Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is on the international scene
again this week, on a three-day trip to Canada where he’ll sign
greenhouse accords with two provinces and promote trade.
** AL QAEDA’S AMERICAN PRISONERS STILL NOT LOCATED. An 18th day of searching by thousands of US troops south of Baghdad for the two remaining American soldiers captured in an ambush by Al Qaeda has ended. The prisoners have still not been located.
** KYRGYZSTAN PRIME MINISTER POISONED IN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT. The prime minister of this impoverished, mountainous Central Asian state, a former Soviet republic that is now site of America’s only remaining base in Central Asia, was poisoned earlier this month in an assassination attempt. This is another big problem area for the US. The politics are tumultuous. The parliament’s defense committee voted to expel the US from its base at Manas Airport outside the capital city of Bishkek, formerly Frunze in the Soviet era. The prime minister and president disagree. I’ll have a fuller report another time.
I remember hearing Obama had been selected and wondering, who on earth is that guy? The choice was John Kerry’s. Ultimately. Kerry himself, impressed by Obama during an April 2004 campaign swing, had put his name in the hopper, along with several others. Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill made the fateful pick, and Kerry agreed.
** VILLARAIGOSA WILL ENDORSE CLINTON. NWN has learned that the “major announcement” tomorrow at UCLA will be the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Senator Hillary Clinton for president. It’s not a big surprise, in that Villaraigosa’s close ally, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, is national co-chairman for Clinton and his former campaign manager, Ace Smith, is Clinton’s California director. Both were previously revealed here.
** HILLARY TO NEVADA. Senator Hillary Clinton campaigns in Nevada tomorrow, meeting with the culinary workers in Las Vegas before holding a noon town hall meeting in North Las Vegas. Her town hall in Reno a few weeks ago drew a whopping 3500 people. Clinton leads in the polls in Nevada, the second-in-the-nation contest in the Democratic presidential race.
** HILLARY, OBAMA, AND EDWARDS TO CALIFORNIA. The top three Democratic presidential candidates all make it to California this week. Hillary Clinton arrives tomorrow in LA, swinging over from Vegas. She’ll go to UCLA for a “major announcement.” One clue is that the event is at a preschool. On Thursday, she’ll give a speech in Silicon Valley. In between, she’ll do some fundraising.
As will John Edwards, who arrives later in the week. He actually has a $15 per person fundraiser on Thursday in San Jose, a week for the grassroots to get some personal access to him.
Barack Obama will be in California over the weekend for fundraising, and something else TBA.
** IS IMMIGRATION HURTING MCCAIN? Longtime NWN readers know I have a problem with robopolls. That said, it is interesting that the new Rasmussen poll shows Mitt Romney now shading John McCain for second place nationally in the Republican presidential race. A week ago, he was six points behind. What’s happened in the last week? Lots of talk about immigration policy. Rudy Giuliani, also a past advocate of illegal immigratn rights, has adopted a lower profile and somewhat more negative view of the current legislation. But McCain’s name is on that legislation.
** ON THE ROAD AGAIN. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is on the road again this week, this time spending three days in Canada. There he will sign memorandums of understanding with the premiers of two Canadian provinces — British Columbia, which I’ve already reported on, and Ontario — to share information on climate change, begin to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, promote renewable energy, and begin to develop a cap & trade carbon market. (The last point is controversial with some, advocates of hard-and-fast regulation who want hardline regulation to happen first, and apparently think the law California passed last year is less vague than it is.)
Schwarzenegger and his band of 52 business folks along for the trip will also promote California products and services. The trip is being paid for by the California protocol fund, i.e., through a Chamber of Commerce-associated entity using undisclosed private contributions. This is controversial as well, as well it should be.
The practice of private finance of public trips began with Governor Pete Wilson’s administration in the early ’90s. I wrote about it then to expose it, and the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission took up the issue. But Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters defended the practice, and then Controller Gray Davis’s appointee went missing when a vote was taken, and that was that.
Meanwhile, legislative leaders continue to haggle over and hassle with each other over term limits and redistricting reform. As I’ve said before, nothing will be settled on that front absent Schwarzenegger and the top leaders getting together. And that won’t happen for awhile.
** OBAMA OFFERS UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PLAN. Senator Barack Obama will unveil his universal health care plan today in a speech in Iowa. He says it will end up costing the average consumer $2500 a year less, and will be financed through an employer mandate and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.
** AL QAEDA’S AMERICAN PRISONERS STILL NOT LOCATED. Thousands of American troops are now in the midst of an 18th day of searching for the remaining two US soldiers captured by Al Qaeda in an ambush south of Baghdad. They have had no luck so far. But the activity may be preventing Al Qaeda from having the time and space to film the captives in a propaganda bonanza.
** Track global and national energy prices in near real time via Bloomberg. Crude oil prices are around $64 per barrel.
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| Comments (73) |
Don’t be so sure. With its Soviet era overseer and first president, Askar Akayev, now a math professor in Moscow, Kyrgyz politics are very complicated.
>Brasky :
“KYRGYZSTAN PRIME MINISTER POISONED IN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT. ”
It’s like some twisted game of Clue — anytime you say “I suggest it was the Former KGB Agent, in the Library, with Poison,” you would be right.
May 29, 2007 05:33 PM
Kid – putting together a 50/50 new tax/budget cut plan to span $5 billion could be done by you and I on the back of a ceral box.
Passing it will never, ever happen.
But keep tryin’ Kid!
The bill that has been indentifed as this year’s budget bill, SB 77, is heading to conference committee as today the Senate failed to concur in Assembly amendments.
Over two weeks from the deadline and they have a bill in conference. Am I getting forgetful in my old age or is this early?
Yes,I know, it’s still a long way to the finish line. Big Five has to meet and all that stuff, but this isn’t the worse sign I’ve ever seen.
On KYRGYZSTAN US Base
i don’t think they will close it in the end…it would not be a good sign after Uzbekistan actions…we have to pay attention to these countries …in any event, between the shooting and all the protests that are going on over constitution, economy, elections, etc..and the block in parliament that does want it closed …I think we will be paying a higher rent …much higher …than last year …if we aren’t already…we should pay it …whatever the price…
Well Russia is flexing its muscles and letting its neighbors know that if they want gas or petrol they better play ball with Moscow. I’ve seen the reports and Putin’s new nationalism is incredibly popular at home. So Krygyzstan may be forced into closing those bases as the old empire strikes back.
Barbara,
Re: “GO WESTLY”
You are the smartest woman in the universe. I can’t wait for the next gubernatorial elections. I hope Westly throws his hat in the race.
Westly was the best pick last year for the Democrats, that’s for sure.
How do you keep track of all that stuff in Central Asia? I’d never heard of Krygystan before this year.
It’s not second nature.
Westly would have lost to Schwarzenegger, too. It wouldn’t have been as ridiculous.
Yeah, I think in some ways Angelides may have saved Westly some trouble — people seem to have trouble, these days, with the idea of re-nominating a candidate who lost a general election. Whereas, a candidate who lost a primary to a candidate who went on to lose, may get a second look. (How many Dem voters do you think feel “buyer’s remorse” about Kerry? If it weren’t for the extraordinary strength of the other frontrunners, Edwards would be getting a huge boost from that, I think…)
Edwards might be the most complete candidate in either party, but we may never know that. Running third, he has to move more on a tangent than I think advisable for a general election just to gain and maintain traction, and he still may fall short of real contention for the nomination.
… Although, actually, a friend of mine went to school in Kyrgyzstan.
Something which was not immediately apparent.
>Jonas Blane :
How do you keep track of all that stuff in Central Asia? I’d never heard of Krygystan before this year.
May 30, 2007 06:25 AM
Bill Bradley :
It’s not second nature.
May 30, 2007 08:37 AM
I love Central Asia. I am drawn to countries and lands that are or were inhabited by nomads on horesback…I met a man once in Uzbekistan that told me he was related to Genghis Khan…
Brasky – don’t be so sure. Sometimes, it’s in the Conservatory.
IMO the most painless way to raise significant revenue would be to make some portion of punitive damages payable to the state rather than the plaintiff. Realistically, you could add close to a half a billion a year from that. SB 1102 of 2004 established such a law, but it sunsetted in 2006, and SB 832 to reinstate it was vetoed in 2006 (the veto message complained about the bill being a gut-and-amend without hearings).
For tax increases, there is a sales tax exemption for in-state transactions involving sellers who sell only on the internet that could be done away with – it’s not clear how much money is at stake, but in this case it’s also less fair to have the exemption (why should one ebay or website dealer of collectibles be sales tax exempt and another have to charge sales tax to in-state buyers because the second dealer sets up a booth at an antique fair once a year?).
I know a woman descended from Genghis Khan. Hold the phones!
“I met a man once in Uzbekistan that told me he was related to Genghis Khan…”
Well I only traveled around Central Asis with my Israeli boyfriend…when I told him what the guy said …he said …”Oh they all say that!” But then because he knew the guy that said it…he also added …something like …now in his case …it might really be true!…
We’re probably all descended from Genghis Khan, if he had any kids at all.
Nooooooo!….he had a dynasty ! Kublai Khan was his grandson… I love Genghis …he does not get a fair shake by most historians…and this guy may have his bood running thru him. perchance we met up in NY last Thanksgiving time….when I saw who he had become …the boast did not seem so farfetched…
Excuse me, Barbara. Genghis Khan doesn’t get a fair shake?
This is now focusing in for me, it’s the episode from the original Star Trek series, entitled “Space Seed.”
The Enterprise has discovered a ship that is a few hundred years old, containing dozens of extraordinarily fit young men and women, including one Khan Noonien Singh …
Timur Kurkhan doesn’t get a fair shake.
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