration snub The General Who Can Do No Wrong? While focusing on these petty tit-for-tat episodes is a favorite pastime of the beltway, if the Obama administration really has or had suspicions about Petraeus’ motives, then perhaps they shouldn’t have placed him at the head of the Central Intelligence Agency?

~Is anyone in the White House reading all these commentaries about what a capitulating wimp Obama is? Anyone? All signs point to Obama putting forth a meager, uninspired jobs plan after Labor Day. You know, so the plan will have a little something that Republicans everyone will like.

~Now here is a story absolutely no one can relate to- a private unmanned space ship funded by the billionaire CEO of Amazon, was destroyed during a test flight due to a systems failure.

~Obama’s union problems are about to get a whole lot worse.

~The administration continues to flail around in its latest efforts to prevent the Palestinians from going to the U.N. this month in a bid to declare statehood.

~The President’s Chairman of the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, is exhibit A with whats wrong with our economy. GE is doing a wonderful job creating jobs- overseas.

~A happy story: The penguin Happy Feet was successfully reintroduced into the ocean off the south coast of New Zealand.

The End.

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The Sunday Early Bird News Round-Up

By on 07 August 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday!

Quote of the Day:

“No risk of that, no risk.”

– Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during an interview in April, discussing the risk of the U.S. debt being downgraded.

Some links to go with your morning coffee/tea:

~China, our banker, is angry at the U.S. about the downgrade. I guess more administration-China ass kissing diplomacy is in order.

~The Super Duper Debt Committee will just cause more problems than it solves, for obvious reasons.

~The biggest US single-episode loss of life in the Afghanistan War took place Friday as insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter carrying 38 members of US special forces and 7 Afghan soldiers. More here.

~Also on Afghanistan- The International Crisis Group has issued a report which concludes that despite dumping billions of dollars into nation-building in Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies have failed to stabilize the country. I think the billions of dollars they are talking about does not include the money spent on the actual war effort there-in other words, just the military and civil rebuilding and stabilization efforts.

~In today’s WaPo there is an article about the origins of the debt showdown and how Eric Cantor took advantage of the House’s new Tea Party recruits to turn the debt ceiling debate into a standoff over the role of government.

~The Wikipedia conference is currently taking place in Israel and the Wikipedia founder talked about how the community tries very hard to keep Wiki entries as neutral as possible. That’s not easy in an era where as soon as there is a political controversy, groups run to the site to get their version of the story out.

~Up to 12 million people’s lives are under direct threat in the Horn of Africa as drought, famine and war take their toll. Much of the world looked away when the predictions of an extreme famine were first put forth. However, the terror group al-Shabab claims there is no famine taking place in Somalia but of course, that could be because the group is preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the men, women and children who are currently starving to death and as a result, they bear direct responsibility.

~A Navy vet and former defense contractor in Iraq explains why he is suing Donald Rumsfeld over the Bush administration’s torture policy- but here’s the thing- in a crazy twist, he was tortured by Americans in Iraq.

~In much of the media’s coverage about the S&P downgrade, there seems to be a tendency to ignore the impact of the refusal to add ANY revenue-generating provisions in the debt deal. There was plenty of blame to spread around to both parties, but there are some interesting tidbits in the S&P statement about revenues. It would seem that the GOP is giddy about the downgrade because throwing a Molotov Cocktail into our already depressed economy was always the GOP plan leading up to 2012.

~While the S&P is certainly correct that Washington is completely dysfunctional and getting them to do anything constructive for the good of the nation is a bit like trying to herd cats, there is no denying the politics of what is taking place. Firedoglake has a good summary of some of the things that may have actually been behind S&P’s decision to downgrade the US credit rating.

~So, how is Saudi Arabia doing on the human rights front? Really, really well. [/sarcasm]

~Despite a lot of people giving Obama props about being willing to put defense cuts on the table, the truth of the matter is that the Obama administration shows no interest in curbing out-of-control defense spending as evidenced by his new Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, publicly complaining all last week about how disastrous defense cuts would be. Once again, fear trumps reason. Interestingly, when asked, Leon Panetta can’t seem to articulate any reason why any proposed cuts would be so dangerous to our nation’s security:

~Over 300,000 people took to the streets in Israel this weekend to protest the high cost of living. Good for them. We need to do that here in the U.S.

~The Obama administration will likely squander yet another opportunity to take a serious stand on environmental issues. The Alberta tar sands pipeline is currently being reviewed by the State Dept. and the review itself has been mired in controversy from the start. The pipeline’s chief lobbyist is a former Hillary Clinton deputy campaign director and Secretary Clinton made the none-too-subtle remark long before the review process even started, that she was “inclined to support” it. That made environmentalists and even many Congressional Democrats hopping mad. Of course, the buck doesn’t stop there and environmentalists and congressional democrats are urging the administration to not approve the project. Good luck with that, the fix is in.

~Speaking of the environment, some say that the current Congress is the most anti-Environment since about the 1950′s. Impressive.

~All eyes are on Wisconsin which is in the midst of the largest number of recall elections in U.S. history. Huge amounts of cash have been flooding in to the state via special interest groups from both the left and the right. Some see Wisconsin as a dry run of sorts for what may happen in 2012, ie. did the Tea Party types go too far?

~Gov. Rick Perry’s prayer rally certainly won’t endear him to moderates or independents but I have a feeling that’s ok with Rick Perry.

~Things are still not well in Sudan/Southern Sudan. There is still a long, long way to go.

~The repressive, human rights-abusing Communist Chinese government continues to throw fuel on the fire of religious freedom with respect to Buddhists in Tibet. Even if Americans know very little about this right now, it is a very big issue and could lead to bloodshed when the current Dalai Lama dies. And when that happens, Washington will be forced to take notice but by then it will be too late.

~The death toll in Syria continues to rise as government forces continue the siege on Hama. As Assad’s forces continue to slaughter his own people, the Syrian foreign minister comes out and makes the ludicrous statement that the Assad government will allow free legislative elections by the end of 2011. Yeah, and unicorns are real.

~Both Palestinian and Israeli security forces are frustrated with the politicians in Ramallah, Jerusalem and Washington DC. This is something I have heard over and over again. The Israeli and Palestinian security forces have been training and had unprecedented security cooperation over the past 8+ years, with impressive results, while the politicians piss away every opportunity for a reasonable solution to the conflict.

~Sean Hannity thinks it’s wrong to require insurers to cover birth control but guess what he thinks they should cover…Viagra. Indeed.

~Fox News is out of control with race-baiting.

~Politico continues with its status quo hackery and prints an op-ed from GOP Representative Duncan Hunter, who fear-mongers about cutting defense spending. Ok, no problem there because people can write opinion pieces from various points of view. The problem is that a) he makes patently false claims about the role of defense spending in our current debt crisis and b) Politico knew, or should have known, that Hunter has a conflict of interest when it comes to defense spending given most of his top campaign contributions come from defense contractors. If Politico readers knew that, they might be a little bit more discerning when it comes to taking Hunter’s claims at face value.

~Demonstrations turned violent in Tottenham, England, as people marched to the police station to protest the shooting of a 29-year old man Mark Duggan by police last week. Racial tensions have historically been high in the Tottenham region and as of last night, the situation was still not under control.

~Some in Israel are concerned about a bill that is poised to pass the Knesset and which seeks to provide guidance to the courts such that they would be expected to privilege maintaining “the state as the Jewish nation state in ruling in situations in which the Jewish character of the state clashes with its democratic character.” Israeli journalist Noam Sheizaf and other critics of the pending legislation have argued that proponents of the bill seem to be saying that maintaining a Jewish state and upholding democracy are at odds. It’s an interesting debate.

~Donald Trump really embodies the corporate greed and entitled attitude that seems to have infected this nation. His most recent stunt is to vow to do everything in his power to prevent the building of an offshore wind farm in Scotland because it will obstruct the beautiful view from the golf course he is currently in the process of building.

~Whatever you do, don’t read Thomas Friedman’s silly editorial about the financial crisis in today’s NYT, it’s five minutes of your life that you’ll never get back which is why I read it for you. It’s loaded with dumb analogies and really obvious points like “[r]egarding growth, we surely need a much smarter long-term fiscal plan than the one that just came out of Washington.”

The End.

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