One More

One more picture, because this is my favorite time of year. But although the tree, the presents, and the good food are amazing, lets always remember what Christmas is meant to celebrate.

Enjoy, stay safe, and again, Merry Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I want to thank each of you for stopping by, and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll see you in 2009.

Romanian Santa Record!

For all of my Romanian visitors: Craciun Fericit!

From the BBC:

Almost 4,000 people in the Romanian capital have set a new record for the most people dressed as Santa Claus and giving out gifts at the same time.
A total of 3,939 red and white clad people gathered in front of the parliament building in Bucharest.
Watched by a representative of Guinness World Records, they paraded through the city handing out gifts.
Romania hopes to break other records after Christmas, including the world's largest sausage and the longest cake.
"It's Christmas spirit, we're all better and more generous this time of year," the Bucharest Herald quoted Mayor Sorin Oprescu as saying.
Speaking as the volunteers donned their outfits, Guinness representative Lucia Sinigagliesi said the minimum requirement for the record to be judged was a "very challenging" 3,000.
"We never know what really is going to happen with mass participation records but it looks very good."
"There are a lot of people already, so we are hoping for the best," she said.
When the record was confirmed, Ms Sinigagliesi presented a certificate to the mayor, to delight of the massed Santas.
The event easily broke a previous record of 3,618 simultaneously gift-giving Santas, set in Taiwan, in 2003.

Cartoon of the Day!

Don Wright @ Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index

Change Is Coming: All $650 billion of It

At least this seems to be heading to Main Street. As I've mentioned before, it's only been a few months since the Wall Street bail-out, but I'll bet dollars-to-donuts that the government can't account for all of it. Think Haliburton, only on the domestic front. Let's hope Obama can keep pork out of it, and can also inspire some accountability in our government. That would be some Change.

From Bloomberg:

President-elect Barack Obama, faced with a deteriorating economy, is expanding his stimulus package with a goal of creating or saving 3 million jobs over two years, a transition aide said last night.
The new target, revised from 2.5 million jobs he previously announced, came at the suggestion of Christina Romer, Obama’s pick to head the Council of Economic Advisers, during a Dec. 16 meeting with the president-elect’s top economic advisers, the aide said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Romer said the short, medium and long-term economic forecasts have worsened since Obama outlined the plan on Nov. 22, the aide said.
Obama, who takes office Jan. 20, is making job creation his first priority as government reports suggest unemployment will grow further in the worst economy since World War II. General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC will shutter about 59 factories over the next month as sales plunge. GM and Chrysler will get $13.4 billion in emergency government loans to stay afloat.

Obama during the meeting told his advisers that spending proposals can’t include lawmakers’ pet spending projects; that funds should be directed toward already approved projects so jobs can be created quickly; and that government should help facilitate private ventures by removing bureaucratic red tape.
Obama also said he wants to enact measures designed to protect workers and families from future recessions.

India Warns Pakistan

More crap hitting the fan. From the Daily Times:

Pakistan has been given enough evidence regarding the Mumbai terror attacks and “Islamabad must act”, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Sunday. “Not once, twice or thrice but as many as ten times we have given evidence. Please pursue those evidence and take action as per your (Pakistani) law,” he said addressing Pakistan at a conference at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata.
“Instead of contradiction and denial, they will have to take action,” Mukherjee added. “We want that you keep the commitments given, one by former president Pervez Musharaff and the other by the current president (Asif Ali) Zardari that Pakistan’s territory will not be allowed to be used by terrorists. Keep that commitment.”He said Islamabad must arrest and hand over the fugitives of Indian law taking shelter in Pakistan as well as Pakistani suspects required for terror probes in India.
“Those who are Indian citizens, hand them over to us. Those who are required for investigations, may be your citizens, also hand them over to us.”

Who thinks this is going to turn out peachy anytime soon?

Muntazer al-Zaidi Sues Guards

So the shoe thrower has decided to sue the guards that allegedly beat him after he was taken into custody. Welcome to freedom, Iraq; how do you like the American way?

From the AFP:

"Muntazer has filed a complaint today (Sunday) against those who assaulted him," lawyer Dhiya al-Saadi told AFP, saying those responsible worked for the security forces of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's media office.
"There are bruises on his body. He has lost a tooth in his upper jaw, and his left eye is bloodshot," the lawyer said, adding that the list of injuries is backed up by medical checks.
Zaidi, a 29-year-old journalist, grabbed the world spotlight when he threw his shoes at Bush during a farewell visit to Iraq last Sunday by the US president who ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein.
He was wrestled to the ground by security forces and later arrested.
The journalist stands accused of "aggression against a foreign head of state during an official visit," an offence that carries a prison term of between five and 15 years under Iraqi law.
But the court could convict him of the lesser charge of an "attempted aggression" which carries a prison term of one to five years.
"The damages are the result of beatings and harsh treatment in the hours following his arrest," Saadi said. "Once he was transferred to prison he was no longer beaten or ill treated."

And the Crap Hits the Fan

So with the 6-month truce behind them, both Israel and Hamas are at it again. The rockets rain down on Israeli settlements, and the blockade of Gaza gets tighter. Meanwhile, the popular view of two independently controlled territories seems to be a passing fancy.

From the Guardian:

Israel's blockade of Gaza is pushing the territory to the brink of collapse and fuelling the growth of a black money market controlled by Hamas, the World Bank warned yesterday.
As tit-for-tat attacks across the Gaza border began to intensify following the end of a six-month truce on Friday, the World Bank said that an acute cash shortage in Gaza was playing into Hamas's hands. The militant Islamists, who took control of Gaza in June 2007 following violent street clashes with their more secular rival, Fatah, have large stashes of shekels which they have been selling on the black market at a premium because of the cash shortage.
There is also a worry that Hamas, with its dominant militant and bureaucratic control of Gaza, will begin to replace the shekel with US dollars, which are more easily obtained, to smuggle through the tunnels from Egypt in the south.
The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Quartet - the US, the EU, Russia and the United Nations - warned Israel of the crisis in a letter to the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, more than a week ago, to no avail. Instead, Israel continued to tighten its 18-month blockade of the tiny coastal territory, forcing banks and businesses to shut their doors, water, sanitation and electricity services to cease, medical clinics to turn away patients, and bread queues to form in the streets. Since the end of the truce, daily clashes have resumed, with Israel launching air strikes on Palestinian rocket-launching teams and Palestinian fighters firing makeshift rockets and mortars at neighbouring Israeli towns.

Clinton Donor List

Well, I guess we're going to be hearing a bunch of noise over this from the right. But remember this: the Clinton foundation's donors contribute to an organization that is doing some good in the world. Now, who was it that was going to hand over the keys to the country by giving up control of our ports?

All I'm saying is that in the grand scheme of things, this is really minor. Let the arguments begin.

Cartoon of the Day!

Chip Bok @ Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index

Muntazer al-Zaidi Asks for Pardon

With his government at war over this guy, what in the world would prompt al-Maliki to even consider letting this guy get charged. I think in the grand scheme of things, with the situation in Iraq still very tentative, Bush himself should let it go and tell the Iraqis that the price of freedom may include a black eye for the leader in power. At the end of the day, we've lobbed tons of explosives into that country over the past decade; I think Bush can get over a shoe. Lets see how al-Maliki handles this one:

From TIME:

Iraq's parliamentarians, who rarely shy away from showboating, didn't disappoint either. There were rowdy scenes in the legislature as lawmakers from anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's bloc interrupted a discussion about the fate of non-U.S. troops in Iraq to demand al-Zaidi's immediate release. Noisy exchanges ensued, culminating with the mercurial speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, threatening to resign. "I can't work in such a situation!" he shouted, according to lawmakers who attended the session. It's not clear if al-Mashhadani, who is known for his outbursts, will follow through. But the Sadrists, in particular, are keen to exploit the massive public sympathy for the Shi'ite reporter to turn up the heat on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki over the issue, especially ahead of provincial elections slated for Jan. 31. (See pictures of the shoe attack's aftermath.)
Al-Zaidi's case is now before the Iraqi judiciary, but few in Iraq expect the courts to have the last word in this case. The correspondent's actions were not merely an affront to the U.S. President; they discombobulated al-Maliki as well, who was standing beside Bush as he nimbly dodged the size-10 leather projectiles. Al-Zaidi has penned a letter of apology to the Prime Minister, asking for a pardon and saying his actions were directed squarely against Bush and not at al-Maliki, according to Omar Almashhadani, a spokesman for the Sunni Tawafuk parliamentary bloc. "It is too late now to regret the big and ugly act that I perpetrated," al-Zaidi wrote in the letter, according to the Associated Press. "That's going to help him in court," Mashhadani said, "but if he's tried and sentenced to a few years, it will leave al-Maliki with a bad reputation."
The Prime Minister has been trying to shed his reputation for being beholden to the U.S. Now the groundswell of public support for al-Zaidi's actions has made it even more difficult. The correspondent has become an instant folk hero not only in Iraq but also across a region that feels vindicated in some small measure that David got one over Goliath. In Jordan lawmakers observed a minute's silence in solidarity with the jailed reporter. An Egyptian man has reportedly offered his 20-year-old daughter in marriage to "this hero," telling the Gulf Daily News "this is something that would honor me." A Lebanese television channel has proffered al-Zaidi a job, with his salary effective "from the second he threw the shoe." There's a repressed glee in the many demonstrations across the Middle East in support of him, a sense of pride that an ordinary Arab furiously expressed the disdain and anger that many feel toward the U.S. President for his calamitous legacy in the Middle East. And that al-Zaidi did so using his shoes — an insult of choice in the Arab world — makes it even more delicious for many.

Franken Almost There

I don't know why I'm still interested in the Minnesota race anymore. I guess it's just the giddy feeling I get when I picture the likes of Limbaugh and Hannity screaming conspiracy theories. And I guess Franken is a mildly entertaining guy, on top of the fact that it really boils down to a net gain for the Democrats.

From the AP:

The tight Minnesota U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken has become incredibly close — with Coleman clinging to a two-vote lead.
That's the latest tally after the state Canvassing Board spent a third day ruling on disputed ballots. There are hundreds of challenges yet to decide, as well as thousands of withdrawn challenges that have yet to be tallied.
Coleman had entered Thursday's session leading Franken by 360 votes. But that lead eroded all day as the board considered a pile of challenges brought entirely by the Coleman campaign. The pile included a big chunk of withdrawn challenges, many of which went quickly to Franken's column.
The board will resume its work Friday.

Best In A Long While

This is neither current or overly political, but I think this is one of the best songs I've heard in a long time. After all, Dick Gaughan is one of the finest performers from Scotland. And I'd like to thank Colbrolchain2 for the video and the following quote that is still very much relevant today:

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too highly. 'Tis dearness only that gives everything value.

-Thomas Paine

Cartoon of the Day!

Mike Lane @ Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonist Index

US Influence Fading In Latin America

For all of the people who chose to focus on the War on Terror while relegating everything else to the sidelines, this is an urgent wake-up call. Apparently, the US is losing serious clout with our neighbors to the south.
This spells trouble, especially when considering the push by Russia into Latin America. How long before "military exercises" start resembling the Cold War?

From the AP:

Forget the global economic crisis and climate change. What Latin American leaders are talking about is who is not at Tuesday's summit: the United States or any other outside power.
The largest hemispheric summit to exclude U.S. representation was hailed by Washington's most vocal critics as a sign that Latin America is demanding a new independence from the superpower to the north.
Cuba's integration into the Rio Group — after it was expelled from the Washington-based Organization of American States in 1962 — only added to the buzz about a new era.
"The presence of Cuba is a very strong signal that America is no longer the boss in Latin America," Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told reporters upon his arrival at the summit, which drew 33 heads of state or their representatives.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a center-leftist, praised South America's tilt to the left that coincided with the U.S. Bush administration and a general feeling in Latin America that he neglected the region.
Silva insisted the continent is coming into its own with elections in recent years of leaders like Evo Morales, a socialist and Bolivia's first Indian president, and Paraguay's Fernando Lugo, a former bishop who spent much of his life ministering to the poor.
"There was a time when our friend Chavez was all alone," Silva said. "Who would have imagined 10 years ago our beloved Evo Morales as president? Would would have thought that a liberation theology bishop could become Paraguay's president?"
Chavez and other leaders said the election of Barack Obama as U.S. president creates a key opportunity for South American countries to speak with their own voice and to demand respect in a new dialogue with the United States.

Muntazer al-Zaidi Beaten

From the Guardian:

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US president George Bush during a press conference has been beaten in custody, his brother has claimed.

Muntadar al-Zaidi was detained after hurling his shoes at Bush and calling him a "dog" during a press conference on Sunday in Baghdad.

His older brother, Dargham, told the BBC today that al-Zaidi had suffered a broken hand, ribs, suffered internal bleeding and sustained an eye injury.

According to the BBC, after the incident, al-Zaidi was detained by Iraqi authorities under the command of national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, who also said the 28-year-old will be prosecuted under Iraqi law.

Reuters reported the claims of a brother calling himself Maitham, that al-Zaidi was in a hospital in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.

"All that we know is we were contacted yesterday by a person - we know him - and he told us that Muntadar was taken on Sunday to Ibn-Sina hospital," Maitham al-Zaidi told Reuters. "He was wounded in the head because he was hit by a rifle butt, and one of his arms was broken."

However, the head of Iraq's journalists' union, Mouyyad al-Lami, told the BBC that officials had informed him al-Zaidi was being treated well and said that he hoped to visit his colleague at some stage.

Al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at Bush as an insult, his family claims, as he blamed the US president for the thousands of Iraqi deaths since the invasion of his homeland in 2003.

He has been hailed as hero by some and rallies across the Arab world have called for the al-Baghdadia TV journalist to be released.

This is not the first time the young reporter has been the subject of news reports.

In November last year, the Shia journalist was kidnapped as he walked to work and held for more than 48 hours. On release he said his captors, who were suspected of being al-Qaida members, had questioned him about his work and beaten him.

In January he was detained by American troops searching his building but released after a day with an apology.

Protests for Muntazer al-Zaidi's Release!

So this guy, our Comedian of the Day, is still being held by Iraqi security, and may be handed over to the military for further investigation.

Are you kidding me? They want to know who paid him? Really?

So far, his station has refused to apologize, and people are taking to the streets to call on the government to release al-Zaidi, because after all, he was just exercising his right to free speech. Which is part of the deal with the Iraqis if I'm not mistaken.

I only hope that Muntazer is practicing his pitching while being locked up.

From the AP:

The journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush was handed over to the Iraqi judiciary, an Iraqi official said Tuesday, a move that ordinarily signals the start of criminal proceedings.

Hundreds took to the streets Tuesday for a second day to demand the release of Muntadhar al-Zeidi, who gained folk hero status when he hurled both his shoes at Bush during a news conference Sunday in Baghdad.

Al-Zeidi was initially held by the prime minister's guards and later turned over to the Iraqi army's Baghdad command. The command, in turn, handed him over to the judiciary, the official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't supposed to release the information.

The official would not elaborate, but referring the case to the judiciary usually signals the beginning of a lengthy process that could end in a criminal trial. Cases referred to the judiciary are given to a judge who reviews the evidence and recommends whether to hold a trial or release the defendant.

Another panel then sets a trial date and appoints judges to hear the case. The process can take months.

Earlier, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said al-Zeidi could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush when the shoes were thrown. The offense carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

Many Iraqis, however, believe al-Zeidi was a hero for insulting an American president widely blamed for the chaos that has engulfed their country since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

In Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, located north of Baghdad, an estimated 1,000 protesters carried banners and chanted slogans demanding al-Zeidi's release.

A couple of hundred more also protested Tuesday in Nasiriyah, a Shiite city about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, and Fallujah, a Sunni area west of the capital.

"Muntadhar al-Zeidi has expressed the feelings and ambitions of the Iraqi people toward the symbol of tyranny," said Nassar Afrawi, a protester in Nasiriyah.

In Baghdad, Noureddin al-Hiyali, a lawmaker of the main Sunni bloc in parliament, defended al-Zeidi's actions and said he believed the reporter was likely motivated by the invasion of Iraq, the "dismantling of the Iraqi government, destroying the infrastructure," — all events he blamed on the Bush administration.

Electoral College and Obama's Citizenship

The dramatic campaign waged by fringe groups that aims to prove that Barack Obama is not a citizen of the US and is not eligible to serve as president looks to be taking a hit today.
As the Electoral College officially casts it's ballots today, the voices of these fringe groups may finally be silenced. Things have already quieted down, led largely by the SCOTUS decision not to review the cases brought forth.

But that's probably an extremely optimistic view of things. I don't expect the likes of Berg and Co. to go down without a pathetic struggle for attention. But hey, change is coming...

From Bloomeberg:

More than a month after Barack Obama won the Nov. 4 presidential election, the votes that really matter are being cast today.

In ceremonies throughout the country, 538 members of the Electoral College convene, most at their respective state capitals, to formally cast the ballots that will put Obama in the White House. The states then send the electoral votes to the president of the U.S. Senate for the official count next month.

If all goes according to plan, Obama should end up with 365 electoral votes to Republican John McCain’s 173. There’s no provision in the U.S. Constitution or federal law requiring electors to follow their state’s popular vote, although 26 states and the District of Columbia have local rules that bind the electors. Electors sometimes do go renegade.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time there are not faithless- elector problems,” said Allyson Christou, an attorney at the office of the U.S. Federal Register.

In 2004, an elector from Minnesota didn’t follow the results of the state’s popular vote majority for Democrat John Kerry, and instead cast a ballot for John Edwards, Kerry’s vice presidential nominee.

In 2000, an elector for Democrat Al Gore from Washington, D.C., left her ballot blank to protest the District’s lack of voting representation in Congress. And in 1988, a West Virginia elector for Democrat Michael Dukakis instead voted for the vice presidential nominee, Lloyd Bentsen, according to data from the National Archives.

Comedian of the Day: Muntazer al-Zaidi !

I don't really know what to say. I'm just surprised this guy got off TWO throws before he was tackled by Iraqi security. Watch as al-Maliki tries to catch the second shoe. Priceless!

Detroit Aid!

Oh, right. See post below. From the WSJ:

Throwing a lifeline to Detroit's ailing auto makers, the White House reversed course Friday and said it would consider using the $700 billion financial-rescue plan to avert a bankruptcy of the Big Three that could deepen the U.S. recession.
The announcement came hours after negotiations collapsed in Congress over a compromise bailout plan fiercely opposed by Senate Republicans. That package would have set up $14 billion in loans to the companies and a government-run restructuring process.
The loans to be offered could be more limited than the $14 billion that Congress was contemplating -- perhaps closer to $8 billion, one person familiar with the situation said. General Motors Corp. would be a recipient, this person said. GM is hoping President George W. Bush will come through with about $10 billion to keep the company going. It warned Congress it needed at least $4 billion by the end of the month.
It wasn't clear whether loans would be made available to Chrysler LLC, which is controlled by private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. Cerberus came in for heavy criticism during the recent debate for not bailing out its own company. Ford Motor Co. has said all along it doesn't need a short-term lifeline, but could need help if one of its peers keeled over.
The White House's intervention showed how heavily the question of the president's legacy is weighing over his last few weeks in office. White House officials worried that the collapse of one or more domestic auto company, perhaps the last crisis Mr. Bush will confront as president, could cause a surge in job losses, worsening the current recession.
As early as Wednesday, during a private meeting with senators, Vice President Dick Cheney told lawmakers the Republicans didn't want to be remembered as the party of Herbert Hoover for allowing a company such as GM to collapse, according to people familiar with the matter.
By signaling that Treasury bailout funds could be an option, the White House made it easier for Republicans to walk away from negotiations, creating an environment in which they could push for deep concessions from the United Auto Workers union. That license contributed to the seesawing negotiations of the past week as Congress veered from agreement to disunity, lawmakers say, with union concessions a major point of disagreement.

Support for Detroit

I don't really know why it took our government so long to figure out that it would be a GREAT idea if Detroit got a little cash from the original $700 billion bailout. I mean, think about it.

Congress hasn't a clue as to where that money is going. It's going to get tumbled around, and basically laundered between financial institutions; it's going to get deposited into capital reserves. Our credit markets haven't markedly improved. And at the end of the day, when the people in charge have to account for all of the money, I'll bet my Jack Daniels boxer shorts that a "substantial amount ends up "missing"- like Iraq War money.

So why not let Detroit have some of it, save some jobs, and if the money is ultimately wasted by Big 3 ineptitude, at least we'll know what happened to it.

Comedian of the Day: Condoleezza Rice!

For the record: I like Condi Rice. By "like her", I mean that she's smart, witty, and insightful - everything that the Bush administration isn't.

But I think that she's getting a bit tired of her post; and that's not a personal jab at her. Here's what she said in an interview for the WSJ:

"So, I just don't understand this argument that it is so much worse. I always say, 'as opposed to what?' Syrian forces in Lebanon and no democracy. Saddam Hussein in power, threatening his neighbors and us. The Taliban in Afghanistan. The Palestinians and Israelis in an open intifada. That was the better Middle East? And it wasn't as if politics wasn't going on -- it was just going on in radical mosques and the madrassas, whereas now it is going on in the open. And yes, once in a while the Hamases of the world will win, but frankly I'd rather have them out in electoral politics trying to explain how they will fix the sewer system than running the streets with their faces covered, being the glorious resistance."

So, from the top. There may not be any overt Syrian forces in Lebanon, but there sure is a new Iranian influence. Saddam isn't there anymore, but our troops and money are. The Taliban is very much still in Afghanistan. The Israelis and Palestinians are just about ready to blow up again. And so far, the politics in the Middle East are still hashed out in mosques, and manifesting themselves in the open by way of IED and suicide bomb.

A lot of people would be quick to point out that there hasn't been an attack on our soil. And I'll give her credit. But overall, the problems she's delineating could have been handled in a much more competent fashion.

Let me draw an opportune parallel. The past eight political years are analogous to the last eight years for the Big 3 of Detroit. Technically, we're still in business, but things could have gone A LOT better.

Closing Gitmo

A major problem with the Obama Administration's plans of closing the Guantanamo Bay prison has been the fate of prisoners who say that they cannot return to their respective countries because of persecution. This puts our officials in a horrible bind, because our immigration laws do not permit our government to return a national if there is a reasonable threat to their safety.
That said, what is the US supposed to do with people that should rightfully be released? They can't stay here. They can't go back. Good job, Rumsfeld.
Fortunately, the European Union might be stepping up and helping. From the NY Times:

In a diplomatic breakthrough that is likely to help the Obama administration close the Guantánamo detention camp, Portugal said this week that it was willing to resettle some detainees and urged other European countries to accept prisoners remaining at the camp, which has been a source of international criticism for nearly seven years.

Portugal said it was willing to resettle some detainees now held at Guantánamo Bay and pressed other nations to do the same.

The announcement was the first sign in the tangled history of the detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, that other countries might be willing to accept the Bush administration’s assertion that they should play a role in shutting it down.

“The time has come for the European Union to step forward,” Portugal’s foreign minister, Luís Amado, said in a letter to other European ministers released Thursday.

“We should send a clear signal of our willingness to help the U.S. government in that regard, namely through the resettlement of detainees,” the letter said. Mr. Amado pledged that Portugal would participate in a European Union resettlement program.

Although there is no specific agreement yet on the transfer of detainees, Bush administration officials described the announcement as a critical step toward solving the problem that has been referred to as “Guantánamo’s hard cases.” That refers to some 60 of the remaining 250 detainees whom the Pentagon has cleared for release but who cannot be sent to their home countries, often out of concern that they would be tortured or persecuted. They are from countries including Algeria, China, Libya and Tunisia.

“This is a major milestone in our efforts to secure help from the international community, and particularly from Europe, in closing Guantánamo,” said John B. Bellinger III, the State Department’s legal adviser.

Darfur Forgotten

I know that the economy is sinking faster than the Titanic, and that some people are worrying about putting food on the table this holiday season. Others may be worried about Christmas presents, or receiving aid from the government because they've run their company into the ground...
But it still gives me chills when I realize that we can so easily forget what's going on in the world, and that so many of us who can, do nothing about this.
Here's a great editorial from the NY Times:

In January, President Bush said this about Darfur: “My administration called this genocide. Once you label it genocide, you obviously have to do something about it.”
Yet, last week — nearly one year later — this is what the International Criminal Court prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, told the United Nations Security Council about Darfur: “Genocide continues. Rapes in and around the camps continue. Humanitarian assistance is still hindered. More than 5,000 displaced persons die each month.” How can this still be?
The world has long declared its revulsion at the atrocities committed by Sudan’s government and its proxy militias in Darfur and done almost nothing to stop it. It took years of political wrangling to get the Security Council to approve a strengthened peacekeeping force with deployment set for Jan. 1. More than 11 months later, the Security Council has managed to send only 10,000 of the promised 26,000 peacekeepers. Large-scale military attacks against populated areas continue.
Much of the fault lies with Sudan’s cynically obstructionist president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. But Russia and especially China — which has major oil interests in Sudan — have shamefully enabled him. So have African leaders. The United States and its allies also bear responsibility for temporizing, most recently over how to transport troops and equipment to the conflict zone.
President Bush said on Wednesday that the United States was prepared to provide airlift. So why has this taken so long?

Comedian of the Day: Gov. Rod Blagojevich - D!

http://blogs.e-rockford.com/inchambers/files/2008/05/blagojevich-sucks-photo.jpg

[EXPLETIVE] funny!

We Won In Iraq!......What the...?!?!?!?

According to some, we've reached a point where we can claim victory in Iraq. There's even a "VI Day" movement stirring about. Now, call me a cynic, but isn't the bombing and exploding supposed to stop once we've told our enemies we've beat them? I mean, this isn't WWII; communication is pretty much instantaneous; even bin Laden has a cellphone. So......what the?!?!?!?

From the AP:

A suicide bomber killed at least 55 people Thursday in a packed restaurant near the northern city of Kirkuk where Kurdish officials and Arab tribal leaders were trying to reconcile their differences over control of the oil-rich region. The brazen attack — the deadliest in Iraq in six months — occurred at a time of rising tension between Kurds and Arabs over oil, political power and Kirkuk.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack at the upscale Abdullah restaurant, which was crowded with families celebrating the end of the four-day Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. The U.S. blamed the blast on al-Qaida, which uses suicide bombings as its signature attack.
Police Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir, who gave the casualty figures, said the dead included at least five women and three children. About 120 people were wounded.
It appeared, however, that the target was a reconciliation meeting between Arab tribal leaders and officials of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Kurdish party of President Jalal Talabani, on ways to defuse tension among Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen in the Kirkuk area.
Kurds want to annex Kirkuk and surrounding Tamim province into their self-ruled region of northern Iraq. Most Turkomen and Arabs want the province to remain under central government control, fearing the Kurds would discriminate against them.
Iraq's parliament exempted the Kirkuk area from next month's provincial elections because the different ethnic groups could not agree on how to share power.
A guard at the entrance said the blast occurred moments after a man parked his car and walked inside. He was not searched because the guards had not been told to frisk customers, the guard said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for his own safety.

I'm Shocked!

Surprise! Donald Rumsfeld apparently "shares some blame" for our "stroll among war crimes", and the continued mistreatment of detainees at Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, and possibly other sites. Who woulda thunk? From Reuters:

The report concluded that Rumsfeld's actions were "a direct cause of detainee abuse" at Guantanamo and "influenced and contributed to the use of abusive techniques ... in Afghanistan and Iraq.""The abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib in late 2003 was not simply the result of a few soldiers acting on their own," the executive summary said."Interrogation techniques such as stripping detainees of their clothes, placing them in stress positions and using military working dogs to intimidate them appeared in Iraq only after they had been approved for use in Afghanistan and at (Guantanamo)."The detainee scandal at Abu Ghraib and later revelations of aggressive U.S. interrogations such as "waterboarding" led to an international outcry and charges that the United States allowed prisoners to be tortured, a claim denied by the Bush administration.The Bush administration has since recanted the policies under pressure from Congress, while President-elect Barack Obama has vowed to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.The report found that the military derived the techniques from a Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape program, or SERE, which trains U.S. soldiers to resist enemy interrogation that does not conform to the Geneva Conventions or international law."These policies are wrong and must never be repeated," McCain, who last month lost the U.S. presidential election, said in a statement released with the executive summary.McCain said the report revealed an "inexcusable link between abusive interrogation techniques used by our enemies who ignored the Geneva Conventions and interrogation policy for detainees in U.S. custody."

Cartoon of the Day!

Mike Lester, Rome News-Tribune, Rome, GA @ Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index

Some Good News

Look at that! We CAN make some progress. If only these kids could see the light at the end of the tunnel; because even if kids do improve their performance in school, who's going to foot the bill for their education? Broke parents, or broke states? Maybe Ford will....
From the NY Times:

American fourth- and eighth-grade students made solid achievement gains in math in recent years and in two states showed spectacular progress, an international survey of student achievement released on Tuesday found. Science performance was flat.
The results showed that several Asian countries continued to outperform the United States greatly in science and math, subjects that are crucial to economic competitiveness and research.
The survey, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or Timss, found that fourth-grade students in Hong Kong and eighth-grade students in Taiwan were the world’s top scorers in math, while Singapore dominated in science at both grade levels.
“We were pleased to see improvements in math, and wished we’d seen more in science,” said Stuart Kerachsky, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics at the Education Department, which carried out an analysis of the performance of American students on the test.
The latest Timss study, the world’s largest review of math and science achievement, involved testing a representative sample of students in each country in 2007, the first time the tests had been administered since 2003. The results included fourth-grade scores from 36 countries and eighth-grade scores from 48 countries. The tests cover subjects taught in all the participating countries, including algebra, chemistry, geometry and physics.
The study is directed by the International Study Center at Boston College.

Our Growing Pakistani Problem

We've watched the drama between Pakistan and India with a weary eye, because a conflict between the two nuclear powers would endanger American troops and overall objectives.

President Bush's hard stance is likely to be ill received by Pakistani leaders, many of whom have voiced their displeasure over territorial encroachments by US missiles and ground forces. Should tensions escalate in the region, the US has a tough choice.

If we back India, we'd be standing shoulder to shoulder with a country that has experienced a horrific terror attack. If we stand aside and watch, the whole region seems primed to go up in flames. Either way, it seems that our relations with Pakistan will suffer greatly, which indirectly means a lot more work and danger for our troops in Afghanistan.

I hope Bush uses some restraint and good judgement during his last month in office. The last thing we need is an escalating conflict between two allies, while our troops watch from afar on an unfriendly border.

Contractors Charged

Contractors. The polite term some use to describe mercenaries.
Just to be clear, I have no problem with mercenaries. They're merely providing a service that the market requires. But when their actions lead to the loss of innocent life, and those same actions are backed up by full-fledged power and might of this government, then I start to get a bit annoyed.
It's not that I don't sympathize with the "contractor" that is always looking out for the next extremist or IED that may take his life; those people may have a legitimate gripe and a decent excuse to be trigger-happy. But the "pros" of Blackwater's caliber look for trouble, cause trouble, and think they're above every law; and it's that mentality that has caused so much resentment for US forces in Iraq.
Now, finally, the consequences of their actions may have caught up to the invincibles. The AFP reports:

Five guards from US security firm Blackwater, which works for the State Department in Iraq, were charged Monday with shooting to death 14 Iraqi civilians and wounding 18 others in Baghdad last year.
A sixth guard pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempt to commit manslaughter for the shooting in Nisur Square on September 16, 2007, the US Department of Justice said.
The accused, who surrendered to federal authorities in Utah on Monday, face up to 10 years in jail on each of 14 manslaughter charges and seven years for each of 20 counts of attempted manslaughter, said Jeff Taylor, attorney for the District of Columbia.
They have also been charged with a weapons violation -- "discharging a firearm and destructive devices during a crime of violence" -- which carries a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison, he said.
According to the indictment, the accused were part of a Blackwater detail guarding a convoy of trucks when they opened fire with automatic weapons on unarmed civilians in Baghdad.
"None of the victims of the shooting was armed," said Taylor.
"None of them was an insurgent. Many were shot while inside civilian vehicles attempting to flee. One victim was shot in the chest while standing in the street with his hands up," he said.
Blackwater has been accused repeatedly by its critics of having a cowboy mentality and a shoot first, ask questions later approach when carrying out security duties in Iraq.
The private company has said its guards opened fire in Nisur Square in self-defense after coming under attack.
But the Iraqi government has said an investigation into the incident concluded the Blackwater guards had begun shooting without cause.
After the incident the Iraqi government pressed the State Department to withdraw Blackwater from the country, but the security firm's contract was renewed earlier this year.
On Monday, Blackwater insisted its personnel "operate according to strict rules for use of force issued by the US government."
"Based on the information available to us ... we understand that these individuals acted within the rules set forth for them by the government and that no criminal violations occurred," the company said.
But, it added, if any individual is determined to have acted improperly, "then Blackwater supports holding that person accountable."
A State Department review panel last year said that insufficient oversight of the more than 2,500 private security firms it employs in Iraq to protect diplomats and guard facilities has "undermined confidence" in those contractors, both among Iraqis and US military commanders.
The charges against the five guards were the first to be brought under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA) against private contractors, according to Taylor.
Passed in 2000, MEJA gives the US judicial system the "ability to exercise jurisdictional control over American civilians committing felonies on foreign soil," according to an official at the Pentagon.
But only since an amendment to the act in 2004 expanded the reach of MEJA to private contractors who provide services "in support of the mission of the Department of Defense overseas" has it been possible to prosecute private contractors under MEJA, said Taylor.
The Iraqi authorities have said they may seek to bring the Blackwater guards charged Monday to trial in Iraq.
"The Iraqi government stresses its rights and that Blackwater guards have committed crimes against Iraqi victims. The government reserves the right to prosecute them," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh has said.
The State Department declined to comment on Monday's indictments.

SCOTUS Throws Out Obama Citizenship Case

I hope this quiets the "conspiracy" rumors that have engulfed the bigoted racists in this country. The Berg case still needs to be dealt with, but I don't expect much out of that one. From the Miami Herald:

President-elect Barack Obama's January inauguration is still good to go, after the Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a long-shot challenge to his electoral eligibility.
Without comment, the court brushed off a lawsuit claiming Obama didn't meet the Constitution's citizenship requirements. The move undercuts but doesn't end a legal campaign that's gotten far more traction on the Internet than in the courts.
Justices must still dispose of at least one other legal challenge to Obama's eligibility. Promoted on Web sites and in the conservative media, the various challenges differ somewhat in detail but build on common questions and insinuations about the circumstances of Obama's birth.
"Since candidate Obama was born to a Kenyan father, he is not eligible to the office of the President since he is not a natural born citizen," said retired attorney Leo C. Donofrio in his petition to the Supreme Court.
Obama was born in Hawaii. His mother was a U.S. citizen and his father, a native of Kenya, was a British subject.
While the Obama team has largely dismissed questions about his citizenship, the persistence of the questions drove the campaign in June to make public his birth certificate. It shows, among other things, that he was born in a Honolulu hospital at 7:42 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1961.
Anyone born on U.S. soil is a U.S. citizen, regardless of his or her parents' immigration status. Hawaii has been a state since 1959.
"Smears claiming Barack Obama doesn't have a birth certificate aren't actually about that piece of paper, they're about manipulating people into thinking Barack is not an American citizen," said an Obama Web site created during the campaign to counter misinformation about the candidate.
Some conservative activists haven't been convinced. They've been paying for ads, including a full-page missive that appeared Nov. 17 in the Washington Times' national weekly edition, and they've been filing multiple lawsuits.
Donofrio, who lives in East Brunswick, N.J., initially asked the high court for an emergency stay on Nov. 3. Justice David Souter denied the request three days later. Donofrio then resubmitted his request to Justice Clarence Thomas, who passed it along for consideration by the full court.
On Friday, meeting in their traditional closed-door conference, the nine justices gave some consideration to the case, Donofrio v. Wells.
It takes at least four Supreme Court justices to agree for a case to be put on the schedule for a complete hearing. On Monday at 10 a.m., the court issued its standard written list of orders identifying Donofrio v. Wells as one of about 300 cases that won't be heard any further.
Next up will be a separate lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania attorney Philip J. Berg. Berg, a former state deputy attorney general, also has filed several conspiracy lawsuits - including one alleging that President George W. Bush had a hand in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
A federal judge in Eastern Pennsylvania threw out Berg's lawsuit in October, saying that he lacked legal standing to bring the challenge since he couldn't show he faced individual harm even if he could prove his claims about Obama's citizenship. The judge didn't get to the point of weighing the substantive merits of Berg's claim.
"If, through the political process, Congress determines that citizens, voters or party members should police the Constitution's eligibility requirements for the presidency, then it is free to pass laws conferring standing on individuals like (Berg)," U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick wrote. "Until that time, voters do not have standing to bring the sort of challenge that (Berg) attempts to bring."
Surrick was appointed to the federal bench by former President Bill Clinton.

Big 3 Have Always Brought Big Pain

You could argue that letting Detroit get what it deserves will kill real jobs, give up a huge piece of the market, and lead us into a depression. You could argue that they have learned their lesson, and that this sour turn in our nation's economy happened in the middle of a sincere and overdue restructuring process.

You could argue those things. But I wouldn't listen, because you'd be a member of Congress. Here's what David Yermack had to say about this, in the Nov. 15-16 edition of the WSJ:

In 1993, the legendary economist Michael Jensen gave his presidential address to the American Finance Association. Mr. Jensen's presentation included a ranking of which U.S. companies had made the most money-losing investments during the decade of the 1980s. The top two companies on his list were General Motors and Ford, which between them had destroyed $110 billion in capital between 1980 and 1990, according to Mr. Jensen's calculations.I was a student in Mr. Jensen's business-school class around that time, and one day he put those rankings on the board and shouted "J'accuse!" He wanted his students to understand that when a company makes money-losing investments, the cost falls upon all of society. Investment capital represents our limited stock of national savings, and when companies spend it badly, our future well-being is compromised. Mr. Jensen made his presentation more than 15 years ago, and even then it seemed obvious that the right strategy for GM would be to exit the car business, because many other companies made better vehicles at lower cost.Roger Smith, who retired as chairman in 1990, seemed to understand that all too well, and so did Chrysler's management, which happily sold their company to Daimler Benz for $30.5 billion in 1998. That deal, one of the savviest corporate divestitures ever, ended very badly for Daimler, which essentially paid Cerberus a few billion dollars (by agreeing to retain pension liabilities) to take Chrysler off its hands in 2007.Over the past decade, the capital destruction by GM has been breathtaking, on a greater scale than documented by Mr. Jensen for the 1980s. GM has invested $310 billion in its business between 1998 and 2007. The total depreciation of GM's physical plant during this period was $128 billion, meaning that a net $182 billion of society's capital has been pumped into GM over the past decade -- a waste of about $1.5 billion per month of national savings. The story at Ford has not been as adverse but is still disheartening, as Ford has invested $155 billion and consumed $8 billion net of depreciation since 1998.As a society, we have very little to show for this $465 billion. At the end of 1998, GM's market capitalization was $46 billion and Ford's was $71 billion. Today both firms have negligible value, with share prices in the low single digits. Both are facing imminent bankruptcy and delisting from the major stock exchanges. Along with management, the companies' unions and even their regulators in Washington may have their own culpability, a topic that merits its own separate discussion. Yet one can only imagine how the $465 billion could have been used better -- for instance, GM and Ford could have closed their own facilities and acquired all of the shares of Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Volkswagen.The implications of this story for Washington policy makers are obvious. Investing in the major auto companies today would be throwing good money after bad. Many are suggesting that $25 billion of public money be immediately injected into the auto business in order to buy time for an even larger bailout to be organized. We would do better to set this money on fire rather than using it to keep these dying firms on life support, setting them up for even more money-losing investments in the future.Two main arguments are being raised to justify a government rescue of the auto industry. First, large numbers of jobs may be at stake, perhaps as many as three million if one counts all the other firms that supply the Big Three. This greatly overstates the situation. Americans are not going to stop driving cars, and if GM, Ford and Chrysler disappear, other companies will expand to soak up their market share, adding jobs in the process. Many suppliers will also stay in business to satisfy the residual demand for spare parts even if the Detroit manufacturers go under. If the government wants to spend $25 billion to protect auto workers, it would do better to transfer the money to them directly (perhaps by cutting each worker a check for $10,000) rather than by keeping their unproductive employer in business.Second, it is suggested that the failures of the U.S. financial industry, which have cost us something like $700 billion, justify bailouts of other sectors of the economy. This makes no sense. If the government diverts our national savings into businesses that have long track records of destroying investment capital, eventually we'll end up with an economy like France's -- or Zimbabwe's.Other arguments are on the table as well. Some see the troubles at GM and Ford as opportunities to retool the auto industry to produce environmentally friendly cars. Given their long track records of lobbying against fuel economy standards and producing oversized gas guzzlers, this suggestion seems ridiculous, sort of like asking cigarette companies to help with cancer research.

Unaffordable Education?

We all knew it had to be coming. It just couldn't last for long.

The NY Times reports that college tuition rates are skyrocketing, while states and poor families struggle to provide financial support for students. What does that mean?

It means that as we enter the new century, and as competition between emerging powers and the US intensifies, this country will be pumping out an insignificant amount of highly educated individuals. We will lose our status as an economic power, our place as the world's innovators, and what little political clout we so desperately try to cling to.

With Congress handing out $700 billion at a time to faulty corporations, it's not that shocking to realize that there is no money left for "our most precious resource". Unless Congress has found a way to stop CEOs from ruining their companies: if they can't go to school, then students can't become CEOs.

Job well done. Here's the story:

The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Over all, the report found, published college tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, adjusted for inflation, while median family income rose 147 percent. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade, and students from lower-income families, on average, get smaller grants from the colleges they attend than students from more affluent families.
“If we go on this way for another 25 years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” said Patrick M. Callan, president of the center, a nonpartisan organization that promotes access to higher education.
“When we come out of the recession,” Mr. Callan added, “we’re really going to be in jeopardy, because the educational gap between our work force and the rest of the world will make it very hard to be competitive. Already, we’re one of the few countries where 25- to 34-year-olds are less educated than older workers.”
Although college enrollment has continued to rise in recent years, Mr. Callan said, it is not clear how long that can continue.
“The middle class has been financing it through debt,” he said. “The scenario has been that families that have a history of sending kids to college will do whatever if takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
But low-income students, he said, will be less able to afford college. Already, he said, the strains are clear.

Thank You, Phillip Berg and Co.

I've followed the "Obama Constitutional Crisis" movement out of pure boredom, and a little satisfaction, because it's great to see the racist bigots in this country flounder around after the people elected an African-American. But it's starting to get old, so here is my message to all of the people I have just mentioned:

Why doesn't Obama release the original birth certificate? Why does he go through the trouble?

Because look at all of you patriots, sitting here arguing this crap for the past month, while the Obama supporters concentrated on winning an election. While you were arguing about raised seals, and type face, and Indonesia, we were out canvassing.

Here's one reason I'd never believe this crap: Hannity hasn't said anything about it. If it were even remotely true, he'd have a heart attack screaming over this. He's not. Neither is Rush.Second reason: the most in-depth investigation of Obama's background uncovered......wait........wait......an old announcement about Obama's birth in HI.

Again kids, look around. It's the 2nd of December. The 4th has passed. Now, I'd like nothing more than to let you all stew about this till 2012, but I can't help pointing out how pathetic this is.

So to the thousands - literally, thousands of "detectives" and constitutional law experts, thank you. Job well done!

Obama "Constitutional Crisis"

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

The people over at the "We The People Foundation for Constitutional Education Inc." must have money to burn.
Or in this case, money to throw away.
The group ran a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune on Monday as an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama rehashing the misinformation about Obama's citizenship.
It has already been established that Obama was born in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961. During his campaign, Obama posted his birth certificate on the Internet.
Contrary to the inflammatory ad, public officials in Hawaii verified that the birth certificate in its possession was indeed authentic.
With Obama in the midst of picking his Cabinet and packing for the White House, the rumor mill has geared up again.
Only now, the accusations aren't funny.
They are dangerous.
To insist that Obama is not a natural-born citizen in the face of evidence that proves otherwise feeds the paranoia of people who operate on the fringes.
These loonies -- like the skinheads from Tennessee who planned to dress up in coattails and top-hats and go on a racist killing spree before targeting Obama -- eat up conspiracy theories.
In the age of the BlackBerry, what Mark Twain noted decades ago is still true. "A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth even gets its boots on."
When this kind of blatant lie is plastered in a paid ad in one of the president-elect's hometown newspapers, it shows how much influence the people have who are behind the lies.
And that's scary.
So don't be fooled by the involvement of We The People Foundation For Constitutional Education Inc.
The group has a nice-sounding name, but it isn't in this to assure us that Obama has passed constitutional muster.
That question has been answered.
According to its Web site, "We The People Foundation For Constitutional Education Inc. is a New York-based not-for-profit group that is supported by tax-deductible donations."
Its chairman, Robert L. Schulz, is best known as a "tax protester," and has been subject to investigations by the federal government with respect to taxation issues.
Under the auspices of two nonprofits, Schulz has filed suits against the federal government alleging that there is no law that requires citizens to file income taxes.
In 2007, the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil suit against Schulz, "We the People Foundation for Constitutional Education Inc." and "We the People Congress Inc." in connection with a tax fraud-scheme -- a case that Schulz and the groups lost but subsequently appealed, court records show.
So you'd think this guy might want to keep a low profile.
Instead, he's attempting to stir up any lingering anti-Obama sentiments.
This is just the kind of blatant disrespect that the Obama camp has been good at ignoring.
Still, it is distressing to see that even after winning 53 percent of the popular vote, and solidly defeating his opponent, John McCain, Obama is being trashed by people like Schulz.
So here's my appeal to Schulz:
Stop it. The election is over. Done. Finished.
There's no hope of overturning the results. The people have spoken loud and clear.
And there's absolutely no hope of unearthing a bogus or forged birth certificate. If that were the case, don't you think Sen. Hillary Clinton would have beat you to it during the primary?
Given the fierce competition, and Clinton's popularity, if there was some dirt to be dug up, it would have been in her hands.
But, wait.
What am I thinking?
Clinton kept her mouth shut because she wanted to become Obama's VP pick or secretary of state. That's the kind of nonsense these conspiracy theorists are pushing.
Or how about Sen. John McCain?
I still believe his campaign had something to do with outing Obama's 56-year-old half-aunt during the last days of the general election.
The woman was living in the country illegally, and the McCain camp tried every which way to whip the voters into an anti-immigrant frenzy.
It didn't work.
With the election at stake, that was the best they could do. If Obama had had a bogus birth certificate -- anywhere -- McCain's forces have likely found it.
So there must be something else Schulz is looking for.
Can someone say donations?

Obama's Strategy

From FT.com:

Barack Obama’s foreign policy and national security appointments – Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Robert Gates as defence secretary and James Jones as national security adviser – have won praise from the moderate centre of the Democratic party and even from many Republicans. So far, it is mainly those on the left of the Democratic party who are expressing doubts.
As well they might. They campaigned for Mr Obama this year believing him to represent – in foreign policy above all – a clear alternative to Mrs Clinton, to the administration of George W. Bush (in which Mr Gates currently serves as defence secretary), and to John McCain (with whom Mr Jones, a former commandant of the marines, appeared during the campaign). Mr Obama has chosen a centrist if not centre-right team which, whatever its merits, calls into question the posture he adopted during the campaign. Has Mr Obama been subverted even before taking office?
The president-elect’s foreign policy will be formed more by the tests he faces from now on than by deduction from first principles. By mutual consent, many of his differences with Mr McCain and Mrs Clinton were exaggerated during the campaign. Some reversion to the mean – on the timing of withdrawal from Iraq, for instance, or in dealing with Iran – was to be expected. For the moment, therefore, the main question to ask of these appointments is not about Mr Obama’s foreign-policy aims, but whether he has chosen competent and effective lieutenants.
Mr Gates and Mr Jones arouse little concern on this score, but the same cannot be said of Mrs Clinton. She has merits, to be sure. Though inexperienced in foreign policy, she is widely travelled and known to the leaders of the countries she will be dealing with; she is “a global brand”. In energy and determination she is second to none. While strong-willed, she is also, let us say, capable of flexibility. Campaigning for election as senator for New York, she took a strongly pro-Israel stance, saying she considered Jerusalem the country’s “eternal and indivisible capital”; as secretary of state, her conviction on that sensitive matter will presumably soften.
But the main question is whether Mrs Clinton can subordinate not just her opinions but also her political ambitions to making the Obama administration a success. That must be in doubt. Her husband’s financial entanglements and irrepressible flair for scandal are further potential pitfalls. In weighing all this and choosing her regardless, Mr Obama has taken quite a risk – one that, in our view, is difficult to justify.