Gamesmanship Versus Fair Play - There Is A Big Difference

We have a problem in this country which I don't think the founding fathers anticipated. The President as renegade.  It is what happens when the President is accountable to no one and when he chooses to flout the law there is no recourse.

It seems to be emerging as common practice with Obamacare.  The latest has Congress complicit right along with him.  Just when I thought Congress may finally be getting it, they prove me wrong once again.  You see Obamacare was written so that Congress would have to buy into it just as the rest of us. Lots of us have been calling for that for a very long time - you pass it, it applies to you as well as the rest of us.  No matter what the content.

Some of the worry about Obamacare is the cost.  How it's going to be unaffordable for many or their premiums will increase dramatically rather than decrease.  Congress would have to give up their Cadillac plans and participate side by side with us.

But if you can imagine, they are whining that they can't afford the premiums and need an exemption.  Not only they themselves but also their better paid staffers.  Consider the Congressional salary of $174,000.  And many staffers making $100,000 +/-.  Also bear in mind that this is written into the law the President signed.  But of course we know no one had read it.

So rather than telling them to learn how to budget, he promises to fix it.  And he did. He made arrangements for  the Office of Personnel Management to write regulations allowing for the financial relief for members of Congress and their staffers - all government employees.

This type of shenanigan requires passage by Congress.  Obama didn't fear the Republicans would object but rather that they'd want to add more.  Of course he is right.  Republicans want that sweetener just as much as the Democrats.

Laws are becoming what they are at the pleasure of the President, not because Congress passed them and he signed them. Strange bedfellows they may be but bedfellows never-the-less. This goes way beyond class warfare.  This is a war between those in politics and the people.

I can't help but  think even those politicians I look on with a smidgen of hope aren't doing anything for my benefit.  Even though the reason may not be readily apparent, be sure it's for them.  I'd guess re-election so the game can continue.

Do they even know their approval rating is 14%.  If they know it, do they care?  More importantly how many of us know it and even more, do we care?  I don't care that it is so low, but I really care about why!

Tag Team Mudslinging!

The Republicans now have their team.  As has been said by some,  this presidential election is really about one thing.  Not jobs, not the economy though each has an important role.  It's about the type of country we want going forward.

Do we want one where government intrudes in everything?  Obama has made it clear this is his thinking.  The problem with it is we, who will be paying for his 'investments', don't get to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down on them.  So far government's track record has been dismal.

The Republicans say they are for less government and fiscal responsibility.  We'll see.  Paul Ryan is a plus if it's true but he, as well as his potential boss, has to do a better job of explaining how his ideas will work so as not to scare us to death like the Democrats are doing.

This election poses contrast like never before.  Don't forget the peripherals either.  Little things like foreign policy.  Our soldiers are still being killed in Afghanistan.  Syria is a disaster as the Secretary of State boogies in Africa. Iran and Israel get closer to war.

It's a disgrace and an embarrassment to me that this country allows it's politicians and their surrogates (super PACs) to stoop to such demeaning levels in their campaigns for the highest office in the land.  Some would say in the world.

Both sides are guilty.  Look what Romney did to his opponents in the primaries.  He didn't think it foul then, he has no right to now.  But when Lanny Davis, one of the most dyed in the wool Democrats around, says it's time to discuss policy issues rather than trying to destroy the opposition's reputations as human beings, you know it has gotten more than dirty. Try unscrupulous and unprincipled.

Can the bar be raised?  I doubt it.  So one more time we'll be stuck with the team left standing after all the mud is slung.  Lucky us.  Lucky world.

Giving Thanks For Thanksgiving

The obvious reasons not withstanding, I have another reason for looking forward to next week.  I know what the flavor will be.  Turkey with all the trimmings.  At least for many of us.  There are so many directions I could go with this, but not having written a post for a week, I'll stick with my old staple - politics.

Republican politics to be exact.  I cannot recall ever seeing candidates come and go from favor so quickly or for such a strange mix of reasons.

To date I have to agree with some of my readers who have yet to find a candidate to back.  I have real doubts about their intentions.  I guess that's because I got snookered last time around.

A quick review.  Romney is viewed as the most likely nominee.  I do not fear his being Mormon and he really wants the job yet for some reason he just doesn't grab me.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for him, yet...

Current flavor - Newt.  If he would just leave Reagan out of the equation I'd feel better.  Reagan was of a time long gone.  We need to be looking ahead.  His grey hair and grandfatherly manner belies an ambition not clearly defined.  Beware the silver tongue.

Most recently displaced - Cain. His knowledge of foreign policy has always been suspect.  After this past week so is his knowledge of current events like Obama's stand on Libya.  Not yet ready for the Presidency.

Perry.  I've got to admit I love his idea of cutting congressional salaries and making them part time.  Also starting his foreign aid budgets at zero.  The problem is how is he going to accomplish this?  The era of non-stop executive orders is treading on thin ice.

Paul.  The campaign's Libertarian.  Leaning toward the libertarian philosophy myself, less government, I applaud his tenacity.  His foreign policy ideas, though, don't wash.  It's always that foreign policy!

Santorum.  Considering he spent a ton of time in Iowa and has made family values his bellwether issue, he hasn't caught on.  I know what I'm not seeing, I wonder what the Iowans aren't seeing.

Bachmann was so hot out of the chute.  Her strength would seem to be her congressional battles even though she doesn't win them.  Her conversations with God through just about everyone may not sit well with others as well as myself.

Huntsman.  Here's a candidate who has yet to really run except in New Hampshire.  I have to wonder about the unfairness of our campaign funding laws that prevents one who could be in the top tier from being there because of a lack of start up money.  He's banking on New Hampshire yet I haven't heard that he's expected to be among the top three.  I'd not necessarily agree but I'd like to know the reason.

I don't take the flavor of the week seriously.  It's showing me a very fickle electorate.  What is it they want?  Humor like Cain?  Right wing conservatism?  I hope not. Hindsight and what I did when...?  More of the same only under a different banner?  What?

It won't be long before those decisions have to be made and I get the feeling the electorate isn't at all ready.  I know I'm not.  That worries me.

Watching A Presidency Crumble

I had hoped for more from the President last evening.  I think most Americans did.  He succeeded in the one thing at which he excels. The ability to scold and veil threats.

Also to leave out substance.  It doesn't take a student of politics to know that short term fixes are not the way to generate confidence.  It leaves nothing more than the uncertainty employers and lenders already have, not to mention the rest of us in dire straits.   There was no talk of eliminating crippling regulations or making changes in the taxing structure permanent, or at least long term.

An admonishment of the union thugs in Washington state cutting brake lines and ruining cargo would have been nice.  An admonishment of Jimmy Hoffa's rhetoric toward the Tea Party would have been nice too.  But no.  He just pointed his finger at Congress.  True, they are culpable, both parties, yet he refused to acknowledge his lack of leadership as part of the problem.

One thing I have to give him and his like minded cohorts credit for, if credit is the word.  They truly think their way is the right way.  Why else would they cling to an ideology that has been proven, time after time after time, not to work?

If the Republicans get their act together and actually nominate someone who can beat Mr. Obama, I will in a very sincere way, be sad.  I believed Obama to be one of the best and the brightest of his generation regardless of race.  I didn't ask enough questions nor probe more deeply.  It was a disservice to him.  We voters elevated him, in our dreams, above his level of competence.  We've gotten in return a portrait of bull headedness and naievity that has had no equal in Presidential politics in recent times.

What's even more sad is that the Republicans seem to have taken little from the lesson in front of us.  The right wing ideologues are holding the party hostage to a one sided dialog with no wiggle room.

Someone needs to break free, someone who we can have faith in because they have an actual record, someone who will tell it like it is and let the consequences fall where they may.

Actually there are those trying to do so.  The media is paying them little if any mind.  Why are we allowing them to dictate the terms?  They too are holding us hostage to their ideology.

If it works we'll be seen as a nation of sheep without a shepard.  Talk about the fleecing of America!

Separation Of Church And State On A Different Level

While separation of church and state is on my mind, I've been doing some thinking about how it applies to politicians.   Especially Michele Bachmann.

I'm not about to criticize anyone for having faith and crediting it with who they are and what they've done with their life, but should there be a limit?  Especially with a politician.

Romney and Huntsman have the obstacle of being Mormon, yet neither talks about it.  It certainly isn't the reason either entered politics.

Michele can't stop talking about  her communication with God.  Often through her husband.  In a Financial Times article she tells of having a 'vision' while praying that led her to marry her husband. That God instilled in her heart that if she studied hard he'd take her to law school and instructed her husband to encourage her to get her post doctorate.

"The Lord says, 'Be submissive wives, you ought to be submissive to your husband'. I pursued this course of study," which she had not been interested in.

This line of conversation obviously resonates with some but it makes me uncomfortable. I thought it might have been somewhat misconstrued by the reporters.

Not so. In yesterday's Wall Street Journal , in an article about how her 'tax attorney' claim is a bit misleading, she reiterates that she continued her studies because God was calling her to do so through her husband.

It makes me wonder two things. Is she the one running for President or is it her husband, or for that matter, God? Two, has she ever had an idea of her own and how are we to tell the difference?

With her propensity for gaffes and lack of policy thus far, I don't think she's a viable candidate.  I cannot envision the President of the United States being subservient to anyone,  especially this day and age and especially to a spouse.

It's probably too late for her to win me over.  There is something rather Elmer Gantryish about her,  to a point where I question her sincerity versus effect.  I'd like my candidate to keep his or her faith a little closer to the vest rather than the showcase of the campaign.

It has it's place most certainly, but to wear it like an entitlement is disconcerting to those of us who are looking for political savvy and workable policies rather than an evangelist.

The Obama Bush Blend

This picture appears on a bill board on I-35 outside Wyoming, Minn. It was paid for by a group of small business owners obviously not happy with the Obama administration's policies.

I chuckled while thinking how many of us voted for Obama because he seemed to be the exact opposite of Bush. He is in many, many ways yet in some respects he is not.

Perhaps the most obvious is both believe that what they think is right. Remember when Bush was asked if there was anything he regretted during his term and his answer was "No"? I see that steadfast resolve in Obama. In his recent interview with Diane Sawyer he commented, "I'd rather be a really good one term President than a mediocre two-term President." That's an indication that he believes his policies are the correct ones even as the country continues to protest. If the electorate doesn't see it that way, it's our problem, not his. He's right. On that basis it certainly is our problem!

We see him creeping more to the center when the banking and brokerage bonuses are suddenly acceptable, when he reluctantly allowed, at least partially, the numbers needed for success in Afghanistan, and possibly backtracking on civilian trials for the 9/11 terrorists. I can see Bush's little smirk as I write this.

Where he differs is disturbing. He is now considering advancing his agenda by a series of executive orders. If he really tries to do this expect legal challenges. It would not only be a resounding slap in the face of the American public but also Congress. He was not elected dictator!

The excuse of Republican obstinacy is running thin when Harry Reid throws out a bipartisan jobs bill. The excuse that all our problems stem from the Bush administration would carry more weight had Obama made some progress in correcting them.

We also need to remember as we try to sort through all the finger pointing and blame gaming that the Democrats were in charge of the House and Senate for the last two years of the Bush administration. The legislation in place is courtesy of a Democratic House and Senate even if the Executive branch was Republican.

I'm sorry Mr. Obama is having difficulty governing. He had no practical experience before coming to office and the voters, including myself, should have paid more attention to substance over style.

If the style, as indications show, becomes dictatorial, Mr. Obama will indeed be a one term President. Unfortunately, he won't have been a really good one.

There's Nothing Noble About The Nobel...

...if you've done nothing to earn it! It was a travesty when Al Gore won it in 2007 for espousing faulty science and a bad movie. Never mind it had nothing to do with "peace" except in the most abstract of terms.

Now Obama has won it on the come. Nominations closed February 2. He took his oath of office January 20. He got the award based on campaign rhetoric. The award has been diminished to the point of being meaningless no matter how hard the committee tries to justify it.

In response to the curiosity expressed by a friend in New Zealand, here's one American's take on the whole situation. I see Obama as a man with few convictions beyond raw ambition, a vision of the country that frightens most of us, a timetable meant to overwhelm opponents into paralysis, and a man unable or unwilling to make tough decisions.

I'm going to ignore everything the pundits are saying as to how this award will help or hinder his presidency. This is what I observe. If he's not out campaigning, he's dithering. He campaigns for a concept in health care reform that has the country up in arms and his own party at odds with themselves. He campaigns for a bill that has yet to be finalized, making promises that cannot be kept.

He has abrogated responsibility to Congress. This is not leadership. Pork abounds. Threats of veto's are non-existent.

He has Czars roaming the country dictating pay for executives while ignoring contract law. This isn't leadership, this is abrogating responsibility to unelected individuals who consider their dictates to be above the law.

He sits at the head of the table while his security advisers haggle over strategy for Afghanistan. Again, there is discord within his own party. Say what you will about Bush, he was able to make a decision. Obama agonizes while troops continue to die for a cause yet undefined. This is not leadership.

If he spent as much time with health care and insurance experts defining and redefining our health care needs as he is with his national security team, I might feel better. I fear though, the reason why he hasn't is because his expertise is in selling rather than formulation.

I listened to a pundit complain about his Sunday's spent on the golf course. What difference does it make? He's not governing. I wonder how long it takes him to play a round. There are decisions to be made. How long does it take for him to decide which club to use? Or is his caddy named Rahm? He'll call the shot.

There once was a time the Nobel Peace Prize was a coveted award based on extraordinary accomplishment. Those days appear to be gone forever. Like so much else this country used to hold dear.

Never again will I be swayed by rhetoric alone. Friends who questioned my passionate defense of Obama warned me. But like the country, we saw what we wanted to see rather than what really was.

I've learned and I fear the country has too. It's going to hurt.

Policy - Where's The Substance?

I'd like to think, above all, in his speech last night to Congress, President Obama was throwing down the gauntlet to Nancy Pelosi as well as chastising everyone else. The house bill is the only bill actually out there and what he described as what he expected, or assured, is far from H.R. 3200. For instance he assures us illegal aliens won't be covered, yet in H.R. 3200 they are.

Part of trying to do a great deal in a compressed time frame brings problems. Nothing really gets done, or if it does, it doesn't get done well. I won't rehash all the bailout deals, cash for clunkers, nor the stimulus program. All that has been speaking quite eloquently of their shortcomings for themselves.

I still have grave concerns about foreign policy. The Financial Times points out he has yet to take strong action on many of his campaign promises. The Afghanistan war is escalating and the death toll increases on a daily basis. More troops are to be requested for the "war of necessity". Yet, as is the case in Iraq, from where will they come? At one time Obama stressed that we must prevent al-Qaeda from regaining a stronghold yet recent press has us fighting the Taliban. They are not one and the same. Al-Qaeda is seeking safe haven, the Taliban seeks to run the country.

Secretary of Defense Gates states the US goal is to train Afghan security forces to take over and for us to recede to an advisory capacity. We see how well that's working in Iraq. Not so well.

Richard Holbrook, the President's special envoy to Afghanistan, says of U.S. "success", "We'll know it when we see it." Not exactly definitive!

In direct contrast to Gate's assessment, the U.S. has also dedicated itself to such goals as advancing women's rights, improving governance and cracking down on corruption and narcotics. Should this not be the roll of the U.S. Military, but rather the Afghan people themselves?

Pair that with an election fraught with fraud, it parallels the recent elections in Iran which returned a corrupt leader, and the powers behind him, to power. As for Iran, their nuclear ambitions are near fruition. What are we going to do?

Let's not forget Israel where Netenyahu has okayed new building in the West Bank in direct opposition to Obama's demands.

It's not looking good in the Middle East any more than it is on the health care front here at home. It is not only we citizens that are awaiting well grounded leadership rather than soaring rhetoric from the President. The whole world is waiting.

A President Is No Better Than His Advisors!

I'm beginning to wonder if it's pure arrogance or the epitome of naivete. We're seeing more and more of one, the other, or a combination of both.

First we witnessed a multitude of lapses in protocol that left many of us shaking our heads. Currently we're watching two pieces of additional evidence unfold. The first, and most serious, is Obama's utter silence on the happenings in Iran. As he spoke of not wanting to be seen as meddling they were accusing him of doing just that. If he and his advisers really believe his silence will encourage the Mullahs and Ahmejinedad to enter into meaningful dialog with us, I'd like to know their hallucinogen of choice! This on top of his "conciliatory" speech in Cairo enforces, to me, that they think he can be played. I'm beginning to consider that possibility.

On a less serious note, but equally as telling, are the jokes he told at the Radio and TV Correspondents' Dinner. It's one more indication to me that he is either tone deaf, he needs new writers and advisers other than campaign workers and Chicago style politicians or he is ill suited for the job.

Was it funny when he suggested Ambassador Holbrooke, who wanted Hillary's job, sprayed the floor with WD 40 to cause her fall and subsequent injury and that she was willing to "settle"? Was it funny when he alluded to being in "bed" with Brian Williams, that he was a sloppy guest and may have even clogged the toilet? Was it funny when he "complained" the dinner had interrupted one of his and Michelle's infamous "date" nights? That they had planned to go out for Thai - in Thailand?

Maybe I'm losing my sense of humor as I age, but I find none of these particularly side splitting. I would consider both Holbrooke and Hillary had been mildly insulted. The Brian Williams joke was tasteless. The auto makers were pilloried for going to Capitol Hill to testify, in their private jets, yet Obama and Michelle tool around the country for "date nights", with their entourage and fleet of vehicles, at our expense. Air Force One is not the Obama's private jet!

Those who are suggesting Mr. Obama spend less time in front of the cameras are giving good advice. He may continue making the same gaffes but at least they would be less obvious. But, alas, I don't see that Mr. Obama as one who is a seeker of wisdom. With the heavy handedness his administration is demonstrating, I fear he's believing his publicity by the media he is being accused of controlling.

He best remember the lessons being learned by Iran's governing body. Twitter can be a more powerful force for change than rhetoric.

A Step Too Far!

According to the International Herald Tribune the Obama administration is going to seek an increase in oversight of executive pay.

Whoa! This is taking the current populist stance way too far. I can understand strict oversight of the companies who have accepted bailout money willingly, but for those whom those monies were forced on or those not involved at all, this is intrusion we will come to regret.

I think what's happening here is the general public is seeing the multi million dollar figures without knowledge of how large corporations conduct their business nor how executive level employees across the board are compensated. The administration is fast approaching European socialism where governments intrude in all things corporate.

I've read hundreds of blogs parroting the outrage of the dollar amounts of the bonuses while the populist are losing their jobs and homes. How many companies other than AIG are handing out similar bonuses? A lot. Is the public equally outraged at this? Are they even aware of it? Has it finally hit home that both Geitner and the Fed were aware of the AIG bonus plan before and complicit with it before the money was distributed? Has it come across that Senator Dodd, who denied putting the clause in the stimulus package allowing the bonus to be paid, did in fact put it in? That he lied? And that Geitner did too by not coming forward with this information?

Let's see where the outrage is for a few other things like the multi million dollar contracts athletes get, not to mention signing bonuses for untried players. How about the cost to tax payers when they're held hostage by team owners who want a new stadium or arena and won't put up the money themselves but threaten to pull the team? Where's the outrage from the people who will never make that kind of money nor get those bonuses nor even attend a game. A game! I won't even get into the money Hollywood puts out for trash! Where's the outrage? All the while this is happening people are still losing their jobs and their homes.

At the moment everything bailout is in a state of chaos. It reminds me a bit of the French Revolution when Marie Antoinette was saying, "Let them eat cake" as the people were starving. The people rebelled and aristocratic heads rolled. A parallel exists here by looking at how the web that has been spun is beginning to strangle those who wove it. That's why I suggested in yesterday's post it's time for Obama to scale back his own big picture agenda and get a handle on what in the grand scheme of things should be a relatively minor blip. Or does he really want this "revolution" to continue fomenting?

Obama should take note of Georges Danton, a revolutionist himself who fell out with Robespierre. He's noted for saying, as he went to meet Madam Guillotine, "La revolution devore ses enfantes." The revolution eats it's own children. What did he do that was so egregious to the more extreme of his own kind? He was not a fanatic and was capable of moderation and genuine reason.

This is how I view Obama. However, if he doesn't start leading, the more extreme segments of his own party as well as we, his people may begin a revolution he'll not be able to contain. Maybe now is the time for some heads to roll!

Mr. President, You Belong In The Oval Office, Not On Leno

I didn't think anything could be worse in a President than the penchant for malapropisms that George W. Bush had. There is. An articulate President who has a penchant for putting his foot in his mouth time after time. I expect it of Joe Biden; he's known for it. I did not expect it of Obama. Perhaps if he spent more time in the oval office then on the campaign trail or doing fluff television they wouldn't be quite so evident.

Here's my problem. It's not so much he tries to make jokes that fall flat or that he needs his teleprompter to assure that he comes across as articulate rather than bumbling, it's that it's beginning to look like he's out of touch with the economic mess he's given over to his minions to solve.

Wanting to focus on his agenda is admirable and selling it to the people is important but until and unless the economic mess at least stabilizes all else is for naught.

So please, Mr. President, set aside your March Madness brackets and your warm and fuzzy interviews with Jay Leno and roll up your sleeves and keep tabs on the likes of Mr. Geitner and Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank, et al. They all need the strong hand of leadership. At present they are either in over their heads, pushing their own agendas or obfuscating their culpability as part of the problem.

Leaving the daily nitty gritty to your chief of staff does not serve you or the country well. While being willing to delegate is important, who you delegate to is equally so. Your chief of staff wasn't elected and is not President. You are. Isn't it time to stop campaigning and racking up photo ops and start functioning in that capacity?

While Congress Postures Hillary Earns Her Pay!

The Monday morning papers around here are usually light in weight and substance. I guess reporters don't work week ends on the assumption that news worthy events do not occur. Or else editors figure it's a time to get their money's worth from the wire services.

If that's the case today was their bonus. Oh, there was news all right. Hillary began her first official trip as Madam Secretary with a warning to North Korea that it needs to live up to its commitments to dismantle its nuclear programs. The Pakistani government, an ally of sorts, has cut a deal with the Taliban to allow them to impose Islamic law in the strategic Swat Valley. Think subjugation of women and school burning for starters.

The Venezuelans have over turned term limits which will allow the sane and beneficent Hugo Chavez to run for office for as long as he lives, effectively turning his tenure into a dictatorship. Oil, anyone?

The Iraqis admit there was fraud in their recent elections but not enough to be concerned about. And then there is Israel. Ah yes, the country we be beholden to forever. Our dear and staunch ally of allies! They've now seized 400 plus acres in the West Bank opening the door for more settlements. Despite their promise to the U.S. to refrain from doing so. Think peace gone down the tubes one more time.

I hope Hillary is as good as she thinks she is! Her hands will be full and her wits challenged.

Meanwhile our new President is having to travel the country to drum up support for his programs while the Republicans wave paper and belly ache about pork. For that I would applaud them if they had done something better during the time they had in the leadership. They didn't. Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid had better remember what happened to them for lack of performance. They were turned out. I feel like I'm on a see saw and can't get off.

One thing both sides need to remember. It took a world war to get us on the road to recovery after the last stifling depression. It seems like our enemies and allies alike know we're bickering within and are taking advantage of it. Is this the mind set? The stimulus to economies that wars bring? If that's the case forget about saving GM and Chrysler. It will be all desert camouflage Jeeps and Hummers.

Just don't bet this time around it will be contained on another continent. I personally don't want to ask, "Where have all the young men gone? Gone for soldiers, every one."

Quit Campaigning And Start Governing!

The Republicans warned us. The other Democratic candidates warned us. Obama has never run anything!

I chose to overlook the lack of experience, preferring to focus on the message. I was heartened when he surrounded himself with people of experience. Of course I made the same error in judgement with the Bush administration. Cheney. Rumsfeld. Men with vast experience in more than one administration. Look what that got us!

I never would have anticipated the problems Obama's choices have had in paying their taxes. All I had to do was look back at the Clinton administration where several of his nominees ran into the same road blocks. In my version of hope, I'd have thought the nominees would have learned! Oh well. I also remember that Clinton's entire eight years was a constant campaign for one thing or another.

I hope that isn't the model Obama intends to follow. Let's face it, the stimulus bill is a bad one. I'm disgusted that the Democrats and Republicans can't sit down together and work out what it's supposed to be. But then I'm giving them credit which is not due. We're asking politicians to make tough economic decisions. It's like asking Bacchus to analyze what's wrong with him and tell us how to fix it. It's that ludicrous.

I also fault Obama for not laying out guidelines in the first place rather than turning it over to Congress and saying "bring me a bill." That is not leadership. I also fault him for not going through it himself and striking the non-stimulus measures.

So tomorrow he's going to take his big plane and head out to see the people. I wish him well because support for this monstrosity is eroding and all the slick rhetoric in the world can't break it down into convincingly understandable parts. Because there are none. And Congress won't step up to the plate and do what's needed to be done. No matter what the Senate sends back to the house Nancy Pelosi will have her way with it.

As an aside, I worry when I learn former Marine General Anthony Zinni was offered the Ambassadorship to Iraq by both National Security Advisor James Jones and confirmed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, only to learn in an article in the Washington Post the position was given to an outgoing Assistant Secretary of State for Asia! What a way to find out you've been shafted! Just what's the story here??

This is not only a rocky start, but a near disastrous one. Will the ship of state right itself? Does it have a Captain? Maybe we should find Jack Sparrow. At least he has a compass!

Governing By "Photo Op"

Hub, being a Republican at heart, is not enthralled with the daily Obama photo op nor the media's obsession with him. Like myself, he recognizes the flaws in sound bites. The current one that has us both concerned is the capping of executive salaries at $500,000 if their company receives bailout money. If one understands the way the business community works, a cap this severe may make we ordinary folks feel good but does little else that's constructive.

I'll agree that multi million dollar bonuses should be curbed along with retirement packages that are worth more than most of us will see in a lifetime. However, we should also consider what will be lost.

The President's salary is $400,000 per year. Everything else, with the exception of clothing and tooth paste is paid for by the taxpayers. For instance, using Air Force One costs somewhere in the vicinity of $27,000 per hour. That alone would kick his salary in to the million dollar range in very short order.

I agree with the premise that executives should not be rewarded for failing. I also feel actors are over paid at $15,000,000 per film and athletes making millions of dollars for playing their games. We should perhaps be looking at their tax returns too!

As for executives of companies receiving bailout money, they might not be guilty of failing as much as being the result of others failing. Should they be so penalized?

Then too, back to the question of what else will be lost. Assuming there are good guys caught up in this and they pay their taxes, they are used to living on multi million dollar salaries. With that comes the probability of multiple households and all the help and upkeep that is needed to maintain them. Nannies, cooks, housekeepers, grounds keepers, etc. Those are people being employed by those millions of dollars. Do we want them added to the already burdened unemployment rolls?

Consider the homes themselves. Do we want the keys to them thrown back at the banks who already have more than they can handle?

There's a lot of trickle down here and a whole lot of big brotherism that needs to be fleshed out to make sense. Consider that former Treasury Secretary Paulson forced banks that did not want bailout money to take it anyway. There is a flurry of activity afoot for companies to find funding partners so they can give the bailout money back. Those partners will no doubt be foreign entities.

It isn't as cut and dried as the rhetoric makes it sound. The administration has already backed off the "buy American" mantra due to threatened repercussions from other countries.

Soaring rhetoric and indignation sounds wonderful but it needs substance behind it. So far the substance, let alone how to enforce the pronouncements, has been lacking.

As with his cabinet appointees, Obama might be wise and cut out the photo op of the day and give himself time to think things through. The constant reminder that "I won" won't get him far if we the people continue to lose.

Bailout - Dogwalk Style

I listened to the White House press briefing this morning and of course the majority of the questions surrounded the withdrawal of Tom Daschle and Nancy Kellifer, the Performance Officer nominee. Interesting point about Ms. Kellifer is that she once actually worked for the IRS!

Some of the questions revolved around the vetting process. The answer was always, "The President believes in the process." Then came praise for how these tax evaders have served their country so ably.

That being the case, I've got the solution. Greed has been discussed as part of the housing crisis. Lenders lending to those who couldn't afford the payback. Buyers buying above their means. Now think about this. Maybe it hasn't been your experience but any time Hub and I applied for a new mortgage or to re-finance one, we've had to submit our tax returns as proof of income. Of course in Daschle's case he'd have had to actually report the income on which he neglected to pay taxes.

The vetters should take a page from the mortgage application book and demand tax returns for all potential administration hires and appointees. This could deter future embarrassment assuming, unlike Daschle, actual income was reported.

Over and above that have each and every appointed official and elected member of Congress undergo an IRS audit. My guess is that would make raising taxes to help restock the treasury unnecessary. Just collect them!

I can remember when my Mom was audited after my dad died because of a discrepency. She had inherited some stock from her father back in the '50s but could not provide the cost basis to provide the value of the gains. We searched everywhere knowing my Dad was a meticulous record keeper but they were no where to be found. That exercise cost her somewhere around $8,000 she could ill afford. This was a 79 year old widow.

The point of the story is the Tax Man can dig, if so motivated, until it hurts. No documentation, pay up plus penalty. Maybe the Tax Men should remember they too pay taxes and in turn are contributing to all these bailouts brought about by greed. Not oversight. Greed.

What I'd now like to hear from our new President, one who I strongly supported, is that he withdrew the nominations. Not that he regrets them. What he should regret is not knowing in the first place, if he actually did not. I hope he gets it right before I start regretting my support.

How to Avoid Paying Taxes And Get A Pass

Get appointed to a high level Obama administration post! Okay. I'm now thoroughly disgusted. The media has lionized Obama. He promised us hope and change. What I hoped for was change! Instead it looks like the good old boy network of that private club called the U.S. Senate is alive and well. And boy, am I disappointed in Obama.

Last week on Chris Matthews, as I mentioned in a previous post, Bob Woodward let it be know that the tax issues concerning Obama appointees wasn't over. The week wasn't out before the next name came to the surface. Tom Daschle. Not only is he a former Senator, but was the majority leader and had served in the Senate for eons!

I'm sorry, but owing back taxes amounting to $128,000 is inexcusable. Geitner, as our new Treasury Secretary, was bad enough. Now Daschle. The Senate has given them both a gentleman's pass. Rather like the passing grades Bush got at Yale and Harvard! And don't tell me it was an "honest" mistake! Especially Daschle - he helped make the very laws he has chosen to scoff! Plus the fact, no matter how many "people" he has, he has to sign the return. Just like the rest of us.

I'm even more disappointed with the idea that Obama has allowed these passes to be given. Poor Bill Richardson must be scratching his head in wonder.

If Geitner and Daschle are the only men capable of handling the jobs to which they've been appointed, this country is in a far bigger mess than we realize. It also makes me wonder how many winks were exchanged in Hillary's confirmation regarding Bill's financial dealings for his Library and Foundation.

I'll give on one point - transparency. To a degree. It has been made public. No one on down the road can say "we had no idea". But in so knowing, that they they are still allowed to serve tells me "politics as usual" is flourishing in the Obama administration and I am extremely disappointed.

New Beginnings

It was a picture perfect winter morning as Bacchus and I started out on our walk. The sun was just coming out, highlighting the edges of the fog hovering over Hayden Lake. The breeze was just enough to stir the neighbor's flag and we knew the sky was going to be a brilliant winter blue.

It got me to thinking about how much we humans and Mother Nature reflect one another. We are both capable of creating breathtaking beauty. We are both capable of wrecking horrendous, ugly havoc. Today is on the side of beauty. As is the upcoming week.

A President will be leaving office, resolute in his beliefs that he did his best. He will begin a new life outside the microscopic scrutiny of the media and the public. I wish him well. What else can you wish a person most of us believe is delusional at best.

A new President is taking office. My nature would be to belly ache about some of his appointments and the cost to taxpayers of all the inauguration hoopla including yesterday's train ride. But not today. Not this week.

It's a time that should belong to the Obama's. And the country. Not the Democrats; the country. Putting aside his race, Barack Obama is an extraordinary young man. He has achieved the American dream and then some yet he is still a very human man. A husband. A father. This photo, to me, says it all.

It's a new beginning for the country. We have matured to where we've elected a man for his qualities without qualification. How wonderful is that? At times I wonder if we elected him more for the man he would seem to be than for his policies. Quite probably.

Next week the hype will begin to subside. The pundits will ratchet back up and start picking apart everything Obama. The realities happening around the world will again make the headlines. For now, though, it's a time for the celebration of new beginnings.

No matter what may lie ahead, I'm going to take the week and rejoice in the fact that this infant of a nation, which has been crawling for years, has taken a huge first step.

To Those Who Would Serve - Pony Up!

Have you noticed that Obama's dream team is turning out to be less than perfect? Supposedly his selections for the Cabinet are thoroughly vetted before being offered a position. The process needs some fine tuning!

First there was Bill Richardson falling by the wayside by being under a Federal investigation. There are questions regarding Attorney General select Eric Holder for his part in pardons during the Clinton administration and the question of National Security Director designate Admiral Dennis Blair's role in backing the Indonesian occupation of East Timor back in the '90s.

Today, according to an AP report, we have yet another. Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner is having to explain why he failed to pay personal taxes and check the immigration status of a housekeeper! At least with Hillary, I think, the questions are more about Bill's relationships and activities rather her own.

The vetting process aside, I'm wondering what it says about these men who have been chosen to serve! Richardson knew he was under investigation, Blair knew what his activities were in East Timor and certainly a potential Treasury Secretary, Geithner, would remember he had failed to pay his taxes! If he doesn't remember, being a money man, I don't want him managing mine!

Is the urge to be part of the power base so strong it precludes honesty? And if it does do we want these men serving? I understand the mandatory questionnaire one must fill out to even be considered to be considered for a post in the Obama administration is so stringent it's practically a "boxers or briefs" probe!

I can't help wondering who will be next, what little tidbit will be revealed and how it will be explained away. All these men are well aware of the promises Obama has made to the people about "change". At the moment it looks more like business as usual.

Any real change will begin as a crawl before it can walk. I know that. I'd like to think, however, those who are to be part of the process are as pure of heart and clean of scandal as those who actually do crawl.

It's time for the euphoria of the moment to subside and allow reality to surface. A new administration is nothing more than that, no matter that the first African American President is at the helm. We sorely need some smooth sailing even if the crew is imperfect. The American people have put their trust in all of them. Is integrity too much to ask for in return?

Silence Is Not Always Golden!

Okay, the Blagojevich mess in Illinois isn't what Obama and his transition team need at the moment. What puzzles me is why Obama doesn't speed things up by clarifying who has talked with the governor and why. How long does an internal investigation of his inner circle take? It isn't that large! If someone lied to Obama, even if it's his designated chief of staff, he ought to be out of there immediately if not sooner!

I would expect, if it wasn't Obama himself, the filling of his Senate seat would have been talked about in some sense without it having any degree of impropriety. After all, the Governor is the only one with the power to fill it. This parsing of words on Obama's part and the stone walling by Rahm Emanuel makes it look like business as usual rather than the "change" Obama has been espousing!

The stories are full of conflict. It is reported that Obama and Blagojevich didn't like each other. It's a different story with Rahm Emanuel. One story has it that he may have been the one who tipped authorities. Others place him in a far more compromising position.

When he skips a news conference and refuses reporter's questions because he's being a "father" attending a concert in which his daughters were performing, it smacks.

If he was the informant I should think he would be applauded. If he merely had a conversation about who the candidates might be, what harm is there in that? If he tried to influence the decision and was held up for it, that's a whole different ball game. That isn't just Chicago nor Illinois politics. That's politics as usual.

If there is indeed an attempt to cover up someones involvement, mark my words it will come out. If Obama is trying to sweep this under the rug it won't work. As it stands now, if it isn't fully resolved by January 20 he will take the oath of office under a cloud that may never lift.

Politics as usual. What a sacrifice of promise that would be. Especially since it can all be saved with a moment of truth.

Some Thoughts On Why McCain/Palin Lost

As gracious as McCain was in his concession speech, I was stunned to hear him say he didn't know what else the campaign could have done to win. He could have remained the John McCain of 2000 for starters.

I couldn't help wonder if it was an ill prepared statement, certainly not the speech he had hoped to give, or if he really is clueless. What really made this catch my attention was earlier in the evening, before any results were in and polls were still open, the McCain campaign released a series of robo calls, in Spanish, in southern Florida stating that Castro had endorsed Obama and all the insinuations that go with such a statement. A last minute burst of negativity.

Health issues and age aside, I was turned off when McCain, who had promised a clean and honorable campaign, delivered anything but. Obama too promised the same and kept his word for the most part. Negative campaigning works. That's why the more a campaign finds itself struggling, the more negative it gets. Perhaps it has now run its course. But I wonder if McCain and his campaign couldn't see that it wasn't working.

This morning I heard Sarah Palin stating that she didn't think she was of enough significance to have taken votes away from McCain. What the heck is that supposed to mean? She was his running mate! So of course she did unless you were one of the extreme right who found her enchanting. Her personal political emphasis paired with her own rock 'em, sock 'em style of negative campaigning most certainly did take votes away from McCain, just as her inexperience in matters beyond Alaska did.

It is all moot at this point and my thoughts are nothing more than conjecture. However, Obama won convincingly. It wasn't all for his stance on policy as much as it was his demeanor, his intellect and sincerity and his inordinate ability to inspire.

For those who may still be thinking he is too young and inexperienced to be able to govern effectively, just think about the staff he put together and the campaign they ran. Had Hillary done the same she might have prevailed. The same holds true for McCain. Neither maintained control of the campaigns that bore their names.

The emphasis shifts now. Obama told us last night the future will be a rough road for awhile and that we may not all agree with decisions he makes. That would be true of any newly elected President. The most important thing he said, to me, is that he will be honest with us.

That one thing can make the difference between change and business as usual.