With the Obama Administration criticized for not going after Wall Street malfeasance, Attorney General Eric Holder and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner today announced the creation of a joint task force to combat financial crimes.
** QUICK HITS. President Barack Obama’s trip to Asia continues. … At 8 PM Pacific, Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao hold a bilateral meeting. … At 8:45 PM Pacific, Obama and Premier Wen Jiabao hold a working lunch. … I know, absent President Hu, no more Doctor Who humor. Oh, well. … At 10:30 PM Pacific, Obama tours the Great Wall of China. … At 1:10 AM Pacific, Obama departs Beijing on Air Force One en route to Seoul, South Korea. … At 2:45 AM Pacific, Obama arrives in Seoul and participates in a welcome ceremony. … Before he leaves China, Obama does a round of network TV interviews. … More confusion from Iran regarding its nuclear program. Now President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is saying he favors the deal Iran negotiated in Vienna last month, to transfer nuclear fuel to Russia and France for enrichment. But has to deal with extremists in Tehran. Er, isn’t he the big extremist?
** MCCAIN DENIES PALIN CHARGE. Senator John McCain is asking his presidential campaign advisors to avoid engaging Sarah Palin in the latest set of controversies.
Which I may not have helped with.
But now McCain himself is getting into it with Palin, denying her claim that the campaign charged her $50,000 for her vetting as a vice presidential candidate.
McCain said the bill was for legal work related to allegations that Palin made improper use of her influence as Alaska’s governor to press for the dismissal of a state trooper named Mike Wooten. Wooten was embroiled in a custody dispute with Palin’s younger sister, Molly McCann.
“That was addressed by Trevor Potter,” said McCain, “That was over the troopergate.”
In a statement to the Associated Press, Potter, McCain’s general counsel, denied that McCain’s campaign billed Palin for vetting her.
“To my knowledge, the campaign never billed Gov. Palin for any legal expenses related to her vetting and I am not aware of her ever asking the campaign to pay legal expenses that her own lawyers incurred for the vetting process,” he said.
** THE INEVITABLE FLUKE THAT IS SARAH PALIN. Five minutes into yesterday’s Oprah extravaganza with Sarah Palin, I messaged Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s presidential campaign manager: “So how did you know Bristol was pregnant before it was announced?”
His immediate reply: “I didn’t, untrue.”
Palin had just said that Schmidt, the evident villain of her new book, “Going Rogue,” and other top McCain advisors had already known that her teenage daughter was pregnant with an illegitimate child and had marching orders for her even before she was picked as McCain’s shock vice presidential nominee.
Palin continued in a similar vein throughout her ballyhooed Oprah interview, constantly hitting the girrrl power/female victim tropes of daytime TV, casting herself as an individual struggling against male control. Except, of course, for “God and Todd.” It’s all a tissue of nonsense when you think about it, including her silly notion that an interview with the anchor of CBS News was supposed to be “light and fun.” Whether Oprah really bought the act or not, she appeared to appreciate it. That is, after all, how it’s done.
Which took me back to when I learned that the preposterous Palin had become the possible next vice president of the United States …
Sarah Palin was a fluke. Had to be. A non-serious and irresponsible fluke. That was what I thought when I saw she was about to be named McCain’s running mate on August 29, 2008. …
President Barack Obama said that he and Chinese President Hu Jintao spoke about economic recovery and climate change.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in China today.
The time in China is 16 hours ahead of the time in California. It is GMT + 8.
Obama has finished his day in China.
He and President Hu Jintao of China made joint press statements at the Western Hall in Beijing.
They sounded like they agreed on Iran, climate change, and trade. But the devil is in the details.
(Note: President Hu is not a doctor.) Sorry, can’t resist.
Obama then toured the Forbidden City.
After that, he visited United States Embassy employees and their families at the Atrium.
Then it was back to negotiating with China’s second highest-ranking official.
Obama and Chairman Wu Bangguo held a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People.
And at 2:30 AM Pacific, Obama attended a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises.
These are discussed in my recent column linked below.
In other action, Britain’s Gordon Brown is still pushing for Tony Blair to become the first president of Europe. Blair has heavy opposition, but it has yet to coalesce.
The prime minister also proposes to host a NATO meeting in London in January to “set a timetable” for transfer to full Afghan control.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visited with troops yesterday in Iraq.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is on the road today.
Schwarzenegger began the day in Iraq, where he worked out with American troops and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Then he flew on to Graz, Austria, where he visited his parents’ graves.
Schwarzenegger will speak tomorrow in Milan, Italy, in advance of a key sub-national meeting leading up to next month’s Copenhagen conference on climate change.
** OBAMA IN FLUX. As he embarks on his first big trip to Asia, President Barack Obama’s strategies are in flux in many areas. …
It’s no surprise that Obama is being followed on his Asian trip by other crises. Because so much in his geopolitics is so fundamentally unresolved, making that Nobel Peace Prize more than a bit premature. … From my November 13th column.
** MAD MEN‘S SENSATIONAL SEASON FINALE. … From my November 9th review.
** OBAMA’S OFF TO A VERY GOOD START. One year ago, Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. Is his presidency delivering on the promise of his candidacy? Yes. I think he’s off to a very good start. But I’m not doing handstands. … From my November 4th column.
** IT’S NOVEMBER 22, 1963 ON MAD MEN. … From my November 2nd review.
** AFGHANISTAN, AGAIN: THE THICKET OBAMA’S NOT GETTING OUT OF. … From my October 29th column.
** MAD MEN REVIEW: “THE GYPSY AND THE HOBO.” … From my October 26th review.
** CHINATOWN’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION AND THE POLANSKI SCANDAL. … From my October 23rd essay.
** OBAMA IN THE THICKET OF “AFGHANIRANISTAN.” … From my October 21st 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 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, 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 $79 per barrel.
This is up about $45 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity.
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| Comments (56) |
What new video today?
The President in China and Arnold in Iraq.
Not so far. That’s been a real delay deal there …
> sergei says:
November 18, 2009 at 2:38 am (Edit)
The Bushehr nuclear plant will not start in Iran.
Good idea!
> Clutch J says:
November 17, 2009 at 10:13 pm (Edit)
For the record, I believe that what he did in the Hanoi Hilton was remarkable, requiring extraordinary strength and courage.
You and I have a disagreement about the context in which those actions took place. I think of him as victimizer and victim, not as a hero.
Let’s talk about something else!
Liz, I know there are Geithner fans. There have to be …
> Elizabeth Miller says:
November 17, 2009 at 8:11 pm (Edit)
Secretary Geithner and press conferences go together about as well as warm beer and cold pizza. It just ain’t his forum.
To see Geithner in his element, y’all have to check out one of his many appearances before congressional committees. These things run a couple of hours or more but time literally flies as you watch him move effortlessly from his opening statement (which he now manages to keep under 10 minutes depending on lip speed) to his impressive control of the question and answer sessions.
I swear, he would have more support if more people could see him in action!
Incidentally, NWN passed 90,000 comments sometime in the past week.