yd2008

Secretary Clinton has, finally, realized that the U.N. is not the panacea that our friends in any variety of administrations hoped it would be. To critics of U.N. operations and attitudes, the surprise is that Secretary Clinton appears ready to abandon U.N. processes. The motivation is another set of recalcitrant roadblocks erected by Russia and China, this time regarding Syria. Now that it is likely too late Madam Secretary is prepared to pursue other forms of redress against the Assad... Read Full Story

While Republican candidates pursue the Obama record as the basis for defeating the President in November the early symptoms of what the Obama campaign will look like are starting to emerge. The strategy was foreshadowed last year. The approval numbers on the Obama Administration’s signature legislative efforts continue to decline. There is little case to be made for economic policy that has resulted in the slowest recovery in modern history and has hit none of the benchmarks identified early... Read Full Story

The video of Marines urinating on dead bodies is ………….. well, disturbing. For those who hold The Marines in high regard it’s difficult to see The Corps represented this way. It is also a significant exception to the rule based on everything you’re humble correspondent knows to be the truth about how Marines conduct their service and themselves. It is, unfortunately, predictable that a lack of context will be present in the MSM and perhaps the administration. We should consider a few questions... Read Full Story

Should Mitt Romney be held accountable for his activities at Bain Capital? Yes! If the contention is that his business experience is critical to future performance in the White House than business experience is fair game. On this, Newt is not wrong. The manner of accountability is, however, in question. Is it about success or the manner of it? Is it simply about ‘finding’ an issue upon which to hang Romney? Is there a philosophical issue to be engaged? Newt, as well, needs to answer for his... Read Full Story

If you are competent, successful, well spoken and smart but you’re also ………….. grey; what do you do? You need contrast, you need Newt. But wait ………. Newt’s is going 100% positive; it’s going to be about good Newt. Damn! Mitt needed two things. He needed to show the money that he could fight hard. No one in their right mind thinks the general election campaign is going to be anything other than low down dirty. The money wanted to see if Romney would go to the mat. The negative ads in Iowa... Read Full Story

Christopher Hitchins passed away last night following a long struggle with cancer. To those of us who strive to deliver the written word, his death represents the passing of an iconic figure. It was impossible to anticipate the next angle that Mr. Hitchins might come after you from. What you did know, almost to a certainty, was that it would be a challenge to your intellect and powers of consideration. Perhaps a eulogy of Mr. Hitchins could be as simple stated as; “he managed to piss off... Read Full Story

A strange confluence demonstrates weakening U.S. foreign policy and resolve; if there were remaining doubts they are fading. The illustrative confluence is the departure from Iraq and the loss of a drone. We lose our most sophisticated drone. We lose it over Iran, they recover it. The President is counseled to destroy it with a missile strike. He says no, it might be considered an act of war against Iran. Against a torrent of advice to the contrary the President takes a pass on a minimal... Read Full Story

What, in point of fact, was the President’s speech in Osawatomie about? Common knowledge says, a preview of election themes. In reality the President was channeling classic Saul Alinsky tactics applied more broadly than at any time in our history. On the thoughtless surface, his arguments are persuasive, the rhetoric is smooth, it ‘sounds good’. Aas is so often the case the President’s comments are fraught with contradictions; colored by exclusions of fact and history that don’t fit the... Read Full Story

Health care passed with no clear public mandate. Financial reform has provided new meaning to unintended consequences; if they really were unintended. Corporate profits and banking resources stay on the sidelines. Employment is horrific, poverty on the rise. The potential for yet more bailouts loom on the horizon. Toady, at about 2PM we will reach $15 Trillion in ‘on the books’ debt with the total debt in excess of $120 Trillion. Pass this bill! More taxes! No budget passed through the Senate... Read Full Story

The OWS crowd created an opportunity to make important points. The opportunity has been missed. Serious consideration of capitalism and its corruptions could have been a seminal message; a message that left and right alike could have rallied to. Had the OWS crowd spent a little time in ‘workshops’ to educate themselves and tune the message; had they self policed the craziness they surrounded themselves with there could have been some serious value to their effort. It’s not capitalism that’s... Read Full Story