Does a movie about the plot to kill Hitler sound like a big holiday hit? We’ll see with Valkyrie.
** OBAMA TODAY – SUNDAY. President-elect Barack Obama and his family continue their holiday vacation in Hawaii. Obama is receiving daily intelligence/national security briefings and planning his presidency.
This is a quiet day in American politics. And global crises are aiding in the quiet, although the Mumbai crisis is on a knife’s edge and Israel is continuing its attack in the Gaza Strip, from which Hamas has launched repeated rocket attacks in recent days.
** OBAMA TODAY – SATURDAY. President-elect Barack Obama and his family mostly slept through a major power outage last night during a big thunderstorm on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, where Obama was born.
Obama has daily intelligence/national security briefings. Two items undoubtedly high up on today’s agenda: The tense Mumbai crisis. And the growing tit-for-tat attacks between Palestinians and Israelis. Yesterday saw one of the largest losses of life in decades. Terrorists in the Gaza Strip have been launching rocket attacks against Israel. The Israelis retaliated yesterday with air strikes against Hamas targets, killing nearly 200.
Pakistan today tried to downplay tensions with India in the wake of last month’s Mumbai massacre. But yesterday, thousands of Pakistani troops began moving from the country’s border with Afghanistan – where they play a key ostensible role in the struggle to tamp down a resurgent Al Qaeda and the Taliban – to the border with India. This move comes in the wake of India repeatedly probing Pakistani air defenses with sorties across the border and moving special ops troops up to the border.
It may be that Pakistan is moving the troops away from the struggle with Islamists as a way to get the US to pressure India to back down on its demands that all the links with the Mumbai terrorist siege inside Pakistan be pursued fully.
So Obama has more on his mind today than post-Christmas shopping and seeing the sights in one of the world’s most beautiful places.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, vacationing with his family in Sun Valley, has been negotiating via videophone with state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass about the state’s deepening, chronic budget crisis. They’re said to be getting close to an agreement.
Of course, we’ve heard this all sort of thing before. One of the staples of coverage of California’s chronic budget crisis is breathless talk of a solution being almost at hand. With lots of utterly disposable details. Let’s see what we think on Monday.
Incidentally, California’s not the only state in big trouble in the midst of the sharp economic downturn accelerated by the near-cratering of Wall Street. Ohio and other states and localities are asking for many billions in federal bail-outs.
** EMERALD BOWL: CAL VS. MIAMI. The Golden Bears of the University of California take on the Miami Hurricanes Saturday evening in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. Cal, with its powerful ground game, led by sophomore speed merchant Jahvid Best, and strong defense, should be able to handle the fabled Miami program, a bit down on its luck these days. A Cal win will put them back in the national rankings and position the team for yet another run at dynasty USC for West Coast supremacy.
Caroline Kennedy, seeking appointment to the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Secretary of State-designee Hillary Clinton, spoke Friday with the Associated Press.
** OBAMA FLOATS THROUGH TEAPOT TEMPESTS. With the fastest Cabinet appointments in 40 years completed, Barack Obama is off to a working vacation in his native Hawaii. It increasingly looks like he’s rolled through two teapot tempests. One in which the far right flipped out, and another in which some on the left, frustrated at an avoidable defeat on same-sex marriage, forgot about the center part of center/left.
The far right flipping out about Obama is nothing new. Nor, I suppose, is a lot of the media going along for the ride. The media loves controversy, deep or otherwise. It’s easier than contemplating pressing issues. … From my Monday column.
** CALIFORNIA CRACKING. From my December 10th column.
** 12 KEY THINGS ABOUT THE MUMBAI CRISIS. From my December 5th column.
** OBAMA’S NEW POWER TROIKA FACES CRISES OLD AND NEW. From my December 3rd column.
** HAPPY THANKSGIVING, MR. PRESIDENT-ELECT! While Barack Obama promised “a new and brighter day yet to come” in his Thanksgiving address, an old and darker day yet to leave reminds that events — and perhaps political fate itself — can turn on a dime in presidential politics. …
For a political operation that prefers to focus on its preferences, it’s a sharp reminder to Team Obama that the presidency can be every bit as reactive as it is proactive. … From my November 28th Huffington Post column.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the new Russia Today channel. You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti.
While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, which I know as a former DemRussia advisor, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. With U.S. cable news chattering away as it does, this sort of respite can be informative. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** SCHWARZENEGGER’S CALIFORNIA. Here is my series of five columns on the governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Los Angeles Times in debate with Pulitzer Prize-winning former Times reporter/editor Bill Boyarsky, whose columns are also included.
Among them is what I’m sure is the first piece examining Schwarzenegger’s legacy as governor of California. Since he will actually be governor of California until 2011. No technology known to be disruptive to the space/time continuum was used in its preparation.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND NATIONAL ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. After crashing over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, crude oil closed on Friday at $37.71 per barrel. Energy markets are closed on the weekend.
The drop of $110 per barrel since the record high over the summer comes on acknowledgment that the weak US economy will cut future demand and on the easing of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. It is clear that that, contrary to much chatter, neither the US nor Israel is about to launch a strike against Iran. And the Russian war with Georgia, confounding much speculation and reporting to the contrary, actually decreased the geopolitical risk premium in the oil market.
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| Comments (29) |
“Valkyrie” looks great, with Tom Cruise, even.
Caroline Kennedy sounds pretty good.
I like Caroline Kennedy but I’m not sure she has the chops to be a Senator.
All those swastikas make a startling image at the top of NWN, bill.
I have to admit the trailer looks good.
Do you ever get tired of thinking about crises?
Lights out on Oahu. Oh, well. Into each life a little rain must fall.
Indeed.
Yes and yes.
># Capitol Boy Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 10:12 am edit
I have to admit the trailer looks good.
Do you ever get tired of thinking about crises?
They do, don’t they?
># Capitol Boy Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 10:01 am edit
All those swastikas make a startling image at the top of NWN, bill.
I suspect she does.
># Capitol Boy Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 10:00 am edit
I like Caroline Kennedy but I’m not sure she has the chops to be a Senator.
It may be. Next on the list …
># Jonas Blane Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 9:52 am edit
“Valkyrie” looks great, with Tom Cruise, even.
I bet the right-wing is going nuts over how well received Barack Obama is as the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
GO CAL!!!!
Christ, this CRANK. Dump him.
Jahvid the JET.
Go Cal!
Speaking of the crank Triathlon …
He’s an idiot.
Can’t read.
Can’t count.
Doesn’t get it.
Quite.
># Jack Aubrey Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 4:53 pm edit
I bet the right-wing is going nuts over how well received Barack Obama is as the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Tedford letting Longshore play qb has let Miami right back into the game. Unbelievable.
But Best is the Best, so that’s that. 187 yards rushing, Emerald Bowl MVP. He’s going to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate next year.
CB,
One of the best bowl games this season. The lad is a true star…next year could prove quite interesting.
New video today?
I don’t think so.
That was a terrific game, and went as I thought.
># Sacramento Solon Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 8:58 pm edit
CB,
One of the best bowl games this season. The lad is a true star…next year could prove quite interesting.
That guy is great. You know he was All-Pac 10 last year as a freshman, as the special teams player. He’s not just a track guy, he’s a real football player.
># Capitol Boy Says:
December 27th, 2008 at 8:57 pm edit
But Best is the Best, so that’s that. 187 yards rushing, Emerald Bowl MVP. He’s going to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate next year.
It seems unlikely that beating the 2008 Miami team by one late touchdown will get Cal back into the rankings, but one can hope. It would be nice to see.
I would be happy to see Senator Caroline Kennedy.
What new video today?
Gaza.
Cal was just outside the national rankings before winning the Emerald Bowl.
># larry Says:
December 28th, 2008 at 1:50 pm edit
It seems unlikely that beating the 2008 Miami team by one late touchdown will get Cal back into the rankings, but one can hope. It would be nice to see.