Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he wants new rules on the conduct of US troops, to further minimize civilian casualties, and is pursuing negotiations with the Taliban.
** QUICK HITS. Jerry Brown is another step closer to clearing the field for the Democratic nomination for governor of California. Infighting among high-priced consultants in the campaign of his distant remaining challenger, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, surfaced when Newsom lost his campaign manager today. (See item below, and future coverage.) Attorney General Brown, the former two-term governor and two-time runner-up for the Democratic presidential nomination, is far ahead on relevant measures. … The head of the Russian Orthodox Church arrived in Ukraine today on a 10-day trip. His visit follows last week’s trip by Vice President Joe Biden, and should further the influence of Russia in this former Soviet republic that has sought to join NATO. … The US today lifted its embargo on infotech and aerospace shipments to Syria. The move is designed to further the Mideast peace process and to further isolate Iran in the region.
** GAVIN NEWSOM LOSES HIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who has been trying to mount a longshot bid for the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, today lost his campaign manager. Eric Jaye ran both of Newsom’s mayoral campaigns. He was also behind Newsom’s decision to make himself the champion of same-sex marriage.
Newsom badly trails former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown, both politically and financially. He needs to seriously outspend Brown in order to have a chance at the nomination, but instead is far behind, with only enough to run for lieutenant governor or one of the other lesser statewide offices.
** AFGHANISTAN STRIKES TRUCE WITH THE TALIBAN IN A NORTHWESTERN PROVINCE. The Afghan government has concluded a truce agreement with the Taliban in Badghis, a remote province in the northwestern region of the country. There are to be no military attacks by either side and the August 20th presidential election is to be unmolested there. Some Taliban members will take part in the election.
This is one of the first concrete signs of progress in an ongoing effort to engage so-called moderate Taliban. Taliban elements, while some have been willing to talk, have previously insisted that there could be no truce until foreign troops leave the country.
** BILL SIMON JOINS MEG WHITMAN’S CAMPAIGN. 2002 California Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon, whose family has long been a stalwart behind national conservatives, today endorsed ex-eBay CEO Meg Whitman’s campaign for governor. He will serve as a state co-charirman and senior policy advisor.
“Meg Whitman’s success in business grew from her conservative fiscal principles and solutions-based leadership,” said Simon in a statement released by the Whitman campaign. “Meg believes lower taxes and smaller, more efficient and effective government will generate jobs and bring prosperity back to California.”
Whitman’s only previous involvement in public affairs came as national co-chair of the John McCain for President campaign and national finance co-chair of the Mitt Romney for President campaign.
Simon won the 2002 Republican nomination in an upset over moderate Republican former LA Mayor Dick Riordan, whose frontrunning candidacy was cut down by $10 million in negative TV ads from then Governor Gray Davis. After losing to Davis in a low turnout election marked by popular dissatisfaction with both campaigns, Simon tried again to run for governor in the 2003 recall election. But, overwhelmed by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s candidacy, he quickly withdrew.
The Simon family has played a big role in financing the conservative movement nationally, with Simon’s late father, former Treasury Secretary William Simon, providing major capital for a string of think tanks and advocacy projects.
President Barack Obama, addressing a two-day US-China “dialogue” in Washington, said that relations between the two countries are “as important as any bilateral relationship in the world.”
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … IS OBAMA GETTING OVEREXPOSED?
MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK
Another busy week in presidential politics, and a rather slow week in California politics.
President Barack Obama continues his focus on universal health care legislation, with additional focuses on China and Israel.
He is continuing his focus of the past few weeks on universal health care, which has run into some turbulence. Not surprising, as it was President Teddy Roosevelt who called for universal health over 100 years ago and it has yet to be achieved.
Obama will travel to two states this week promoting health care reform and host a virtual town hall.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has the votes to pass health care in the House. Of course, if she had them in hand for a bill in actuality, she would probably call the vote.
There is still major wrangling underway regarding the shape of the bill between liberal and moderate Democrats, with LA Congressman Henry Waxman’s Energy and Commerce Committee the center of contention. Negotiations have waxed and waned, but are apparently on again. A bill has already cleared the House Ways & Means Committee, once the key committee in the House.
The House Democratic Caucus will meet this afternoon in search of consensus on health care.
In the Senate, the Finance Committee is the center of contention. That’s why Obama summoned Senate Majority Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus of Montana to the Oval Office during the week.
There’s still a decent chance that the House will pass universal health care legislation before the August recess. Though Pelosi may delay the recess for her members until they pass the bill.
There is no chance that the Senate will pass a bill before going on recess, though the White House has hopes that the Senate Finance Committee will.
Vice President Joe Biden begins the week with a lower profile following his whirlwind tour last week of Ukraine and Georgia, where he reassured the two US allies and former Soviet republics on the border of Russia about US intentions toward them while pursuing a closer relationship with Russia. Without committing to any new program of military support, which Georgia in particular sought after its military was smashed in last summer’s brief war with Russia.
But he’s pushing behind the scenes on health care, and deeply involved in emerging moves on Israel.
A string of high-level American envoys is in the midst of meetings in Israel. First was Middle East special envoy George Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader. Today it’s Defense Secretary Bob Gates, the former CIA director. Later in the week it’s National Security Advisor Jim Jones, the former Marine Corps commandant and NATO commander. Then special advisor Dennis Ross, the former Mideast negotiator.
They’re working on some difficulties with Israel around settlements in the West Bank by fundamentalist religionists and continuing talk of a potential Israeli strike against Iran. All of it shrouded in some mystery.
The director of Mossad said last month that Iran is several years away from a nuclear weapon. Iran says it’s not developing a nuclear weapon. In any event, it’s a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty. And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while calling for diplomatic engagement with Iran, caused some confusion in the past week by talking of a US nuclear umbrella over the Middle East, which she walked back.
For his part, Gates said today that Iran has until the end of September to show progress with diplomatic engagement. This Obama policy has been complicated by Iran’s election and the predictable suppression of demonstrations there.
With regard to China, this week’s joint dialogue in Washington is the first of what are now planned to be twice yearly affairs.
The next one will be in Beijing, in November. And Obama will atttend that, giving Beijing a major summit just as Moscow had one earlier this month.
America and China are the top two economies in the world, and share a unique symbiotic relationship. America is China’s biggest market. China is America’s biggest creditor.
China is a rising military power, and has begun to bump up against the US in the Pacific. But America is a superpower, with capabilities far beyond those of the Chinese.
With a mutual need for coperation and plenty of room for conflict, it’s a relationship in need of serious management.
Meanwhile, in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger continues dealing with the state’s chronic-turned-chaotic budget crisis.
The situation is better, following the latest passage of the latest version of the budget. But unless revenues improve — and they have been nose-diving of late, even with signs of stabilization in the global economic crisis and some signs of recovery in California — the budget will have to be adjusted again later this year.
The budget crisis shows the essentially static nature of California politics.
The budget finally adopted last Friday by the Legislature is essentially the budget that I expected on May 19th, when the special election initiatives went down, putting a big hole in the budget adopted in February. Big program cuts, no taxes, takings from local government, and some continuing financial sleight-of-hand.
It was all very predictable. Yet Democrats postured about taxes they should have known they couldn’t get, due to the state’s constitutional and political realities. And Republicans offered little more than the rhetoric of “No.” Most every one followed cues from their political financiers and ideological taskmasters.
It was all quite boring and predictable.
And now Schwarzenegger gets to cut another $1.1 billion from this version of the budget, as the Assembly put a hole in the budget agreed on by the governor and legislative leaders and passed by the Senate. That $1.1 billion amounts to $1 billion in local gas tax revenue and $100 million from an offshore oil drilling project.
Though the defeat of the latter is counted as victory by many Dems, it’s a bit of a throwaway. It was fairly obvious that something worth “only” $100 million (a year) could be sacrificed to make liberals feel better about all the big cuts they’ve had to accept.
Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee who resigned yesterday as Alaska’s governor little more than halfway through her only term, criticized big government, journalists, and bloggers but offered no specifics on her future plans.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama has a busy day, continuing the focus on health care but also focusing heavily on China.
Obama kicked off the first of what are to be twice yearly US-China strategic dialogues early this morning with opening remarks at the Ronald Building and International Trade Center in Washington.
This is a two-day conference between high-level US and Chinese officials led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner on the American side and Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councillor Dai Bingguo on the Chinese side.
The US and China are by far the two leading economies in the world and share a symbiotic relationship. America is China’s biggest market and China is America’s biggest creditor.
Obama has also received his daily intelligence and economic briefings and met with senior advisors in the White House.
At 11 AM Pacific, Obama meets with FIFA President Joseph Blatter in the Oval Office. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is the world soccer association. FIFA wants Obama to attend the World Cup next year and Obama wants the World Cup to come to America.
At 11:45 AM Pacific, Obama welcomes the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) Champion Detroit Shock to the White House.
At 4 PM Pacific, Obama and and First Lady Michelle Obama host a reception for ambassadors in the Grand Foyer.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has no scheduled public events today.
He will hold private meetings in and around the Capitol, focusing on California’s chronic-turned-chaotic budget crisis.
That crisis abated, for now, at the end of last week when the Legislature finally adopted a revised version of the budget. The Legislature is now in recess.
But the version adopted by the state Assembly put a $1.1 billion hole in the plan negotiated by Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders and passed by the Senate. So Schwarzenegger is marking up the document with his “blue pen” for a series of large line-item vetoes.
Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the budget next Tuesday.
Needless to say, California’s chronic-turned-chaotic budget crisis isn’t over. But the state will be able to stop issuing IOUs.
Though not yet. The state Treasurer’s office needs to assess the budget and financial markets to determine when and how the state can gain the customary bridge financing of summer months.
** ANOTHER ‘60S ANNIVERSARY: THE UR-ACTION BLOCKBUSTER GOLDFINGER. We have two iconic ’60s anniversaries this week. Ironically, it’s the least known by far of the two that continues to resonate most in the culture. On July 20th, 1969, a human being first walked on the Moon. On July 21st, 1964, Goldfinger wrapped principal photography.
We haven’t gone to the Moon for 37 years, nor can we go to Mars, as the Apollo 11 astronauts are urging, anytime soon, but we sure go to blockbuster action movies. And Goldfinger is the ur-action blockbuster. … From my new essay.
** WHY THE BIG FADE FOR BRUNO? Bruno, the follow-up to ace comedy star Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2006 smash hit Borat, is one of the most hyped movies of the year. It’s gotten so much publicity it feels like it’s about to come out on DVD. But after a fast start on Friday, July 10th, the mockumentary about a gay Austrian fashionista has been fading badly ever since. This past weekend, it’s down 73% from the opening weekend.
Why the big fade? It’s actually not much of a mystery.
Once you see the movie, the only mystery is why it wasn’t predicted in the first place. … From my July 19th column.
** HILLARY’S BACK! (OR NOT). Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s ballyhooed address Wednesday to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington fell decidedly flat. For a few fairly obvious reasons.
First, President Barack Obama, like a number of other presidents before him, starting with Thomas Jefferson, is his own secretary of state. Second, Obama has already laid out America’s new geopolitics, in a series of major addresses in Prague, Cairo, Moscow, and Accra, Ghana, as well as in announcements here in the US on new policies with regard to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Thus making Clinton’s speech an exercise in echo. Third, Obama has other very powerful geopolitical counselors, including Vice President Joe Biden (whom a mutual friend told me when he was tapped for the ticket really wanted to be secretary of state), a coterie of special envoys reporting to the White House, and National Security Advisor Jim Jones, the former NATO commander and Marine Corps commandant.
And fourth, Clinton has been neatly mouse-trapped by Obama. She and her husband have been moved off the political gameboard by Team Obama. As I expected when I wrote about her appointment here on the Huffington Post when it was rumored last November. … From my July 15th column.
** DIMINISHING RETURNS FOR OBAMA’S SUMMITEERING? President Barack Obama returned early Sunday morning from a near week-long international tour that took him to a key summit in Moscow, a G-8 summit, and his first appearance in Africa as president. But some suggested, with his poll numbers down a bit and media attention mostly elsewhere, that his summiteering is having diminishing returns.
Perhaps. But I think it has at least as much to do with the media culture.
American media, especially cable TV news, is moving more into infotainment mode, stuck on a few areas. Geopolitics has never been its strong suit, and political coverage is mostly focused on food fights. Which was unfortunate, as following on to his addresses in Prague and Cairo, Obama gave the final two of his advertised four major speeches on his new geopolitics last week, in Moscow and in Accra, Ghana. … From my July 12th column.
** OBAMA DOES MOSCOW, AND VICE VERSA. … From my July 8th column.
** OBAMA’S CONSEQUENTIAL FIRST 4TH: NOKO, AFPAK, IRAQ, RUSSIA, PALIN (PALIN?!) … From my July 4th column.
** THE GOP’S PALIN FOOD FIGHT: WHY NOW? … From my July 2nd column.
** TRANSFORMATIVE: LE CINEMA DE MICHAEL BAY. … From my June 29th essay.
** STAR TREK FIRSTS … 43 YEARS ON. … From my June 23rd essay.
** OBAMA AND THE AYATOLLAH. . … From my June 19th column.
** OBAMA: RIDING WITH HISTORY. (NOTE: As Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, this column was the featured column on the top of the front page of the Huffington Post.) … From my January 19th 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.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in two wars in the region, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. Based in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, Al Jazeera is very influential and more than a bit controversial. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer. The NWN live link to AJ 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 last fall, prior to the global economic meltdown, 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.
You can listen to my recent video webchat with Schwarzenegger here.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND NATIONAL ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Having crashed over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, 2008, crude oil is trading around $68 per barrel.
This is up $34 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum.
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Do you think Grey’s Anatomy is the best tv show? For me yes