After meeting with financial leaders, President Barack Obama said today that banks have a greater obligation to help the U.S. economy recover with increased lending because they received “extraordinary assistance” from the government.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … OBAMA’S WEAK HAND ON CLIMATE, AND THE CALIFORNIA OPTION.
** THE LIEBERMAN ROADBLOCK. Senator Joe Lieberman, a longtime champion of the insurance industry, is demanding that the Medicare expansion in the latest version of national health care be removed. Without that, he votes to filibuster (or so he says), leaving Democrats one vote short of the 60 needed to block his obstructionism.
A few thoughts. One, it turns out that Medicare expansion does not look like a very good deal in the first place, as it’s quite expensive for the individual. Two, reconciliation, requiring only a majority vote, can be pursued in a pinch. Three, they can try to get a moderate Republican to replace Lieberman. Four, they can drop back to the Senate Finance version, which is still a big advance from where we are.
Or, five, Lieberman could become persuaded.
Senate Democrats are meeting late today.
President Barack Obama and Cabinet members discuss their bimonthly meetings.
MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK.
It’s another big week in presidential politics. And a more interesting week than usual in California politics.
President Barack Obama pushes national health care, economic stimulus, and financial reform before heading to Copenhagen for the UN climate summit, underway for the past week at the end of this week.
Throughout, he monitors geopolitical crises in Iran, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
In California, former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown keeps on consolidating his position as the Democratic favorite for governor as the Republican race shows signs of a nasty and real contest at last. And Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Copenhagen for the first part of the week, where he will address the UN confab on Tuesday, discussing the landmark California plan.
It appears unlikely that there will be a Copenhagen Protocol to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Although there has been some progress, big countries are not coming up with the level of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions said to be needed by most scientific experts, nor enough money for smaller poor countries to take appropriate steps to cut and mitigate.
What seems more likely is an interim agreement pointing toward another conference next year in Mexico City.
It’s very complex, and I’ll have a column on it in the next few days.
The newest wave of escalation in Afghanistan is underway, with a new Marine offensive in southern Afghanistan and a new brigade of Marines getting ready to deploy to the troubled country before the holidays.
Along with the European Council, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued statements at the end of last week condemning Iran for its nuclear intransigence.
Clinton says that the time for tough sanctions on Iran is at hand, declaring the nation to be a “major supporter, promoter and exporter of terrorism.”
Iran has declared itself ready to strike Israel in the event of air raids against its nuclear installations. After first agreeing and then engaging in weeks of delay and obfuscation, Iran is now refusing to negotiate over its nuclear program following its censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Though Iran tossed additional confusion into the waters over the weekend by saying it might be willing to transfer nuclear fuel for further enrichment in stages. (The form in which it is to come back under the IAEA agreement is in fuel rods which cannot be used for weapons.) Which would probably allow it to retain enough raw feedstock for a bomb.
Meanwhile, Iran announced today it will try three recent Berkeley grads who blundered over the border with Iraq while hiking on as yet unspecified charges.
In California politics, Schwarzenegger, who flew commercial for a change, took along much of his Cabinet to Copenhagen. On Tuesday, a day focused on subnational government action at the conference, Schwarzenegger will address delegates from over 190 countries to highlight leading actions taken by California to fight climate change.
When he returns, he has to deal with a teachers union-influenced state Assembly which is less friendly to charter schools, parental choice, and tying teacher evaluations to student performance than is the state Senate as he pushes for legislation to qualify California for Obama Administration education challenge grants.
He also needs to search for a new appointee to the state Public Utilities Commission. His appointee, Rachelle Chong, was denied last week by the Senate for being too pro-business, especially with regard to telecommunications firms. The only strongly pro-consumer commissioner at this point is Geoff Brown, nephew of the late Governor Pat Brown.
In the undramatic 2010 governor’s race, the favorite Jerry Brown keeps doing what he does.
And there are at last signs of a real race for the Republican nod, with the trailing Steve Poizner putting in $15 million of his own money to begin matching what billionaire ex-eBay CEO Meg Whitman has been doing for months.
I believe Poizner will spend more than this, which will certainly end the free ride Whitman has been getting for months in building a real, yet gossamer lead in the race for the Republican nod.
Whitman had a rough last week in a Delaware court, where eBay and Craigslist are suing each other for acting in bad faith in a botched merger. An eBay official acknowledged that eBay used confidential data gained from Craigslist in setting up a competing service, and Craigslist chief Craig Newmark charged on the stand that Whitman lied to him.
Fortunately for Whitman, the diminished state press corps paid little attention to the trial.
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended a taping of TNT’s Christmas in Washington. The annual holiday concert was recorded at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.,
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington today.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have received the daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
At 8:10 AM Pacific, Obama meets with leading members of the financial services industry to discuss reform.
At 9:10 AM Pacific, Obama delivers a statement on the economy.
At 9:25 AM Pacific, Obama and Vice President Biden have lunch in the Private Dining Room.
At 10:30 AM Pacific, Obama meets with President Michel Sleiman of Lebanon in the Oval Office.
At 12 noon Pacific, Obama meets with Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania in the Oval Office.
Casey is involved with the anti-abortion bid on national health care.
At 1:30 PM Pacific, Biden swears in former Senators Chuck Hagel and David Boren as co-chairs of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board in the East Roo.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Copenhagen for the UN climate summit today.
He is holding private talks today and has no scheduled public events.
At 1:30 PM tomorrow, Schwarzenegger addresses the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
However, since the time in Copenhagen is nine hours later than the time in California, that speech takes place at 4:30 AM Pacific.
** OBAMA’S LINCOLNESQUE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.Who expected, two months ago when the surprise award was announced, that President Barack Obama, in accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, would deliver a speech that in many respects is about the ethics of war?
Obama has surprised many with his escalations in Afghanistan, and in winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I was surprised by his winning the Nobel. It’s undeserved, as I wrote here on the Huffington Post right after it happened two months ago.
But Obama’s emergence as more the liberal warrior than the reflexive dove surprises me not in the least, for I was paying close attention to what the president said and wrote before and during his campaign. … From my December 11th column.
** HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.How did former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown clear the Democratic field for governor of California over half a year before next year’s primary election? Without even announcing his candidacy for governor? Let’s count the ways as we set the stage for one of the biggest races in America next year.
Most California political experts did not expect this result. The state’s much diminished press corps anticipated a big primary fight. Nor was Jerry Brown expected to be the easy winner. In fact, a site run by well-known state Democratic consultants put up an online poll in early 2007 to gauge early insider support for possible candidates. And, amusingly, neglected to include Brown. Despite the fact that the two-term former governor, two-time Democratic presidential runner-up, and two-time mayor of rugged Oakland had just won the biggest victory of any contested statewide race. Bigger even than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s landslide 17-point romp over his Democratic challenger.
Even after the main rivals to Brown dropped out, some kept pushing ever more unlikely prospects forward. Only to see them vanish like a desert mirage. Nevertheless, some amongst the thinned ranks of California reporters and bloggers still imagine that Brown and his capable and witty wife Anne Gust Brown are simply winging it. This view is, let’s say, not entirely accurate.
The last major candidate to withdraw was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, as I broke on my NewWestNotes.com on October 30th. Before explaining the sudden end of his heavily-hyped candidacy, let’s go through the others. All the others, I should say. … From my December 9th 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.
This is near a two-month low, occasioned by high inventories and a strengthening dollar.
This is up about $36 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.
Alabama running back Mark Ingram, star of the top-ranked team, won the Heisman Trophy, edging Stanford star Toby Gerhart, who led the nation in rushing and touchdowns and also stars in baseball, in the closest vote in history.
** OBAMA TODAY – SUNDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington today.
Obama has received his daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
At 2:35 PM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend “Christmas In Washington,” a holiday benefit for the Children’s National Medical Center at the National Building Museum.
Obama appears tonight on the CBS news show 60 Minutes.
Obama and his family are also featured tonight on ABC’s Christmas At The White House, hosted by Oprah Winfrey.
Navy beat Army yesterday in the closing game of college football’s regular season, earning the Midshipmen the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy as champion of the armed forces academies, since they had already beaten Air Force.
Obama will present the trophy to the Navy team early next year at the White House.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan today and held talks in Kandahar, the old Taliban stronghold, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom he has previously harshly criticized for corruption and ineptitude.
Britain had already announced that it will send another 500 troops, bringing the British contingent to more than 10,000 troops.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SUNDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today before flying to Copenhagen, Denmark.
He has no scheduled public events.
Schwarzenegger, who is flying commercial rather than by his trademark private plane, participates in the UN climate summit from Monday to Wednesday. He’s taking along much of his Cabinet.
On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger will address delegates from over 190 countries.
In his weekend video/radio address, President Barack Obama discusses the history of financial crisis, commends the House of Representatives for passing reforms to the financial system, and blasts Republican leaders and industry lobbyists for their joint pep rally to defeat the bill.
** OBAMA TODAY – SATURDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington today.
Obama has received his daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
He has no scheduled public events.
The Senate is meeting today to pass a year-end omnibus spending bill. A Republican filibuster has been defeated, 60-34.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises.
The Copenhagen climate change talks are well underway. Obama will be there late next week.
I’ll have a long column on this next week.
The newest wave of escalation in Afghanistan is underway, with a new Marine offensive in southern Afghanistan and a new brigade of Marines getting ready to deploy to the troubled country before the holidays.
Along with the European Council, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued statements late yesterday condemning Iran for its nuclear intransigence.
Clinton says that the time for tough sanctions on Iran is at hand, declaring the nation to be a “major supporter, promoter and exporter of terrorism.”
Iran has declared itself ready to strike Israel in the event of air raids against its nuclear installations. After first agreeing and then engaging in weeks of delay and obfuscation, Iran is now refusing to negotiate over its nuclear program following its censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Defense Secretary Bob Gates has returned from Afghanistan and Iraq in time to represent Obama today in Philadelphia at the annual Army-Navy football game. If Navy wins, it will receive the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy as champion of the armed forces academies, having already beaten Air Force.
This classic rivalry marks the close of college football’s regular season.
Navy is already going to a bowl game, the Texas Bowl against Missouri. Army will go to a bowl game only if it beats Navy. Otherwise, UCLA will go to a bowl game. Another good reason to back Navy …
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Copenhagen Saturday demanding that world leaders take stronger action to fight climate change. This comes at the mid-point of the United Nations Global Climate Conference.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SATURDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today.
He has no scheduled public events.
Schwarzenegger is preparing to go to Copenhagen for the UN climate summit.
He’s taking along much of his Cabinet.
On Tuesday, a day focused on subnational government action at the conference, Schwarzenegger will address delegates from over 190 countries to highlight leading actions taken by California to fight climate change.
** OBAMA’S LINCOLNESQUE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.Who expected, two months ago when the surprise award was announced, that President Barack Obama, in accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, would deliver a speech that in many respects is about the ethics of war?
Obama has surprised many with his escalations in Afghanistan, and in winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I was surprised by his winning the Nobel. It’s undeserved, as I wrote here on the Huffington Post right after it happened two months ago.
But Obama’s emergence as more the liberal warrior than the reflexive dove surprises me not in the least, for I was paying close attention to what the president said and wrote before and during his campaign. …
** HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.How did former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown clear the Democratic field for governor of California over half a year before next year’s primary election? Without even announcing his candidacy for governor? Let’s count the ways as we set the stage for one of the biggest races in America next year.
Most California political experts did not expect this result. The state’s much diminished press corps anticipated a big primary fight. Nor was Jerry Brown expected to be the easy winner. In fact, a site run by well-known state Democratic consultants put up an online poll in early 2007 to gauge early insider support for possible candidates. And, amusingly, neglected to include Brown. Despite the fact that the two-term former governor, two-time Democratic presidential runner-up, and two-time mayor of rugged Oakland had just won the biggest victory of any contested statewide race. Bigger even than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s landslide 17-point romp over his Democratic challenger.
Even after the main rivals to Brown dropped out, some kept pushing ever more unlikely prospects forward. Only to see them vanish like a desert mirage. Nevertheless, some amongst the thinned ranks of California reporters and bloggers still imagine that Brown and his capable and witty wife Anne Gust Brown are simply winging it. This view is, let’s say, not entirely accurate.
The last major candidate to withdraw was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, as I broke on my NewWestNotes.com on October 30th. Before explaining the sudden end of his heavily-hyped candidacy, let’s go through the others. All the others, I should say. …
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. … From my December 4th column.
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** 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.
** 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 closed on Friday at $69.87 per barrel. Energy markets are closed on the weekend.
This is a two-month low, occasioned by high inventories and a strengthening dollar.
This is up about $36 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.
These are the five young American Muslims arrested this week in Pakistan over alleged terrorist links. The are likely to be deported. The FBI had been seeking them after they disappeared from the Washington, DC area.
** POLANSKI’S ROMAN A CLEF FILM ABOUT TONY BLAIR WILL PLAY NEXT YEAR THROUGHOUT AMERICA. Director Roman Polanski’s film about a former British prime minister (played by ex-Bond Pierce Brosnan) who is finishing his memoirs and accused of war crimes in the war on terror will be distributed in North America and around the world next year by Los Angeles-based Summit Entertainment.
The Hollywood studio behind the “Twilight” teen franchise said on Friday it has acquired North American rights to distribute jailed director Roman Polanski’s latest film, “The Ghost Writer”.
Los Angeles-based Summit Entertainment plans to release the thriller in the first half of 2010. Summit also acted as agent for the film outside North America, and said it sold in all major territories worldwide.
The film, starring Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor, is about a former British prime minister producing a memoir with a ghostwriter, and the intrigues that arise involving the politician’s wife, his aide and secrets from his past.
Polanski is under house arrest in Switzerland, after he was arrested in September to face charges of having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in the United States in 1977.
Polanski was putting the finishing touches on “The Ghost Writer” when he was arrested in Zurich in September.
The film had been in some doubt following the surprise arrest of Polanski by Swiss authorities. The director of Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Pianist has long owned a home in Switzerland and visits there frequently. In fact, he had flown there from Paris to receive a lifetime achievement award when he was arrested.
The Ghost Writer is an adaptation of the best-selling novel The Ghost by Robert Harris, a former friend of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. I’ve read the novel, and it is clearly about the Blairs, with some uncanny detail.
Whether its explosive, indeed, outrageous allegations are in any way accurate is another matter.
The Ghost Writer will premier at the Berlin Film Festival in February.
** NEW POLL: RELIGION AS POLITICAL PREDICTOR.A new Gallup Poll shows a big correlation between religion and political identity.
Americans’ religious intensity continues to be a major predictor of party identification. A new analysis of more than 29,000 interviews Gallup conducted in November finds that Republicans outnumber Democrats by 12 percentage points among Americans who are classified as highly religious, while Democrats outnumber Republicans by 30 points among those who are not religious. …
The basic relationship between religiosity and party identification is quite strong and quite straightforward. The percentage of Americans who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party drops from 49% among the highly religious to 26% among those who are not religious. The percentage who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party rises from 37% among the highly religious to 56% among those who are not religious. For comparison, the party figures for November among all adults in these data are 40% Republicans/Republican leaners and 45% Democrats/Democratic leaners.
Thus, Republicans are in the plurality among highly religious Americans. For each of the other three groups, Democrats are equal with or higher in number than Republicans. The Democratic edge expands as religiosity decreases. Among the not-religious group, Democrats have a 30-point edge over Republicans. …
There are significant differences in the relationship between party identification and religion within racial and ethnic groups.
Black Americans are highly Democratic, regardless of their religiosity.
Hispanics also are significantly more likely to identify as Democrats than as Republicans across religious groups, although not as much so as is the case with blacks.
There is a modest tendency for Hispanic identification with the Democratic Party to increase as religiosity decreases. Democratic identification rises from 46% among highly religious Hispanics to 54% among not-religious Hispanics. The percentage of Hispanics who identify as Republicans or who are independents falls slightly as religious intensity decreases. (These data are based on all Americans who identify as Hispanic, regardless of their race.)
The relationship between religiosity and party identification is most pronounced among non-Hispanic white Americans.
Identification as Republican drops from 62% among highly religious white Americans to 28% among whites who are not religious. On the other hand, white identification with the Democratic Party rises from 28% among the highly religious to 56% among those who are not religious.
Looked at differently, the data make it evident that Republicans are in the clear majority among non-Hispanic white Americans who are either highly religious or religious. Republican and Democratic identification are at rough parity among those classified as less religious. Democrats are clearly in the majority among whites who are not religious.
This is all pretty intuitive for people who follow politics closely.
President Barack Obama accepted the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize yesterday in Oslo, Norway. Obama said that he wants to continue working on issues that are critical for building lasting peace and security in the world.
** OBAMA’S LINCOLNESQUE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.Who expected, two months ago when the surprise award was announced, that President Barack Obama, in accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, would deliver a speech that in many respects is about the ethics of war?
Obama has surprised many with his escalations in Afghanistan, and in winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I was surprised by his winning the Nobel. It’s undeserved, as I wrote here on the Huffington Post right after it happened two months ago.
But Obama’s emergence as more the liberal warrior than the reflexive dove surprises me not in the least, for I was paying close attention to what the president said and wrote before and during his campaign. …
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is en route from Oslo, Norway, and in Washington today.
Returning from his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama is receiving his daily intelligence and economic briefings on Air Force One.
At 9:55 AM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, where they board Marine One.
At 10:10 AM Pacific, the Obamas land on the South Lawn of the White House.
Vice President Joe Biden is campaigning in Connecticut today with Senator Chris Dodd, who is in deep trouble for re-election.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises.
The Copenhagen climate change talks are well underway. Obama will be there late next week.
Financier George Soros says the $10 billion a year proposed by rich nations to help the poor adapt to climate change is “not sufficient” and the gap between what’s offered and what’s needed could wreck the Copenhagen climate conference.
European leaders, after much hoopla, have come up with a distinctly underwhelming $3.6 billion a year — only a third of what was originally planned — to help poor nations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for climate change.
The newest wave of escalation in Afghanistan is underway, with a new Marine offensive in southern Afghanistan and a new brigade of Marines getting ready to deploy to the troubled country before the holidays.
Defense Secretary Bob Gates is in Iraq, where Al Qaeda has claimed credit for recent Baghdad car bombings which killed well over 100 people.
At a town hall with troops in Kirkuk, the secretary of defense predicted that significant international sanctions will be levied against Iran.
Iran has declared itself ready to strike Israel in the event of air raids against its nuclear installations. After first agreeing and then engaging in weeks of delay and obfuscation, Iran is now refusing to negotiate over its nuclear program following its censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Israel is now holding extensive drills simulating missile attacks, including emergency distribution of gas masks.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Sacramento and Los Angeles today.
At 10 AM, he participates in the 16th annual Chanukah celebration at the State Capitol.
At 9:45 PM, Schwarzenegger presents USC President Steven Sample and Kathryn Sample with the “John C. Argue Dickens Medal of Honor” at the USC Thornton School of Music’s 23rd Annual Charles Dickens Dinner. The event is at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA.
** HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.How did former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown clear the Democratic field for governor of California over half a year before next year’s primary election? Without even announcing his candidacy for governor? Let’s count the ways as we set the stage for one of the biggest races in America next year.
Most California political experts did not expect this result. The state’s much diminished press corps anticipated a big primary fight. Nor was Jerry Brown expected to be the easy winner. In fact, a site run by well-known state Democratic consultants put up an online poll in early 2007 to gauge early insider support for possible candidates. And, amusingly, neglected to include Brown. Despite the fact that the two-term former governor, two-time Democratic presidential runner-up, and two-time mayor of rugged Oakland had just won the biggest victory of any contested statewide race. Bigger even than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s landslide 17-point romp over his Democratic challenger.
Even after the main rivals to Brown dropped out, some kept pushing ever more unlikely prospects forward. Only to see them vanish like a desert mirage. Nevertheless, some amongst the thinned ranks of California reporters and bloggers still imagine that Brown and his capable and witty wife Anne Gust Brown are simply winging it. This view is, let’s say, not entirely accurate.
The last major candidate to withdraw was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, as I broke on my NewWestNotes.com on October 30th. Before explaining the sudden end of his heavily-hyped candidacy, let’s go through the others. All the others, I should say. …
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. … From my December 4th column.
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** 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.
This is up about $36 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.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … OBAMA’S UNDESERVED NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: WHAT HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH MEANS FOR HIM, AND US.
** SCHWARZENEGGER VOWS VETO OF ASSEMBLY EDUCATION BILL. During the noon hour, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he will veto the Assembly version of education reform to meet Obama Administration education challenge grant guidelines.
He wants the version passed weeks ago by the state Senate.
Says Schwarzenegger: “This is Race to the Top – not race to the status quo. We must make the necessary reforms to improve our schools and make California highly competitive for this federal education funding. The Assembly bill is a step backwards and if it reaches my desk – it will be vetoed.”
** A NEW SPEAKER FOR CALIFORNIA. As predicted here early in the week, Los Angeles Assemblyman John Perez emerged late this morning as the victor in an intra-party battle for the speakership of the state Assembly with fellow LA Democrat Kevin de Leon.
Perez, a former labor operative, will, with unified support from the Democratic caucus, become the first openly gay speaker of a state legislative body in America.
Perez, a cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, himself a former Assembly speaker, is a staunch liberal. Which is not exactly an ideological change in the speakership.
What we have yet to see is how he works with the governor — this one, and the next — and with state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.
These things are not always predictable very far in advance. For example, Speaker Fabian Nunez was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most persistent opponent. Up until he became his biggest ally.
Perez is a freshman, which means that he has five left before he is claimed by term limits.
** OBAMA’S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE ADDRESS. (As prepared for today’s delivery at Oslo City Hall in Norway.)
Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world: I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.
And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight. And then there are the men and women around the world who have been jailed and beaten in the pursuit of justice; those who toil in humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering; the unrecognized millions whose quiet acts of courage and compassion inspire even the most hardened of cynics. I cannot argue with those who find these men and women — some known, some obscure to all but those they help — to be far more deserving of this honor than I.
But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by 43 other countries — including Norway — in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.
Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict — filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.
These questions are not new. War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact, like drought or disease — the manner in which tribes and then civilizations sought power and settled their differences.
Over time, as codes of law sought to control violence within groups, so did philosophers, clerics and statesmen seek to regulate the destructive power of war. The concept of a “just war” emerged, suggesting that war is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the forced used is proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence.
For most of history, this concept of just war was rarely observed. The capacity of human beings to think up new ways to kill one another proved inexhaustible, as did our capacity to exempt from mercy those who look different or pray to a different God. Wars between armies gave way to wars between nations — total wars in which the distinction between combatant and civilian became blurred. In the span of 30 years, such carnage would twice engulf this continent. And while it is hard to conceive of a cause more just than the defeat of the Third Reich and the Axis powers, World War II was a conflict in which the total number of civilians who died exceeded the number of soldiers who perished.
In the wake of such destruction, and with the advent of the nuclear age, it became clear to victor and vanquished alike that the world needed institutions to prevent another World War. And so, a quarter century after the United States Senate rejected the League of Nations — an idea for which Woodrow Wilson received this Prize — America led the world in constructing an architecture to keep the peace: a Marshall Plan and a United Nations, mechanisms to govern the waging of war, treaties to protect human rights, prevent genocide and restrict the most dangerous weapons.
In many ways, these efforts succeeded. Yes, terrible wars have been fought, and atrocities committed. But there has been no Third World War. The Cold War ended with jubilant crowds dismantling a wall. Commerce has stitched much of the world together. Billions have been lifted from poverty. The ideals of liberty, self-determination, equality and the rule of law have haltingly advanced. We are the heirs of the fortitude and foresight of generations past, and it is a legacy for which my own country is rightfully proud.
President Barack Obama arrived in Oslo, Norway today to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. The time in Oslo is nine hours ahead of Pacific time.
A decade into a new century, this old architecture is buckling under the weight of new threats. The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.
Moreover, wars between nations have increasingly given way to wars within nations. The resurgence of ethnic or sectarian conflicts, the growth of secessionist movements, insurgencies and failed states have increasingly trapped civilians in unending chaos. In todays wars, many more civilians are killed than soldiers; the seeds of future conflict are sown, economies are wrecked, civil societies torn asunder, refugees amassed and children scarred.
I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.
We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.
I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago: “Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: It merely creates new and more complicated ones.” As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. Kings lifes work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak, nothing passive, nothing naive in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.
But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitlers armies. Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida’s leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.
I raise this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause. At times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the worlds sole military superpower.
Yet the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions — not just treaties and declarations — that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity from Germany to Korea, and enabled democracy to take hold in places like the Balkans. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest — because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other people’s children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.
So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another — that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldiers courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause and to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such.
So part of our challenge is reconciling these two seemingly irreconcilable truths — that war is sometimes necessary, and war is at some level an expression of human feelings. Concretely, we must direct our effort to the task that President Kennedy called for long ago. “Let us focus,” he said, “on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions.”
What might this evolution look like? What might these practical steps be?
To begin with, I believe that all nations — strong and weak alike — must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I — like any head of state — reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards strengthens those who do, and isolates — and weakens — those who don’t.
The world rallied around America after the 9/11 attacks, and continues to support our efforts in Afghanistan, because of the horror of those senseless attacks and the recognized principle of self-defense. Likewise, the world recognized the need to confront Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait — a consensus that sent a clear message to all about the cost of aggression.
Furthermore, America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we dont, our action can appear arbitrary, and undercut the legitimacy of future intervention — no matter how justified.
This becomes particularly important when the purpose of military action extends beyond self-defense or the defense of one nation against an aggressor. More and more, we all confront difficult questions about how to prevent the slaughter of civilians by their own government, or to stop a civil war whose violence and suffering can engulf an entire region.
I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That is why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace.
America’s commitment to global security will never waver. But in a world in which threats are more diffuse, and missions more complex, America cannot act alone. This is true in Afghanistan. This is true in failed states like Somalia, where terrorism and piracy is joined by famine and human suffering. And sadly, it will continue to be true in unstable regions for years to come.
The leaders and soldiers of NATO countries — and other friends and allies — demonstrate this truth through the capacity and courage they have shown in Afghanistan. But in many countries, there is a disconnect between the efforts of those who serve and the ambivalence of the broader public. I understand why war is not popular. But I also know this: The belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace entails sacrifice. That is why NATO continues to be indispensable. That is why we must strengthen U.N. and regional peacekeeping, and not leave the task to a few countries. That is why we honor those who return home from peacekeeping and training abroad to Oslo and Rome; to Ottawa and Sydney; to Dhaka and Kigali — we honor them not as makers of war, but as wagers of peace.
Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it. The Nobel Committee recognized this truth in awarding its first prize for peace to Henry Dunant — the founder of the Red Cross, and a driving force behind the Geneva Conventions.
Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed Americas commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not just when it is easy, but when it is hard.
I have spoken to the questions that must weigh on our minds and our hearts as we choose to wage war. But let me turn now to our effort to avoid such tragic choices, and speak of three ways that we can build a just and lasting peace.
First, in dealing with those nations that break rules and laws, I believe that we must develop alternatives to violence that are tough enough to change behavior — for if we want a lasting peace, then the words of the international community must mean something. Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable. Sanctions must exact a real price. Intransigence must be met with increased pressure — and such pressure exists only when the world stands together as one.
One urgent example is the effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and to seek a world without them. In the middle of the last century, nations agreed to be bound by a treaty whose bargain is clear: All will have access to peaceful nuclear power; those without nuclear weapons will forsake them; and those with nuclear weapons will work toward disarmament. I am committed to upholding this treaty. It is a centerpiece of my foreign policy. And I am working with President Medvedev to reduce America and Russia’s nuclear stockpiles.
But it is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system. Those who claim to respect international law cannot avert their eyes when those laws are flouted. Those who care for their own security cannot ignore the danger of an arms race in the Middle East or East Asia. Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war.
The same principle applies to those who violate international law by brutalizing their own people. When there is genocide in Darfur, systematic rape in Congo or repression in Burma — there must be consequences. And the closer we stand together, the less likely we will be faced with the choice between armed intervention and complicity in oppression.
This brings me to a second point — the nature of the peace that we seek. For peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict. Only a just peace based upon the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting.
It was this insight that drove drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after the Second World War. In the wake of devastation, they recognized that if human rights are not protected, peace is a hollow promise.
And yet all too often, these words are ignored. In some countries, the failure to uphold human rights is excused by the false suggestion that these are Western principles, foreign to local cultures or stages of a nations development. And within America, there has long been a tension between those who describe themselves as realists or idealists — a tension that suggests a stark choice between the narrow pursuit of interests or an endless campaign to impose our values.
I reject this choice. I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please, choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. We also know that the opposite is true. Only when Europe became free did it finally find peace. America has never fought a war against a democracy, and our closest friends are governments that protect the rights of their citizens. No matter how callously defined, neither America’s interests — nor the world’s — are served by the denial of human aspirations.
So even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side.
Let me also say this: The promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach — and condemnation without discussion — can carry forward a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door.
In light of the Cultural Revolution’s horrors, Nixon’s meeting with Mao appeared inexcusable — and yet it surely helped set China on a path where millions of its citizens have been lifted from poverty, and connected to open societies. Pope John Paul’s engagement with Poland created space not just for the Catholic Church, but for labor leaders like Lech Walesa. Ronald Reagan’s efforts on arms control and embrace of perestroika not only improved relations with the Soviet Union, but empowered dissidents throughout Eastern Europe. There is no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement, pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time.
Third, a just peace includes not only civil and political rights — it must encompass economic security and opportunity. For true peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want.
It is undoubtedly true that development rarely takes root without security; it is also true that security does not exist where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive. It does not exist where children cannot aspire to a decent education or a job that supports a family. The absence of hope can rot a society from within.
And that is why helping farmers feed their own people — or nations educate their children and care for the sick — is not mere charity. It is also why the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action — it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance.
Agreements among nations. Strong institutions. Support for human rights. Investments in development. All of these are vital ingredients in bringing about the evolution that President Kennedy spoke about. And yet, I do not believe that we will have the will, or the staying power, to complete this work without something more — and that is the continued expansion of our moral imagination, an insistence that there is something irreducible that we all share.
As the world grows smaller, you might think it would be easier for human beings to recognize how similar we are, to understand that we all basically want the same things, that we all hope for the chance to live out our lives with some measure of happiness and fulfillment for ourselves and our families.
And yet, given the dizzying pace of globalization, and the cultural leveling of modernity, it should come as no surprise that people fear the loss of what they cherish about their particular identities — their race, their tribe and, perhaps most powerfully, their religion. In some places, this fear has led to conflict. At times, it even feels like we are moving backwards. We see it in the Middle East, as the conflict between Arabs and Jews seems to harden. We see it in nations that are torn asunder by tribal lines.
Most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint — no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or even a person of ones own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith — for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
Adhering to this law of love has always been the core struggle of human nature. We are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us.
But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place. The nonviolence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached — their faith in human progress — must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.
For if we lose that faith — if we dismiss it as silly or naive, if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace — then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass.
Like generations have before us, we must reject that future. As Dr. King said at this occasion so many years ago: “I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of mans present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘oughtness’ that forever confronts him.”
So let us reach for the world that ought to be — that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls. Somewhere today, in the here and now, a soldier sees he’s outgunned but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, who believes that a cruel world still has a place for his dreams.
Let us live by their example. We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of deprivation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.
Police in Pakistan say the five Americans arrested there have told investigators they came to the country to take part in “jihad,” or holy war. (See yesterday’s story on this.)
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Oslo, Norway today. He landed before midnight Pacific time.
Obama had his daily intelligence and economic briefings on Air Force One.
Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended the Nobel Peace Prize signing ceremony at the Norwegian Nobel Institute.
Obama then met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and held a joint press availability.
The Obamas then had a private audience with King Harald V and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace.
Following that, they attended the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. Obama delivered remarks at Oslo City Hall.
At 10:05 AM Pacific, the Obamas greet the Nobel Peace Prize Torch Parade from the Grand Hotel Balcony Hall.
At 10:15 AM Pacific, the Obamas are greeted by King Harald V and Queen Sonja and walk to Nobel Peace Prize Banquet.
At 10:30 AM Pacific, the Obamas participate in the Nobel Peace Prize Banquet.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises.
The newest wave of escalation in Afghanistan is underway, with a new Marine offensive in southern Afghanistan and a new brigade of Marines getting ready to deploy to the troubled country before the holidays.
In Iraq, the search is on for terrorists responsible for killing well over 100 people in car bombings aimed at ministries. And at disrupting national elections, now set for March.
Defense Secretary Bob Gates is in Iraq today. Al Qaeda has claimed credit for the bombings.
In Iran, the government contended with a new wave of demonstrations even as it declared itself ready to strike Israel in the event of air raids against its nuclear installations. Iran, after first agreeing and then engaging in weeks of delay and obfuscation, is now refusing to negotiate over its nuclear program following its censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento today.
At 10:15 A, Schwarzenegger joins volunteers at the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland to thank them for their service and encourage other Californians to do the same as part of the statewide WE Connect Program’s Million Meals Initiative, a project of the Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women.
At 2 P, Schwarzenegger awards the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor to 27 state employees who have demonstrated extraordinary acts of bravery and heroism in a ceremony at the Sacramento Convention Center.
At 5:30 P, Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver participate in the 78th Annual State Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. Due to weather concerns, the event will take place in the Rotunda of the State Capitol.
The state Senate passed legislation needed to qualify California for Obama Administration education challenge grants many weeks ago. But the Assembly, in a familiar pattern, lagged.
Schwarzenegger, like the state Senate, wants legislation that allows unlimited charter schools, some parental choice, and some linkage of teacher evaluation to student performance.
The Assembly has balked on these points.
And yesterday, its education committee passed alternative legislation, which Schwarzenegger denounced.
The full Assembly is slated to take up the bill today. Assuming it passes, it then goes to conference with the Senate to work out the differences.
Assembly Democrats will also try to deal with their latest big distraction, an unresolved speakership fight. As I reported the other day, I expect LA Assemblyman John Perez to emerge as the next speaker.
** HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.How did former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown clear the Democratic field for governor of California over half a year before next year’s primary election? Without even announcing his candidacy for governor? Let’s count the ways as we set the stage for one of the biggest races in America next year.
Most California political experts did not expect this result. The state’s much diminished press corps anticipated a big primary fight. Nor was Jerry Brown expected to be the easy winner. In fact, a site run by well-known state Democratic consultants put up an online poll in early 2007 to gauge early insider support for possible candidates. And, amusingly, neglected to include Brown. Despite the fact that the two-term former governor, two-time Democratic presidential runner-up, and two-time mayor of rugged Oakland had just won the biggest victory of any contested statewide race. Bigger even than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s landslide 17-point romp over his Democratic challenger.
Even after the main rivals to Brown dropped out, some kept pushing ever more unlikely prospects forward. Only to see them vanish like a desert mirage. Nevertheless, some amongst the thinned ranks of California reporters and bloggers still imagine that Brown and his capable and witty wife Anne Gust Brown are simply winging it. This view is, let’s say, not entirely accurate.
The last major candidate to withdraw was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, as I broke on my NewWestNotes.com on October 30th. Before explaining the sudden end of his heavily-hyped candidacy, let’s go through the others. All the others, I should say. …
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. …
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** 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.
This is up about $37 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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Pakistani police on Wednesday arrested five American men believed to have gone missing from the Washington, D.C. area last month, officials from both countries said.
** HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.How did former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown clear the Democratic field for governor of California over half a year before next year’s primary election? Without even announcing his candidacy for governor? Let’s count the ways as we set the stage for one of the biggest races in America next year.
Most California political experts did not expect this result. The state’s much diminished press corps anticipated a big primary fight. Nor was Jerry Brown expected to be the easy winner. In fact, a site run by well-known state Democratic consultants put up an online poll in early 2007 to gauge early insider support for possible candidates. And, amusingly, neglected to include Brown. Despite the fact that the two-term former governor, two-time Democratic presidential runner-up, and two-time mayor of rugged Oakland had just won the biggest victory of any contested statewide race. Bigger even than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s landslide 17-point romp over his Democratic challenger.
Even after the main rivals to Brown dropped out, some kept pushing ever more unlikely prospects forward. Only to see them vanish like a desert mirage. Nevertheless, some amongst the thinned ranks of California reporters and bloggers still imagine that Brown and his capable and witty wife Anne Gust Brown are simply winging it. This view is, let’s say, not entirely accurate.
The last major candidate to withdraw was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, as I broke on my NewWestNotes.com on October 30th. Before explaining the sudden end of his heavily-hyped candidacy, let’s go through the others. All the others, I should say. …
** THE STRANGE CASE OF DAVID HEADLEY ET AL. Pakistani officials today arrested five American citizens on charges related to terrorism. Three are of Pakistani descent, with one of Egyptian descent and one of Yemeni descent.
Which is the sort of thing one is used to hearing with regard to British citizens.
He is charged with being one of the main people behind last year’s terrorist siege of the Indian commercial capital of Mumbai. With his American passport and American name, he was able to travel freely and without question.
As it happens, he changed his name and is in fact the half-brother of the PR director for Pakistan’s prime minister.
He was arrested in Chicago in October.
David Headley, a Pakistani-American, is accused of having helped identify targets for the assaults which left 174 people dead, including nine gunmen. He was arrested over a plot to attack a Danish newspaper which had printed pictures of the Prophet Mohammed. …
Mr Headley, 49, has been charged with six counts of conspiracy to bomb public places in India, to murder and maim people in India and Denmark, to provide material support to foreign terrorist plots, and to provide material support to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group.
Mr Headley, who prosecutors say changed his birth name from Daood Gilani to cover his tracks, is also facing six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.
His lawyer, John Theis, entered the not guilty plea on his client’s behalf and waived his right to be indicted by a grand jury.
So, what is going on here?
Is this a case of homegrown jihadism?
A case of sleeper cells?
Or something else?
President Barack Obama outlined the steps his administration has taken to stimulate economic growth and plans to create new jobs in remarks yesterday to the Brookings Institution in Washington.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington and en route to Oslo, Norway.
At 6:35 AM Pacific, Obama and Vice President Biden receive the daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
At 7:50 AM Pacific, Obama and Biden meet with leading Democratic and Republican members of Congress in the Cabinet Room.
The topic? Stimulating the sluggish economic recovery.
At 8:50 AM Pacific, Obama makes a statement to the press in the Diplomatic Reception Room.
At 9:20 AM Pacific, Obama makes a Recovery Act announcement on community health centers in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
At 11 AM Pacific, Obama meets with business and environmental leaders in the Roosevelt Room.
The topic? The Copenhagen climate summit.
At 4:15 PM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama depart the White House on Marine One en route to Andrews Air Force Base.
At 4:35 PM Pacific, the Obamas depart Andrews Air Force Base on Air Force One en route to Oslo, Norway.
In Oslo on Thursday, Obama will receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
A Senate working group of liberals and moderates on national health care last night dealt away the public option per se in favor of expanding Medicare to all citizens at age 55 (rather than 65) and establishing a government-administerd insurance option run by a non-profit.
After days of secret talks, Senate Democrats tentatively agreed Tuesday night to drop a full-blown government-run insurance option from sweeping health care legislation.
And if private plans fail to provide sufficient and affordable health care coverage, then the federal government would offer a new insurance plan.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises.
In Iraq, the search is on for terrorists responsible for killing well over 100 people in car bombings aimed at ministries. And at disrupting national elections, now set for March.
In Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Bob Gates said he was surprised when President Haimd Karzai said that Afghanistan won’t be ready to take responsibility for security for another five years and won’t be able to fund its security forces for another 15 to 20 years.
In Iran, the government is contending with a new wave of demonstrations even as it declares itself ready to strike Israel in the event of air raids against its nuclear installations. Iran, after first agreeing and then engaging in weeks of delay and obfuscation, is now refusing to negotiate over its nuclear program following its censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the Capitol today working on California’s chronic fiscal crisis and education reform.
He has no scheduled public events.
The state Senate passed legislation needed to qualify California for Obama Administration education challenge grants many weeks ago. But the Assembly, in a familiar pattern, has lagged.
Schwarzenegger, like the state Senate, wants legislation that allows unlimited charter schools, some parental choice, and some linkage of teacher evaluation to student performance.
The Assembly has balked on these points.
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. …
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** 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.
This is up about $39 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.
President Barack Obama outlined a series of new government stimulus and jobs proposals today, saying for the short term the nation must continue to “spend our way out of this recession.”
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.
** QUICK HITS. Los Angeles Assemblyman John Perez looks set to win the speakership of the California Assembly, perhaps on Thursday. He will be the first openly gay speaker of a state legislative body in America. … Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has a big early lead in today’s Democratic primary to replace the late Senator Ted Kennedy. … In Kabul today, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, with Defense Secretary Bob Gates at his side, said it will probably be five years before Afghan forces can take the lead in the fight against Taliban. And 15 years before his government can pay for its own forces.
** AFGHANISTAN: HEADING FOR THE EXITS. While attention is focused on President Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan — and the attendant surge of 30,000 more American troops — and NATO’s pledge to send another 7000 troops (though it’s unclear where they all come from, and some of them are, amusingly, already there), one of the nations most active in the fighting in Afghanistan is heading for the exits.
That is Canada, a staunch ally from the beginning of this Afghan War.
Canada has 2,800 troops in Afghanistan. Today the Canadians said they will all be withdrawn by the end of 2011. And that their combat mission will end in the middle of 2011.
So that’s 7000 minus 2800 in terms of additional NATO troops over the next two years. And it’s probably more than that, because some of the NATO surge troops are troops already in Afghanistan, as part of the force temporarily assigned to secure the massively fraudulent August 20th presidential election. And it is one thing for NATO to say something, and another thing for its member nations to produce the actual troops. We won’t have a clear idea on that till the international conference on Afghanistan at the end of next month in London.
All of which means that this is really even more an American show than it was when Obama became president.
And tomorrow, he calls in legislators from both parties to the White House to discuss the need to create more employment.
What’s prompting the new program? A sluggish recovery. How will it be funded? With savings and repayments from the massive bank bailout put in place last year by former President George W. Bush.
“Even though we have reduced the deluge of job losses to a relative trickle, we are not yet creating jobs at a pace to help all those families who have been swept up in the flood,” Obama said in his speech, given at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “There are more than 7 million fewer Americans with jobs today than when this recession began.” …
What’s happened during this recession is that the rate of hiring has fallen far below the normal, and well below the level seen during and after the 2001 recession. Today, employers are hiring just three workers each month for every 100 jobs in the economy. More typical would be a 4 percent hiring rate, judging by Labor Department records on job turnover that go back only 10 years. …
Here’s what the president intends to do:
• Small business. A new temporary tax credit would go to businesses that add workers to their payrolls. Other tax breaks would encourage business investment, such as a one-year capital-gains tax rate of zero for new investments in small firms. Obama also called for continuing programs already under way to support small-business lending.
• Infrastructure. The president called for more spending on transportation and water projects in the next year, expanding the existing stimulus spending in this area by perhaps $50 billion.
• Clean energy. He proposed rebates for families to retrofit their houses to be more energy efficient. Modeled on the “cash for clunkers” scheme that boosted auto sales this year, the program has been dubbed “cash for caulkers.”
Additional relief for cash-strapped state governments, forced to cut programs and raise taxes — hardly the thing to do in the midst of a big recession — is not yet in the program.
How big will the new program be? As much of it must be approved by Congress, that’s still being worked out. But $200 billion is not an unreasonable guess.
President Barack Obama, seeking assistance on Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, met at length yesterday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in the Oval Office.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
He and Vice President Biden have received the daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
At 7:30 AM Pacific, Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office.
At 8:15 AM Pacific, Obama delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution.
Obama will lay out a new job creation initiative using a windfall of funds from the TARP program repaid by rebounding banks.
At 9:10 AM Pacific, Obama and Vice President Biden have lunch in the Private Dining Room.
At 10:15 AM Pacific, Obama and Biden meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Oval Office.
Obama is preparing to go to Oslo, Norway where he will accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
He may also go to Afghanistan, or meet with Russian leaders.
Today in Iraq, over 100 people were killed in Baghdad car bombings evidently intended to disrupt next year’s elections.
The first commercial spacecraft, invented and developed in California, was unveiled yesterday in Mojave. Test flights take place over California in 2010.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in the Capitol working on California’s chronic fiscal crisis and education reform.
At 10:30 AM, Schwarzenegger urges immediate state Assembly action on Race to the Top legislation in an appearance at Noralto Elementary School in Sacramento.
The state Senate passed legislation needed to qualify California for Obama Administration education challenge grants many weeks ago. But the Assembly, in a familiar pattern, has lagged.
Now the Assembly is caught up in a speakership fight, discussed yesterday here on NWN.
Yesterday Schwarzenegger spoke at Virgin Galactic’s unveiling of SpaceShipTwo, the world’s first commercial manned spacecraft, at the Mojave Air and Space Port, where it has been developed for the past few years.
It was an event orchestrated by yet another showman, Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson, who, at Schwarzenegger’s behest, located his Virgin America Airline in San Francisco. With aviation inventor Bert Rutan, Branson has come up with the first private spacecraft. Which he swiftly named the Enterprise.
The craft will begin flight tests next year over California. When it’s ready in 2011, it will move to New Mexico, whose Democratic governor, Schwarzenegger friend Bill Richardson, has launched the first spaceport for private spacecraft.
Schwarzenegger and Richardson, who have worked together on renewable energy and border issues, playfully gibed at one another during yesterday’s event. Both vowed to go up in the spacecraft. With Richardson insisting that the action superstar go first.
Why is this new spaceport not in California, as it cost all of $32 million for the State of New Mexico? California’s chronic fiscal crisis, and the likelihood that it would have been attacked as frivolity.
This hyper-conventional thinking is all too familiar.
During Jerry Brown’s first governorship, he was dubbed “Moonbeam” because he wanted the State of California to have its own satellite.
Which is simply a logical idea today.
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. …
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** 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.
This is up about $39 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.
The Chacaltaya glacier ski run in Bolivia – once famed for being the highest in the world – is set to disappear completely within the next few months.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA.
** WHAT THE EPA MOVE ON GREENHOUSE GASES MEANS. The US Environmental Protection Agency today classified greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. This is an historic step. It was also a necessary step identified by the Supreme Cort that the EPA needed to take in order to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
A 2007 Supreme Court decision — which rebuked years of inaction by the Bush/Cheney Administration — declared that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are pollutants under the Clean Air Act. But the high court said that the EPA would have to determine that these gases threaten health and welfare before regulating them.
That determination has now been made. And not a moment too soon, with the UN climate summit in Copenhagen taking place this week and next.
A bill by Los Angeles Congressman Henry Waxman, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and others to regulate greenhouse gases and set up a cap and trade system has passed the House. But it languishes in the Senate.
After recent meetings with the leaders of China and India, President Barack Obaa has gotten statements that these two emerging powers — among the leading greenhouse gas emitters in the world — will begin cutting those emissions. Though not to the degree needed.
But Obama was in danger of going relatively empty-handed with regard to American action next week to Copenhagen.
Now he has something more tangible in the form of the EPA ruling. He also has the California plan, the only real, big plan in the contry, which can be adopted by other states in lieu of federal legislation, thus establishing a de facto cap and trade system.
The fact is that regulation alone by the EPA is not the most efficient means of dealing with greenhouse gases. What is needed is a combination of strict regulation and the flexibility afforded by a carbon market.
The EPA now has the stick. But more action is needed, either through the states taking the lead — which will please Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will also be in Copenhagen next week — or through Congress finally acting.
Noting that the announcement “further strengthens America’s negotiating hand in Copenhagen,” Schwarzenegger also noted that the “endangerment finding paves the way for cost-effective, common-sense measures like a national greenhouse gas standard for cars modeled on California’s groundbreaking standard.”
Obama is working the levers he has available to him.
Will there be a hard and fast Copenhagen Protocol to replace the Kyoto Protocol? (Which did not work.)
Perhaps not. There may only be an interim agreement, with a hoped-for final conference sometime next year in Mexico City.
It’s quite interesting to look at with the Copenhagen conference beginning. The nation with the highest awareness of and concern about climate change is Japan.
The nation least aware and concerned is India.
Together, China, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan account for more than half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Separately, each has started down the path toward Copenhagen from different places and each has its own perspectives on the culpability of developed and developing nations. Many observers believe the top emitters — particularly China and the United States — will need to walk together to get others to follow. …
In China, which rivals the United States for the top spot on the greenhouse gas emitters list, the 62% who are aware of climate change falls roughly at about the world’s average. However, China stands out among these five countries because its public perceives global warming as a relatively low threat.
Gallup’s survey, which is representative of both urban and rural areas, reveals that the general Chinese perception of climate change as a relatively low threat is pervasive across demographic and geographic groups. Awareness is higher among urban Chinese (77%) than rural Chinese (52%). But even within urban and rural areas, education has an independent, additional effect on awareness. As education levels increase, so does basic awareness of climate change.
When we separate those adults who are aware, we find that urban Chinese are slightly more likely than rural Chinese to perceive climate change as a serious issue to them personally. Although education does have an independent effect on perceptions, all groups show a relatively low level of perceived threat of climate change.
Like China, India is one of the fastest expanding economies in the world, and as such, its energy needs will only increase over the next decade. Still largely agrarian and poor, India has opposed emissions caps that could potentially curb its growth and maintains that developed nations should shoulder most of the burden. However, India has committed to not increasing its per-capita emissions above those of developed countries and is increasingly looking into alternative fuel options and energy efficiency at home.
Of the top five greenhouse gas-emitting countries, awareness is lowest in India, where only about a third of adults say they know at least something about climate change. As in China, this awareness correlates with urbanicity and educational attainment. In urban India, 49% of adults know at least something about climate change, whereas in rural India — where more than two- thirds of the population lives — 29% does. Within urban and rural India, awareness increases significantly with educational attainment.
It’s interesting to note that the proposed Trans Afghanistan Pipeline, which some believe accounts for the war there (and which was actually approved by the Taliban when they were in power) would carry natural gas from Turkmenistan to India. Which makes for a very convoluted conspiracy theory.
While Indians are the least likely of the top five greenhouse gas-emitting countries to report awareness of climate change, they are more likely than the Chinese to say the issue is serious to them. Indians who are aware of the issue are likely to perceive it as a serious personal threat (29% of the total adult population in India). As India’s energy needs increase over the next decade, the country will likely face a challenge as it communicates climate and environmental measures to a public that is highly unaware of the climate change issue. …
Of the citizens from the top five greenhouse gas-emitting countries, the Japanese are the most likely to say global warming represents a serious threat to themselves and their families, with 80% rating the phenomenon at this threat level. It is too early to tell what impact the recent government change will have on climate change policy in the world’s second-largest economy. Japan’s Democratic Party, which swept to power in late August, had pledged to cut emissions even deeper than the outgoing government. Such efforts may be a tough sell, however, as Japan emerges from deep economic recession.
Historically, the United States is the only country among the top five emitters not to ratify the Kyoto protocol. However, since the Obama administration took office, climate change policies have started to shift. Results from Gallup’s surveys in 2007 and 2008 show that almost all U.S. citizens aged 15 and older are aware of climate change, but a sizable 35% do not believe climate change is a serious threat. In this way, the United States is similar to Russia and China, where more than one-third of the population is aware of climate change but does not see it as posing a threat.
In Russia, one of the world’s most energy-intensive economies, there are signals this year that climate policy is starting to undergo a shift. For the first time, Russia recently announced long-term plans for reducing emissions. At the same time, there may be reluctance to do so at a cost to economic growth as Russia experiences a deep slowdown. Despite high awareness among the Russian public, a minority of 39% is aware of global warming and says it presents a serious threat. In this regard, Russians’ attitudes more closely align with attitudes in India and China than with those in Japan or the United States.
President Barack Obama greeted Bruce Springsteen at a White House reception last night before he received Kennedy Center Honors along with Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry.
** MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK.
Another big week in presidential politics, as President Barack Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, the global climate change summit kicks off in Copenhagen, the EPA makes a move to regulate greenhouse gases, Obama launches a new job creation initiative, the new Afghanistan plan starts up, the Iranian nuclear crisis keeps percolating, and the Senate continues work on national health care reform.
And in California politics, a rather confused week, due to more disarray in the state Assembly. The lower house has yet to pass legislation needed to qualify California for Obama Administration education challenge grants, something the Senate did many weeks ago. Action is still promised for this month, perhaps this week. But an internal Democratic fight over the speakership is crowding out progress.
In the California governor’s race, more of the status quo, except on the GOP side, where the present frontrunner has a large emerging problem. I will explain in a piece this week how the favorite, Jerry Brown, cleared the Democratic field for governor. That’s something expected from the beginning on NWN, but which came as a surprise to the diminished state press corps.
GOP hopeful Meg Whitman, the ex-eBay CEO, will be in Delaware this week where she’s being sued in the big fight between eBay and Craigslist. Whitman engineered a partial takeover of Craigslist — which is a significant problem for her in ways not yet mentioned, nor a part of this case — only to run into trouble when she set up a competing service.
On national health care, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has appointed a 10-member group (consisting of five liberals and five centrists) to work out a compromise on the public option. The group had several closed- door sessions over the weekend. The moderates are Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Tom Carper, and Mark Pryor. The liberals are Chuck Schumer, Jay Rockefeller, Sherrod Brown, Tom Harkin, and Russ Feingold.
The Senate held a rare Saturday session as it continues its march toward a final vote on national health care reform. Reid says that he is going for a final vote in the next few weeks.
The president’s new job creation initiative, which will be announced on Tuesday, builds on the good news that over $300 billion of TARP funds for banks will be recouped in the next few months. Some of that will go toward deficit reduction.
Obama is looking at new spending on infrastructure, tax credits for small business job creation, and aid to strapped state governments.
California is not the only state whose government has been rocked by the global recession.
With regard to Afghanistan, another 1500 Marines will arrive there before Christmas to take part in the new offensive in southern Afghanistan that kicked off a few days ago.
In the ongoing Iranian crisis, Iran has backed away from its threat to withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Which would have been a truly idiotic move.
There has been a great deal of high-level talk between Israel and Russia over the past week, with Israel’s foreign minister meeting with Vladimir Putin over the weekend. This is not good news for Iran.
Now, speaking of not good news, back to California.
Brown was first elected speaker of the state Assembly in 1980 (a post he held for a record 15 years before becoming mayor of San Francisco), winning with Republican votes after his candidate, then Speaker Leo McCarthy, lost an internal party fight to Howard Berman, now chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Brown then made his own moves. (I was for Berman over Brown.)
Writes Brown: On one side you have former Speaker Fabian Nuñez’s protege, Kevin de Leon. On the other, you have L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s cousin, John Pérez.
Nuñez thought he had brokered a deal where his guy would become speaker, and in return Pérez would run unopposed for the state Senate seat now held by Gil Cedillo. Cedillo, in turn, would go back to the Assembly.
They even opened a great bottle of wine at the mayor’s house and toasted the settlement.
But when de Leon couldn’t swing the votes by the end of the Thanksgiving holiday, Pérez said, “Time’s up,” and announced he had 28 members on his side. Then he called me and asked, “What do you think?”
I said that the last time I looked it took 41 votes to be speaker, so you’re still 13 short. Actually, I said, you’re 15 votes short. Why’s that? he asked.
Answer: You need to add one for the cross and one for the double cross that are bound to happen once the voting starts.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
He and Vice President Biden have received the daily intelligence and economic briefings and met with senior advisors in the Oval Office.
At 8:30 AM Pacific, Obama and Vice President Biden meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in the Oval Office.
At 9:15 AM Pacific, Obama and Biden have a working lunch with Prime Minister Erdogan.
The president wants additional Turkish help on Afganistan.
At 12:15 PM Pacific, Obama and Biden meet on the new Afghanistan strategy with General Stanley McChrystal and Ambassador Karl Eikenberry in the Oval Office.
At 1:40 PM Pacific, Obama meets with former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Al Gore in the Oval Office.
They will discuss the Nobel Peace Prize and climate change, among other things.
At 4:30 PM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host a holiday reception for members of Congress.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appears this afternoon at the unveiling of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, the world’s first commercial manned spacecraft.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles and the California high desert town of Mojave today.
At 4 PM, Schwarzenegger will deliver remarks at Virgin Galactic’s unveiling of SpaceShipTwo, the world’s first commercial manned spacecraft, at the Mojave Air and Space Port, where it has been developed for the past few years.
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. …
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** 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.
This is up about $41 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.
Defense Secretary Bob Gates says the U.S. has not had good intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden in years. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders should be killed or captured.
** OBAMA TODAY – SUNDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
He has received his daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
At 11 AM Pacific, Obama attends the Senate Democratic Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill.
His principal topic? National health care reform. I think his new strategy for Afghanistan will come up, too. But he already has the votes for that.
At 2:15 PM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host a reception for the Kennedy Center Honorees and guests in the East Room.
At 4 PM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attend the Kennedy Center Honors.
The recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors for 2009 are actor, director, and producer Mel Brooks; pianist and composer Dave Brubeck; opera singer Grace Bumbry; actor, director, and producer Robert De Niro; and singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen.
Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the rounds of the Sunday chat shows to talk Afghanistan.
Both Gates and Clinton reportedly downplayed the initial U.S. troop withdrawal date in July 2011, saying it might involve only a small number of troops. But it is important to light a fire under Afghan allies and prod troop training.
Gates said that America will be heavily engaged in Afghanistan for two to four years more.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SUNDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today.
He has no scheduled public events.
In his weekend video/radio address, President Barack Obama, noting that the best employment numbers in more than a year provide cold comfort, says he will keep pushing for economic recovery.
** OBAMA TODAY – SATURDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
He has received his daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
Obama has no scheduled public events today.
The Senate is holding a rare Saturday session as it continues its march toward a final vote on national health care reform.
Earlier in the week, the Senate adopted a few amendments to the larger bill.
Today it takes up the question of insurance industry executive pay.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada says that he is going for a final vote in the next few weeks.
Obama will go to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with senators to lobby for passage of national health care.
In this conversation with William Shatner, Rush Limbaugh likens health care coverage to having a beach house.
Passage of funding for his new escalation in Afghanistan is not in doubt.
Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hit the Sunday chat shows to promote the latest strategy for Afghanistan.
In the ongoing Iranian crisis, Iran today backed away from its threat to withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Which would have been a truly idiotic move.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SATURDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today.
He has no scheduled public events.
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. …
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** 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.
** 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 closed on Friday at $75.47 per barrel. Energy markets are closed on the weekend.
This is up about $41 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.
Director Roman Polanski has begun his house arrest, on $4.5 million bail, in the Swiss chalet he’s long owned. Polanski was arrested by Swiss police earlier this fall on a three decade-old sex charge and is still under possible extradition to Los Angeles. Polanski was working on The Ghost, based on the Robert Harris roman a clef novel about a former British prime minister accused of war crimes. The film will be completed and is set to premier in February at the Berlin Film Festival.
** QUICK HITS. Los Angeles Congressman Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, says he will pass a bill imposing strong new sanctions on Iran’s gasoline supply and financial transactions for its nuclear program. The bill should pass the House this month. … President Barack Obama is going to Copenhagen for the global climate summit a week later than planned, perhaps in anticipation of a stronger agreement than has been expected. He was originally going next week, dropping by as he stops in Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. … Another slow day in the California governor’s race, though the favorite, former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown had a big fundraiser last night in San Francisco.
** SPLIT VIEW ON PROSPECTS IN AFGHANISTAN. The new Gallup Poll shows a split decision on how the new strategy for Afghanistan will fare.
48% think it will go well. 45% do not.
These results are based on a one-night reaction poll of 1,000 Americans conducted Dec. 2, the night after Obama’s nationally televised address to unveil the new war strategy. The poll found Americans more likely to favor (51%) than oppose (40%) the new strategy.
There are a significant number of doubters even among those who support the new war policy. Among this group, 61% believe the U.S. is likely to achieve its goals, but 35% are pessimistic. Likewise, though the majority of the new policy’s opponents do not expect the U.S. to achieve its goals in Afghanistan, that is far from a unanimous position.
There are modest differences in expectations for success by party, with 56% of Republicans, 47% of independents, and 45% of Democrats believing the U.S. will achieve its goals. …
While much of the Democratic criticism of the new Afghanistan policy has centered on cost, Republicans have expressed concern about setting a timetable for withdrawal. The poll finds 55% of Americans saying they are concerned that withdrawing troops from Afghanistan would make the U.S. more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, including 19% who are very concerned. …
Even if a substantial proportion of Americans doubt the United States’ ability to succeed in Afghanistan or express concern about possible outcomes of the new war policy, the public generally does not second-guess the initial decision to enter the war. The poll finds 62% saying that, looking back, sending troops to Afghanistan was the right thing to do, while 32% say it was the wrong thing. This is similar to what Gallup has found on its primary “mistake” trend question that measures support for the war.
** BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: 10 KEY THINGS TO KNOW.It’s Barack Obama’s war now. Here are some key things to know about this curious war — in which the newest Nobel Peace Prize-winner has placed himself at the helm of the largest military force ever sent to Afghanistan, the historic graveyard of empire — along with the likely road ahead. …
President Barack Obama led the lighting of the National Christmas Tree last night on the Ellipse.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington and Pennsylvania today.
Obama flew early this morning to Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The Keystone State was critical to his election in 2008 and has been hard hit by the deep global recession.
He received his daily intelligence and economic briefings on Air Force One.
Once there, Obama toured Allentown Metal Works in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
At 8:50 AM Pacific, Obama delivers remarks and holds a discussion on the economy at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Pennsylvania.
There is a lot of time built into this schedule. I would not be surprised if the president is privately meeting some dignitary outside the Washington glare.
At 1:05 PM Pacific, Obama departs Allentown on Air Force One en route to Andrews Air Force Base.
At 1:50 PM Pacific, Obama arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, where he embarks on Marine One.
At 2:05 PM Pacific, Obama lands on the South Lawn of the White House.
While the president is on the road, Vice President Biden, seen by many as a loser in the internal debate on Afghanistan, has a very high profile in Washington.
Biden had breakfast with Senator John Kerry and Senator Carl Levin — chairs of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees — at the White House.
He then met with Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai in the Roosevelt Room.
Later today, Biden meets with former Senator Chuck Hagel, the new co-chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, and swears in David Huebner as Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Obama received some good economic news yesterday. New unemployment claims hit a 14-month low.
Today he learned that the unemployment rate dropped slightly last month, from 10.2 to 10.0%. Which is better than a kick in the teeth, but not exactly a sign of a roaring economic recovery.
In other action, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. NATO leaders say that they will provide 2000 more troops than the 5000 new NATO troops the president seeks for Afghanistan.
But the actual decision by NATO nations on specific commitments won’t be taken till an international conference on Afghanistan hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown late next month in London.
Obama today directed the CIA to increase its aerial drone attacks against Al Qaeda and Taliban cadre inside Pakistan.
And the Marines today launched a new offensive in southern Afghanistan.
Obama is also monitoring the Iranian crisis. After an extraordinary degree of delay and deception, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that there is no need for further negotiations and that Iran’s nuclear issue has been resolved.
He is quite wrong about that.
Yesterday in Moscow, Vladimir Putin held his longest-ever question-and-answer session with the public.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did a marathon four-hour call-in television program yesterday, taking questions from all over the country as he did yearly throughout his presidency. President Dmitri Medvedev, who was in Italy, has never done one of these programs.
Putin, and it’s no surprise here, said that he is considering running for president again in 2012. He heads the ruling party.
Rather than try to change the Russian constitution when his two allowed consecutive terms ended, Putin installed Medvedev, his former chief of staff, as the leading presidential candidate in 2008.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles and Ventura today.
At 10 AM, Schwarzenegger opens a new home for California veterans in Ventura with California Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Roger Brautigan and Naval Base Ventura County commanding officer Captain James McHugh. The California Veterans Home, Ventura will provide 60 long-term care beds for aged and disabled veterans who served honorably in the military.
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my December 2nd essay.
** HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER OBAMA STATE DINNER SECURITY BREACH.It turns out to be shockingly easy to assassinate President Barack Obama.
In a fabulous show of security, it emerged late Wednesday that a pair of reality show contestants succeeded in crashing the Obamas’ first state dinner. One posted photos of the couple with Vice President Joe Biden and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who she referred to as “Ron,” on her Facebook page.
Amusing though it may seem, this situation is very serious, and totally unacceptable. Heads should roll over this. … From my November 27th column.
** 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. … From my November 24th 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.
This is up about $42 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.
Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan testified today that mistakes were made in allowing gate-crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi (he’s a UC Davis grad, in winemaking) into last week’s state dinner at the White House. The Secret Service agents who allowed the security breach have been suspended.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … BARACK OBAMA’S WAR: EIGHT KEY THINGS TO KNOW.
** MEG WHITMAN’S ADVERTISING. As I mentioned the other day, Meg Whitman, the billionaire ex-eBay CEO and Republican presidential campaign official who, in her first show of interest in public affairs, for some reason wants to be governor of California, on Monday launched her fifth or sixth new radio ad.
The thing is, all her ads sound pretty much the same to me. She was head of eBay, she vaguely wants to cut spending, help education, and create jobs. That’s basically it. It’s one ad, not five, or six. With the difference here that Whitman, a candidate best suited to radio, is doing the talking.
Here’s the text, by the way, of the latest version:
ANNOUNCER: Meg Whitman talks about ideas.
MEG: I spent over 30 years in business. Was CEO of a Fortune 500 company called eBay. And in that role helped create thousands of jobs here in California and small businesses around the world.
In business, if an idea doesn’t work, you try something different and keep trying until you find something that does. That’s a lesson politicians need to learn. In Sacramento, they keep going back to the same old ideas, ideas that don’t work. They seem to think, if we just had a little more money to spend, if we could just raise taxes a little more … Same old ideas, same old results.
Let’s focus on three things: creating jobs, cutting spending and fixing education. If we can improve these three areas, we can do anything. It’s time for A New California. What do you think? Share your ideas and read my plan at TalkToMeg.com.
Frankly, I think the ad(s) is/are boring. The plan doesn’t add up any better than it did last February. And having scouted Whitman extensively, including a recent appearance, it’s my view that she has not developed as a candidate since beginning last year.
Now, since she is spending a ton of money — she’s already spent over $20 million on her campaign and no one is advertising against her, or campaigning all that hard, for that matter — she’s taken a slender lead in the Republican derby to go up against former Governor-turned-Attorney General Jerry Brown.
Why is she doing five or six versions of the same ad? I’ve seen this before. Whitman, who has a reputation for impulse hiring, which she reportedly indlged while at eBay, has a ton of political consultants. Last week, she hired on yet another, fired Arnold Schwarzenegger strategist Mike Murphy. (There are many dots to connect here, which I will get around to at some point when it’s more pressing.)
The point today is that consultants, especially when there are a lot of them, not infrequently like to “churn” advertising for rich candidates.
To a novice like Whitman, it looks like action. Look (or, actually, listen), it’s a new spot! Progress.
She’s taken a lead in a seemingly weak Republican field. Will it hold up? Absolutely, if her opponents don’t campaign in a primary that takes place next June. They aren’t really campaigning yet. And even if they do, she can still pick up the GOP nomination. Which is nice.
** NEW POLL: BACKING FOR OBAMA’S NEW AFGHANISTAN STRATEGY. A USA Today/Gallup Poll taken Wednesday, the day after the president’s big speech at West Point, shows that 51% back the new plan for Afghanistan while 40% oppose it.
This is the first public poll I’ve seen since the address.
Yet, while there is backing for Obama’s plan, there are deep concerns within the poll on specific topics. Voters are torn, which is typical on complex issues on which they are not well-informed.
The reality is that few were paying attention to Afghanistan before the disastrous August 20th presidential election and media coverage since then has been spotty and sporadic.
• Thirty-eight percent call the decision to deploy 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan “about the right number.” Nearly as many, 36%, say that is too many additional troops, and 18% say it’s too few.
• Just one in five agree with the timetable to begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011. Nearly half, 46%, say it’s too soon to set a timetable, and one in four say troops should begin coming home before then.
An overwhelming majority worry that the costs of the war will make it more difficult to deal with problems closer to home. By nearly 3-1, 73%-26%, those surveyed say they are worried about that. A third describe themselves as “very worried.”
There is also concern that withdrawing troops might make the nation more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, but the 55%-43% margin wasn’t as wide.
The poll finds little appetite for the “war surtax” proposed by House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., and others to pay for the war. By 68%-24%, those surveyed oppose the idea.
There remains a significant base of support for the war. By 2-1 Americans say sending troops to Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was “the right thing” to do. Still, they split almost evenly, 48%-45%, on whether the United States ultimately will achieve its goals there.
It’s getting to be that time of year. The White House is being decorated for Christmas, and the National Christmas Tree is lit tonight.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington today.
Obama and Vice President Biden have received the daily intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
At 10:30 AM Pacific, Obama delivers remarks at the opening session of the Jobs and Economic Growth Forum in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
At 12:45 PM Pacific, Obama delivers remarks and leads a discussion at the closing session of the Jobs and Economic Growth Forum in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
At 2 PM Pacific, the Obamas participate in the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on The Ellipse.
Obama received some good economic news today. New unemployment claims have hit a 14-month low. That should keep the unemployment rate flat. Which is better than a kick in the teeth, but not exactly a sign of a roaring economic recovery.
In other action, there are big congressional hearings again today on the new strategy for Afghanistan.
Defense Secretary Bob Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen all spend a second day on Capitol Hill.
Obama reiterated yesterday via press secretary Robert Gibbs that the withdrawal of troops will begin in mid-2011. But how many troops, and how fast a withdrawal, indeed, the length of the withdrawal are all up in the air.
As the dust settles in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s speech, I’ll have a column on the new Afghanistan strategy.
Obama, incidentally, ran last year on escalating the war in Afghanistan. So this should be no surprise to people who supported him. Or those who did not.
Obama is also monitoring the Iranian crisis. After an extraordinary degree of delay and deception, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that there is no need for further negotiations and that Iran’s nuclear issue has been resolved.
He is quite wrong about that.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did a marathon four-hour call-in television program today, taking questions from all over the country as he did yearly throughout his presidency. President Dmitri Medvedev, who is in Italy today, has never done one of these programs.
Putin, and it’s no surprise here, said that he is considering running for president again in 2012.
Rather than try to change the Russian constitution when his two allowed consecutive terms ended, Putin installed Medvedev, his former chief of staff, as the leading presidential candidate in 2008.
Putin puts on quite an impressive show on these national call-ins. I forgot to mention it here yesterday and will run video when it’s available.
Being president in 2014 wold allow Putin to preside over the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi where, coincidentally, he has a home.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Google CEO Eric Schmidt, unveiled Google Earth-based applications Wednesday to show climate change effects for California.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles and San Diego today.
At 10:45 AM, Schwarzenegger speaks to the Association of California Water Agencies’ 2009 Fall Conference in San Diego.
There he will talk about water conservation and push the $11 billion water package that he negotiated with state legislative leaders.
** NORTH BY NORTHWEST‘S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION: ENDURING APPEAL AND THE MAD MEN FACTOR.What can you say about a 50-year old movie? If it’s by Alfred Hitchcock, and it’s a classic of suspense, humor, and style, and it’s influenced both the best series on television, Mad Men, and the ongoing Bond franchise, quite a lot. There are a few spoilers here, incidentally, in case you’ve never seen it. … From my new essay.
** HEADS SHOULD ROLL OVER OBAMA STATE DINNER SECURITY BREACH.It turns out to be shockingly easy to assassinate President Barack Obama.
In a fabulous show of security, it emerged late Wednesday that a pair of reality show contestants succeeded in crashing the Obamas’ first state dinner. One posted photos of the couple with Vice President Joe Biden and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who she referred to as “Ron,” on her Facebook page.
Amusing though it may seem, this situation is very serious, and totally unacceptable. Heads should roll over this. … From my November 27th column.
** 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. … From my November 24th 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.
This is up about $42 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.
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