President Barack Obama said today that he plans to “finish the job” in Afghanistan but its people “ultimately have to provide for their own security.”
** QUICK HITS. The Perm 5 +1 group (United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, the United States — the permanent five members of the UN Security Council — and Germany) have agreed on a resolution condemning Iran for hiding a second nuclear site. … Arnold Schwarzenegger strategists today hit back at state Democratic senators who responded tepidly to the appointment of moderate Republican state Senator Abel Maldonado as lieutenant governor of California. Responding to complaints of the cost of a state Senate special election if Schwarzenegger’s appointee is confirmed, they pointed out that the special election can be combined with the regular primary election (with the extra cost evaporated) if he is confirmed in 84 days and, if they fail to do that, the cost is more than made up by giving up on fighting their pay cut. And that the state senator who wants to be lieutenant governor is well behind in the Democratic primary. The other issue seems to be that party legislative leaders are unsure they can win what should be a winnable state Senate seat. Well, they certainly won’t win if they won’t try.
** WHITMAN GETS ANOTHER STRATEGIST: MIKE MURPHY. Ex-eBay CEO Meg Whitman’s campaign for the Republican nomination for governor of California picked up a new strategist this morning. That’s Mike Murphy, who I know very well from his days with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Here’s what the campaign said in its statement:
“Our campaign is proud to announce that Mike Murphy will be joining the team to advise, at a senior level, our campaign’s winning strategy.
“There is no one in Republican politics who has been more successful in electing statewide candidates than Mike Murphy and his experience will be an invaluable addition. Mike has played a central role in electing Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Tommy Thompson, Christine Todd Whitman, Dirk Kempthorne and John Engler.
“His role in our campaign will be central as well. Mike will be helping to shape our campaign’s strategy, refine our message and build support for Meg’s mission to grow jobs, cut wasteful spending and fix California’s public schools.”
So there’s the spin. It’s evident that he is not the chief strategist. He’s a high-profile addition to an already crowded crew.
Murphy did very well working with other strategists to help Arnold Schwarzenegger win the dramatic California recall election of 2003. As the only journalist who predicted that he would run, and who was in touch with Schwarzenegger throughout, it occurs to me that Murphy sometimes gets too much credit from credulous reporters who were playing catch-up (or who looked at the LA Times coverage). And who relied on him as a ready source they would not otherwise have had.
Murphy, who shrewdly placed himself on the plane with Schwarzenegger, fared much less well when Schwarzenegger made him chief political strategist after he was elected governor of California. Murphy’s consulting and lobbying firm, DC Navigators, made itself an embarrassment to the governor through its very aggressive marketing of the tie to Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger fired Murphy after the 2005 special election debacle, which he ran.
** TONY BLAIR’S CAUTIONARY TALE FOR OBAMA. Tony Blair’s recent travails, last week over his bid to become the first president of the European Union and today with the start of Britain’s Iraq War inquiry, stand as something of a cautionary tale for President Barack Obama. Blair was long the favorite to become the first president of the European Union. But in the end, pilloried on the left for his leading role in the Iraq War and still not supported by the right, he was supplanted by a little-known Belgian bureaucrat.
Just as America had Obamamania in 2008, Britain had Blairmania in 1997. “Things Can Only Get Better” blared, as it were, the ubiquitous Blair campaign song.
“Everybody voted for him. He wasn’t a politician; he was a craze.” That’s how the title character puts it in the deliciously vicious roman a clef novel by former Blair friend Robert Harris, The Ghost (as in ghostwriter of the ex-prime minister’s memoirs), which was was being made into a movie by Roman Polanski when he was arrested in Switzerland.
Blair ushered in an era of “Cool Britannia,” which many critics say morphed into “Cruel Britannia” as he swapped his famous friendship with Bill Clinton for an infamous friendship with George W. Bush. …
The White House is bracing for a tough sell of President Barack Obama’s long-awaited decision on whether to commit tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to the stalemated war in Afghanistan.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
Tonight is the first state dinner of his presidency, held in honor of the prime minister of India, a rising economic power and a key ally in the struggle against Islamic jihadism.
The guest list is not yet disclosed, but it will include Hollywood moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, who last week held a big fundraiser in Los Angeles for the Democratic favorite for governor of California, former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown.
Following his AfPak war council meeting late yesterday, Obama will likely address the nation regarding his new strategy for Afghanistan next Tuesday night.
I expect him to pursue the middle course of sending 30,000-plus new troops to Afghanistan. He will also announce some sort of exit strategy
He has had his daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
At 6:15 AM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcome Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and Mrs. Kaur to the White House on the South Lawn.
At 6:20 AM Pacific, Obama holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Singh in the Oval Office.
At 7:55 AM Pacific, Obama holds an expanded bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Singh in the Oval Office.
At 8:35 AM Pacific, Obama and Prime Minister Singh hold a joint press conference in the East Room.
At 11 AM Pacific, Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office.
At 11 AM Pacific, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary Clinton host a lunch in honor of Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur at the State Department.
At 1:10 PM Pacific, Obama meets with Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the Oval Office.
At 1:30 PM Pacific, Obama and Biden meet with Secretary of Defense Bob Gates in the Oval Office.
At 4 PM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur on arrival for the State Dinner at the North Portico.
At 4 PM Pacific, the Obamas host their first State Dinner in honor of Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announces on The Jay Leno Show that he will appoint State Senator Abel Maldonado as California’s new lieutenant governor.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today.
Late yesterday, Schwarzenegger announced his appointment of State Senator Abel Maldonado as California’s new lieutenant governor.
NWN predicted this weeks ago.
Today at 10 AM in Ruben Salazar Park in Los Angeles, Schwarzenegger will introduce Maldonado as the new lieutenant governor of California and hold a press conference.
There have been very few Latinos in statewide office in California, despite their massive role in the Golden State. The last Latino Republican to hold statewide office was well over 100 years ago.
The event will be webcast live at 10 AM on www.gov.ca.gov.
To hold on to the office, Maldonado must be confirmed by the California Legislature. That will hinge in large part on the ability of state Democrats to come up with a strong candidate in his district.
** MAD MEN: THREE SEASONS ON AND LOOKING FORWARD. … From my November 21st essay.
** 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.” … From my November 17th column.
** 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 $77 per barrel.
This is up about $43 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum. You can send me a private tip by clicking on the “Contact” button in the upper right.
Read 
| Comments (52) |
I’ll get to explaining that …
> Brasky says:
November 24, 2009 at 11:59 am (Edit)
1) Why do people keep hiring Murphy?
2) How many consultants does it take to screw-in (I mean “elect) a multimillionaire?
It’s the biggest employment program in California …
> Brasky says:
November 24, 2009 at 12:01 pm (Edit)
Maybe Whitman is going to win the election by putting a majority of California voters on her payroll.
She’s GOT to be getting close…