An American Political Primer

If ever one needed a primer to explain how American politics works or doesn't, just reference the first three weeks of the Obama administration.

It reminds me of the M*A*S*H episode where Major Burns goads Klinger and Zale into a fight; they orchestrate the battle to do in Burns and together knock him cold with one well coordinated punch. That's what the Republicans and Democrats are doing to Obama. Forget about the country. It's partisan politics as usual.

I'm actually beginning to feel sorry for Obama. Softening partisan politics, no easy chore to begin with, is one thing, but his own people and party are letting him down. And I might add, us.

Pelosi, who acts like she runs the country, throws a hissy fit when Reid tries to roll her. The procedure for choosing cabinet members has been an absolute disaster. Now Republican Senator Gregg has withdrawn his name for Secretary of Commerce citing irresolvable conflicts regarding the stimulus package and the census.

He knew of these issues before his name was put forward. All his platitudes about the honor of being considered and his admiration for the President ring false. Why did he even entertain the idea?

Now that he will retain his Senate seat the stimulus bill will be in peril when it comes back to the Senate. Will Snow, Collins and Specter, the three Republicans who voted with the Democrats, do so again? My guess is their leadership is leaning on them pretty hard to change their votes.

Actually, this may be good for the country in the long run. Things seem to be muddling along. The DOW is inching upward ever so slightly, but upward never-the-less. Maybe businesses who deserve to fail should do so. Those who are strong will pick up the slack. Other than the nostalgia of seeing brand names go away, is there really a good reason to keep GM and Chrysler afloat? Remember Studebaker or Nash? I do. Do I miss them? No. Ten years down the road who will miss GM or Chrysler. There are already others out there ready to absorb the market share. But whatever. Perhaps the die is cast.

Once the stimulus issue is settled, the media should return to reporting on other pressing matters like the escalation of violence in Afghanistan and the elections in Israel and the upcoming one in Iran.

If Obama thinks getting the stimulus package is tough, he hasn't seen anything yet. Especially if Netanyahue gets the nod to form a government over Livini and even if he doesn't! What if Ahmajinidad prevails in Iran over challenger Khatami!

What will Congress be doing? Who knows. They could still be agonizing over what is and what is not stimulus. Or they could just be posturing. They do it so well.

Yep. Political theater with an adoring audience in the media. Thumbs up or thumbs down? Two years will tell the tale. The only bright spot is that when asked if he would run for office, Joe the Plumber answered that he isn't sure we deserve him. At least someone has gotten something right!

Huckabee - What A Stretch!

Wow. The ink isn't even dry on the stimulus compromise and the religious right is already up in arms!

Mike Huckabee has declared it "anti-religious". What?? It must have really hurt to have to take both the Democrats and Republicans to task for this offense. After all, it is a 'bi-partisan' bill. Well. Hardly. Three Republicans signing on hardly makes it 'bi-partisan'!

What, however, was so egregious it warranted this response? Both the House and the Senate version banned higher education funds from going to either a school or department of divinity. What's his rationale?

Actually the Congress got this right. It's what separation of church and state is all about. If included, how would you explain it to the tax payers? How would you explain to one religious persuasion that their tax dollars were being spent to support a religious persuasion to which they might be strongly opposed?

I'm not sure higher education funds fit the parameters of "stimulus, but if they do, the Huckabee wing of the Republican party needs to do better than this. It will, for sure, "stimulate"! It will "stimulate" strong opposition from those of us who actually understand and support the premise of separation of church and state!

Police Guild = Justice Denied

There are days when I just don't get it! You read time and time again about zero tolerance policies, especially in our schools. A little kid who may have a GI Joe with a gun tucked in the innards of his back pack is expelled. A disruptive eight year old is led off in handcuffs because a teacher felt threatened. By an eight year old girl!

Sex offenders have to register even if the crime was sex between a nineteen year old and his sixteen year old girl friend.

Appointees to high government positions pay their taxes only when the job may be at stake.

Now, the Spokane Police Department is back in the headlines. An officer gets reinstated with back pay after arbitration ruled firing was too stiff a penalty. For what? For driving his city assigned car after having been drinking and using his city issued cell phone to snap pictures of a bare breasted woman then having sex with her in her car.

According to arbitration, the penalty was too stiff. He deserved punishment but not dismissal.

Here's Dogwalk's take. There was no policy regarding cell phone pictures. Come on! It was city property. A Mayor was ousted for cruising gay web sites on a city computer!

He was nowhere near legally intoxicated. Just when was he tested? He's a police officer for crying out loud! What can I say?

Excited about his reinstatement he let it be known he didn't want to work anywhere else. Who can blame him? Spokane police, time and time again get a free pass! I give a thumbs up to Chief Kirkpatrick for firing him; a thumbs down for saying "That's our system of justice and I respect that." As for the officer, Spokane is welcome to him.

Unions. They protect athletes who cheat. They demand concessions that reduce companies to the verge of bankruptcy. Think baseball and the auto industry as examples. They protect police officers from punishment for behavior that would have landed the rest of us in jail.

Isn't it time we reassess the zero tolerance rules now on the books before somebody really gets hurt?

With $3.3 Billion in U.S. Aid Is This The Best Iraq Can Do?

I've spent several of my recent posts lambasting our government and those who run it. It has been an outlet for pent up (or maybe not so pent up) frustration. Then a story comes along that makes me repent, knowing full well this is the best country in the world. Especially for women.

The AP tells us that Iraq's state minister for women's affairs has resigned. Nawal al-Samarraie's task was to improve the lives of women left poor or abandoned by the war. Calling it a "full army of widows", al-Samarraie estimates the number at around three million. This does not include children for whom they are responsible.

Lasting only six months on the job, this gynecologist and mother of five, came into it full of ideas like setting up regional offices and vocational training. But her office and staff of 18 was not a full ministry and had little authority and fewer financial resources. Soon she found herself dipping into her own pocket to try and help.

Making up 65% of the population, many of the most desperate have been successfully recruited as suicide bombers. They have nothing more to lose.

If this doesn't drive home the point that many cultures consider women as nothing more than chattel I don't know what will. Iraq. Into which we are pouring billions of dollars of aid!

We have given Iraq $3.3 billion in aid. Al-Samarraie's budget was cut from $7,500 to $1,500 per month! To care for three million plus citizens of the newly democratic Iraq!

I had concerns about a female President being effective in such a climate. I also have the same concerns about a female Secretary of State. Protocol officers will make sure everything is according to Hoyle for the photo ops, but where it goes from there is any one's guess.

At this point in time, I wish everyone success. Our new President. Our new Secretary of State and those who would help their own like Dr. al-Samarraie. This is one reason why I get so frustrated with our own politicians who seem to have lost sight of country for special interests.

We don't have three plus million war widows - yet. We should not ignore the fact that there are other countries with which we are involved who do. When we are the ones who in large measure created the climate in which this can happen we need be aware there is no gender gap when it comes to bitterness and the corresponding desperate measures. When one has nothing more to lose.

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!