In his weekend video/radio address, President Barack Obama discussed the four Americans slain on Tuesday in Benghazi, Libya — Ambassador Chris Stevens, Foreign Service information officer Sean Smith, and former Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods — and condemned both violent protest and hatred against any religion.
** NEW COLUMNS COMING UP … THE X FACTOR AND THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE: ANATOMY OF A CRISIS and CONSIDERING THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY.
** OBAMA THIS WEEKEND. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
Obama has received the intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
He has no scheduled public events on the weekend.
Mitt Romney seems to be off the campaign trail as well.
And he was doing so well out there, rattling on about he knew not what.
Yesterday was a rather irrelevant day in presidential campaign politics, at least with respect to what the campaigns, especially that of Mitt Romney, were doing and saying. Chatter, chatter.
The real question of the day was how/if the Muslim rage sparked by the viciously witless hate-Islam “movie” Innocence of Muslims burns itself out. Protests were sharp and frequently violent, and increasingly global in nature today. But the crowds were not nearly as big as they might have been, and in my view were relatively small.
On Saturday day, as I rather expected and strongly hoped, the protests abated.
But there is long festering anger against America in the Islamic world, over invasions and Israel and cultural encroachment and modernity itself. There’s also a tendency to use America, and Israel, as excuses.
Much more to follow in examining the anatomy of a crisis.
Here’s what Obama’s week ahead looks like. He will be campaigning heavily in swing states Ohio, Florida, and Virginia.
These are all states in which Obama has developed a significant lead over Romney.
The situation is relatively simple. If Romney loses those states, he loses the election.
On Monday, Obama will travel to Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio for campaign events. He will return to the White House in the evening.
On Tuesday, Obama will welcome the Women’s National Basketball Association Champion Minnesota Lynx to the White House to honor the team. In the afternoon, Obama will travel to New York City for fundraisers. While in New York City, he will tape an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. He will return to the White House in the evening.
On Wednesday, Obama will attend meetings at the White House.
On Thursday, he will travel to Miami and Tampa, Florida for campaign events. While in Miami, Obama will participate in a Univision and Facebook “Meet the Candidate” event to discuss education and the future of the Hispanic community. He will return to the White House in the evening.
On Friday, Obama will deliver remarks at a campaign event in Manassas, Virginia, site of one of his key rallies in the 2008 campaign. Obama will return to the White House in the evening.
There’s plenty of space still built into Obama’s schedule for monitoring and managing geopolitical crises.
Think he needs it?
We are getting a closer look at the shadowy radical fundamentalist Christians behind the bizarre Innocence of Muslims film which sparked a political wildfire over the past few days in the Muslim world. Most of the film, such as it is, was reportedly shot in a Los Angeles area building belonging to a group called Media for Christ. We still don’t know who translated the footage into Arabic and delivered it into the Cairo news flow.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises involving the Arab Awakening, Iran and Israel, Syria, Iraq, AfPak, and the South China Sea.
Military Crisis Zone Times: The Persian/Arabian Gulf is ten hours ahead of Pacific time and Afghanistan is eleven and a half hours ahead of Pacific time. The time in Manila, on the South China Sea, is fifteen hours ahead of Pacific time.
** FROM THE JERRY FILES. Governor Jerry Brown is in Northern California.
He has no scheduled public events.
Brown is continuing to go through bills from the recently concluded legislative session.
And he is working on his Prop 30 revenue initiative.
In other, not unrelated action, late Friday we learned that the Koch brothers, the famed right-wing New York billionaires, have just dumped $4 million into the campaign to pass Proposition 32, which would remove the public employee unions’ ability to automatically deduct member funds for political campaigns.
The pro-32 side has been heavily out-raised by the No side.
While the Kochs may want to begin to “equalize” the contest, with California business interests not having anted up much for the campaign, they also, obviously, risk nationalizing the contest and playing precisely into labor’s frame of the election.
** WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED SINCE 9/11? … From my September 11th essay.
** PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE ELEPHANT: THE CONVENTIONS AND THE CLIMATE. … From my September 8th essay.
** WHILE ONE CLINTON WOWS AT THE OBAMARAMA, ANOTHER PIVOTS TO THE LONG GAME. … From my September 6th essay.
** SO WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED WITH CLINT EASTWOOD? (AND THE PERILS OF ARGUING WITH IMAGINARY OBAMAS). … From my September 4th essay.
** AFTER THE ROMNEYRAMA, AND MORE SERIOUS MATTERS. … From my August 30th essay.
** SPACE, JERRY BROWN’S PLACE, AND A RACE. … From my August 27th essay.
** AN INSULAR ROMNEY STRUGGLES WITH HIS SURPRISINGLY HEARTFELT VEEP PICK AFTER STRIKING OUT INTERNATIONALLY. … From my August 23rd essay.
** RECALLING TOTAL RECALL: INTRIGUE, ULTRA-VIOLENCE, HUMOR AND WHAT ELSE THAT IS MISSING FROM THE SCHWARZENEGGER REMAKES. … From my August 17th essay.
** FROM GOVERNATOR TO MOONBEAM. … From my January 3rd, 2011 feature.
** 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, 2009 Huffington Post column.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in major military operations in the region, and the Arab awakening underway, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. 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.
** 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 from the Russia Today channel. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the state-run 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 $99.00 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
This is up about $65 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity, and down about $15 per barrel from the price at the time of the Osama bin Laden raid.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum. You can send me a private tip by clicking on the “Contact” button in the upper right.
Read 
| Comments (25) |
Great address on the tragedy and our values by barack!! Mittens couldn’t say anything that intelligent in a million years.
It is still hard for me to believe that religious nuts in California are behind what almost started a new war in the Middle East.
Hahah, I love it!!!!
BB:Mitt Romney seems to be off the campaign trail as well.
And he was doing so well out there, rattling on about he knew not what.
Barack will win all 3 of those “swing states.”
BB:Here’s what Obama’s week ahead looks like. He will be campaigning heavily in swing states Ohio, Florida, and Virginia.
These are all states in which Obama has developed a significant lead over Romney.
The situation is relatively simple. If Romney loses those states, he loses the election.
Good weekend address by President Obama.
Good bad news Al Jazeera news video on the anti-Muslim movie.
I can’t even talk about Cal coming soooo close to beating Ohio State…
Romney’s done like dinner.
Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Barack will win all 3 of those “swing states.”
BB:Here’s what Obama’s week ahead looks like. He will be campaigning heavily in swing states Ohio, Florida, and Virginia.
These are all states in which Obama has developed a significant lead over Romney.
The situation is relatively simple. If Romney loses those states, he loses the election.
I feel you there… Cal got robbed of a TD, missed 3 FGs and still should have had it.
Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 3:28 pm
I can’t even talk about Cal coming soooo close to beating Ohio State…
More movie crisis video today?
Bill must be pretty upset about USC losing to STANFORD!!!
how the heck did THAT happens??
I know, I know, they rolled over them and still lost…
Jack Aubrey says:
September 15, 2012 at 3:56 pm
I feel you there… Cal got robbed of a TD, missed 3 FGs and still should have had it.
Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 3:28 pm
I can’t even talk about Cal coming soooo close to beating Ohio State…
I like the quieter weekend especially after the crazy week.
BB…this Mother Jones video has GOT to be the nail in the coffin right?
Muslim Crisis video or Romney crisis video today?
How about both?
When did I last think Romney would win?
> 916Arsenal says:
September 17, 2012 at 7:32 pm (Edit)
BB…this Mother Jones video has GOT to be the nail in the coffin right?
Well, sorta …
> Len says:
September 17, 2012 at 9:02 am (Edit)
I like the quieter weekend especially after the crazy week.
I have no comment and I don’t get what happened there, aside from college kids blowing it.
> Capitol Boy says:
September 16, 2012 at 10:00 am (Edit)
Bill must be pretty upset about USC losing to STANFORD!!!
how the heck did THAT happens??
Indeed.
> Jack Aubrey says:
September 15, 2012 at 3:56 pm (Edit)
I feel you there… Cal got robbed of a TD, missed 3 FGs and still should have had it.
Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 3:28 pm
I can’t even talk about Cal coming soooo close to beating Ohio State…
And that was before what happened yesterday.
> Jack Aubrey says:
September 15, 2012 at 3:56 pm (Edit)
Romney’s done like dinner.
Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Barack will win all 3 of those “swing states.”
BB:Here’s what Obama’s week ahead looks like. He will be campaigning heavily in swing states Ohio, Florida, and Virginia.
These are all states in which Obama has developed a significant lead over Romney.
The situation is relatively simple. If Romney loses those states, he loses the election.
That was a fantastic opportunity for the Golden Bears, all right. Now they to face USC on the rebound in the LA Coliseum.
> Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 3:28 pm (Edit)
I can’t even talk about Cal coming soooo close to beating Ohio State…
Quite likely.
> Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 2:29 pm (Edit)
Barack will win all 3 of those “swing states.”
BB:Here’s what Obama’s week ahead looks like. He will be campaigning heavily in swing states Ohio, Florida, and Virginia.
These are all states in which Obama has developed a significant lead over Romney.
The situation is relatively simple. If Romney loses those states, he loses the election.
It is quite a bizarre situation, all the way around.
> Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 2:28 pm (Edit)
It is still hard for me to believe that religious nuts in California are behind what almost started a new war in the Middle East.
Oh, he could probably manage that, eventually …
> Capitol Boy says:
September 15, 2012 at 2:20 pm (Edit)
Great address on the tragedy and our values by barack!! Mittens couldn’t say anything that intelligent in a million years.