Senate Armed Services Committee member John McCain (R-AZ) assessed that the implied meaning of creating a red line with regard to the Assad Regime in Syria using chemical weapons was a green light to do anything up to that. That's catchy, but a bit off the mark. The atrocities committed by the Bashar Assad government have not gone unnoticed, but there is an weariness in this country to become the prime player in a Syrian intervention. There is a little merit in what the Senator said if you interpret it this way, which is that we think the Obama Administration would like to handle Syria like Libya with the 'leading from behind' strategy. [That's not to imply that leading-from-behind is a bad strategy. Generals always stand in the back; just now it's the United States acting as the general and the troops are other countries...] However, that's not going to work with Syria because of several factors.
Chuck Todd provided a key fact that the Arab League has not supported the ouster of the Assad Regime. The feeling there is that if they had the choice between orderly oppression or failed state freedom, the Arab League would choose the former and that is something they feel the Assad Regime provides - order that doesn't given their own populations any ideas. What also factors into their non-decision is that Iran didn't care about Libya but they care about Syria, their trading partner and conduit to Lebanon. In addition to Russia being a cagey partner in all this, there is the huge problem the usage of chemical weapons, which brings us back to the red line.
It's in the right place because WMDs have consequences beyond politically designed borders, however the Obama Administration has to own this rigid stance. They have been reluctant to do so and that's why verifying the use of Sarin gas, as it's presumed to be, will not come quickly if the Administration has anything to say about it, and John McCain did admit that it wasn't an airtight case even though the Israelis and Brits are pretty convinced. It's something that we, as American citizens, need to be 100% sure of before we do anything because that's the mentality of the country now, no more combat based on inaccurate information.
For Senator McCain, he just wants to be proven right, in that we should have done what he's been suggesting all along, as he reminded us today, of arming the rebels, creating a no-fly zone, deploying patriot missiles, and help the 2,500 refugees pouring into Jordan everyday. He said that we could do this without putting any boots on the ground but that's ridiculous. In fact, he stated that it was the worst thing we could do. Think about it... whose going to enforce a no-fly zone whether by plane or missile? Our troops... on the ground. Now, we get it, what he specifically means is that U.S. troops would not be in-country in Syria. However, if you suggest that a UN force needs to go into Syria to secure chemical weapons, you have to step up and say that U.S. troops have to be included. We can not have it both ways, but we can get it both ways.
For example, what's most troubling is when you hear Senator McCain tell the story of how innocent Syrian civilians are going to blame the United States and take revenge on us for not doing anything, 'sick and bitter' he described them. Yet, if we were to become involved militarily, inevitably (sick to say) we'll inadvertently kill civilians in an airstrike and then they'll hate us for that. That's what you would call a classic no win.
We'll get to Bush's Library dedication and legacy more in a few moments, but maybe this is part of it. The world now expects us, more than ever, to get involved in every militarized crisis or they will call us on our empty freedom rhetoric. Karen Hughes, a Bush senior adviser, reinforced that notion on today's program saying that the world was waiting for us to act, and that if we don't get directly involved in Syria that we're not leading.
The exhaustive nature of that responsibility is certainly wearing on the American people and it affects our economy at home, which makes it even more difficult to justify. That leaves us with arming the rebels, which could potentially restart the cycle once again. The lessons of 9-11 are rooted in the arming of Mujahideen rebels in Afghanistan in the 1980's, one of which was named Osama Bin Laden. As Mike Murphy assessed, 'Good guys might be hard to find' in Syria. Seems a little far-fetched, but is it? Congressman Peter King (R-NY) said that the rebels were, to a degree, under the influence of Al Qaeda; he implied with his tone that it's 'most' of the rebels but that is not the case. But, he seems to think it's within the realm of possibility.
The twisted ideology created by Bin Laden, after getting his start through us, touched down again in Boston. Let it be said that Osama Bin Laden done far more harm to Islam than good, in fact no good because he cemented a false association between Islam and extreme violence. Exhibit 'A' is Congressman King sitting next to his Congressional colleague, Keith Ellison (D-MN), a Muslim, and saying that the Muslim community is the problem, with Mr. Ellison trying to reason him away from that to no avail. And Mr. King does have it wrong. Two words - Timothy McVeigh. Instead of targeting, hence alienating, the Muslim community, public officials and lawyer enforcement should work with the community and build more trust. That's how the recent terror suspects in Canada were apprehended - someone from the community, an Imam, alerted the authorities. Mr. King said that we can not be taken over by political correctness, but by the same token we can not be taken over by bigotry and hatred. And it has to be noted that the last thing that Congressman King said today was that work of FBI to follow up on initial leads and any subsequent investigation of Tamerlan Tsarnaev was an 'absolute failure,' a very significant assertion that I'm sure we'll be discussing more in future columns.
They did mention that the mother is under investigation as she may be the one responsible for radicalizing her two sons. That speaks to such self-hatred, the kind so intense that someone is willing to essentially sacrifice her own offspring. The successful end result of all this is the 'perversion of Islam' as Tony Blair called it.
We could go on, but that brings us to a key historical figure in all of this, President George W. Bush, whose library was dedicated this week at Southern Methodist University and whose legacy is once again being debated. Mike Murphy said that there were a lot of little mistakes, but that he got the big decisions right. We'd amend that to say that he made a lot of little mistakes that lead to the wrong decisions in big moments. Instead of going on ad nauseam about a legacy that 'history hasn't finished writing yet' we'll just make these few observations.
During the dedication of the library where five living presidents spoke, there was not one mention of the Iraq War, and as David Gregory pointed out, the Iraq War is exhibited in the library only as a part of the larger war on terror. That does a distinct disservice to all the U.S. service personnel who fought and died there. We're still deeply involved in foreign combat that Mr. Bush initiated, and for here at home... You know the story... Upon his leaving office, the economy collapsed creating the worst crisis since the Great Depression. That accounts for a lot, wouldn't you agree?
When commentators, reporters, and presidents say that if you know George Bush personally, it's impossible not to like him. We don't doubt it. If all those people say he's a man of compassion (think: immigration reform) and integrity (combating HIV/AIDS in Africa) then we take their word for it because they would know. What we know is that the same can not be said for construction crew that built that library: Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft, Scooter Libby, Henry Paulson, Alberto Gonzalez, Condoleeza Rice, and Paul Wolfowitz to name a few.
Round Table: Sen.
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), GOP strategist Mike
Murphy, NBC’s Chuck Todd, and former counselor to the president, once
described as “the most influential woman ever to serve an American
president, Karen Hughes.
Additional Guests: Rep. Peter King (R-NY), who serves on both the intelligence and homeland
security committees in the House, and Minnesota Democratic Congressman
Keith Ellison.
Aside: We thought the White House Correspondents Dinner last night
was entertaining. (Conan was good but there was something odd about
his delivery from the podium that struck us as not so funny.) The only issue we had was with the Twitter hashtag 'nerdprom.' Really? If anything the hash tag should have been 'command and control.' The most powerful people in government, media, business, and entertainment all in one room is not a 'nerd prom.' Give us a break...
For the record, the definition of a nerd rests somewhere within the context
of sitting at home on a Saturday night watching CSPAN online.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
4.21.13: One Week in America
One week in America can seem like a long time, can it not? First and foremost, it should be noted that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said he was not concerned with any other imminent threat to the area, which he wouldn't have said if it weren't the case. A relief to say the least. Mr. Patrick has been steady throughout the crisis and knew when to get out of the way, commending the agencies and letting them do their work, "building the case from the facts up," he said. His checked ego is the kind of leadership that was needed and which the city of Boston received. The governor also mentioned how well the various agencies worked together and if you watched the coverage, you would certainly get that impression. It really indicated that we have in fact learned our lessons from past experience.
Past experience has also shown us that we need to be patient in getting all the answers to the infinite amount of questions as to why these two young men, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarvaev, allegedly (with 99% certainty) did this. The reason we phrase it that way is because David Gregory asked the question of the public officials on today's program, getting them on record, as to whether they believed that Dzhokhar Tsarvaev should be tried as a civilian in a municipal court or as an enemy combatant through a military tribunal. This is an important decision on how we get those answers.
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), along with Liz Cheney for example, are now calling for the military tribunal, which we'll go on record as saying is completely misguided. Their judgement needs to be questioned anyhow for reasons we'll obviously get to later. One the other hand, maybe Governor Patrick deferred a little too much when he answered the question by saying that he'd let the Attorney General, Eric Holder, make that call though pointing out the man's American citizenship. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) stated he was for a civilian trial - for the record. All the ugly details of the 'why' need to be vetted in the open and the American people will not get that with a military tribunal where much of the testimony could be deemed classified. If we tried this individual in a military tribunal, it would go against who we are as Americans. And are these tribunal advocates afraid that the civilian courts may trip up and let him go free on some technicality? Please. We can not understate the importance of representatives of the community, his peers, looking him in the face as the facts come out. That's Americanism.
Tragically, these killers rejected that concept and the actual freedom that this country provided for them, which leads us to the discussion of the 'radicalization' of these young men. We'll learn more about this in the coming months, but we do have a little bit of back story to share from today's program. First, Governor Patrick described the video tape of the younger brother calmly watching the first bombing then dropping his backpack as chilling. But then he told us Tsarnaev was seen at the UMass-Dartmouth campus the next day - simply frightening. NBC's Pete Williams, the consensus sole best source for accurate information on the Boston bombing, reported that the father said that the now-deceased son, Tamerlan, was visiting him in Russia. (From what we've read and heard about the father, he would be considered what you'd call an uncooperative or hostile witness.)
However, we also know that the FBI, on what Congressman Rogers called information about this individual's radicalization from a 'foreign service,' interviewed Tamerlan Tsarnaev prior to this visit. The news that Mr. Rogers made for us was that the FBI could not follow up after the initial interview because said 'foreign service' stopped cooperating with us so the case was close. One can only deduce that this 'foreign service' was Russia. So when Congressman Rogers, who was an FBI agent, defends the agency, ultimately it's legitimate because the FBI as an agency can only go so far investigating an American citizen as former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff pointed out. With that said, it sounds as though from that point, frankly, the FBI would have (should have) handed it over to the N.S.A. Mr. Chernoff also explained that the security strategies that were put in place after September 11, 2001 have worked prior to and during this event and would not need to be majorly adjusted, which is reassuring to an extent. He also said that they have been prepared for something like this for some time as numerous past attempts have illustrated.
We'll all have to be prepared from now on. We can no longer afford to have the 'not until it happens to me' mentality to understand and hopefully prevent such events going forward.
It's easy to point fingers of course or take passive aggressive pot shots like the one from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who said that our security efforts had become complacent. However, that kind of finger pointing is going in the wrong direction and the only way it should be toward is the perpetrators.
Mr. Gregory properly steered today's discussion away from too much speculation as to the motivations of these individuals. Only time will tell and we have to 'respect the process,' as Governor Patrick phrased it. However, in considering the evident radicalization of Tamerlan Tsarnaev given his documented trip to Russia, it is important to note the causes of ongoing Islamic rage toward the United States as NBC's Tom Brokaw did. And if that rage is focused through the lens at the end of a smart bomb from a predator drone, then what we saw transpire in Boston this week will sadly repeat itself in another American city.
This leaves us with the political implications that will come into play. When Mr. Greogory asked Senator Durbin about how Boston may affect Immigration Reform for instance, he responded by saying that if Congress does nothing, holding up the bill because of this week's events, we'll be less safe. There is no reason not to move forward on the bill. To the larger political point, it's ironic that some of our public officials, who tell Americans not to live in fear, cast votes that reek of it. Unfortunately, Monday wasn't the only sad day we experienced.
Wednesday, the Senate voted down a bill that would have required expanded background checks for gun purchases, something the ninety percent of the American people support. Why? Out of fear that they would face a primary and possibly loss re-election if they voted in opposition of an NRA-led effort to impede additional gun-safety measures, the bill went down in defeat. The families of Newtown, Connecticut looked on as 46 senators, one by one, let them and parents around the country down. The president described it as a 'shameful day' in America. With acts of bravery being illustrated moment to moment on television from within a major America city, our U.S. Senate was blind to the example and acted cowardly.
Columnist Peggy Noonan gave a nuanced [read: vague] answer as to why the Senate acts the way it does. As is her way, she blamed the president for the failures of that chamber saying that he did not have command of the levers of power. But slightly out of character, presidential historian Doris Kearns-Goodwin was having none of it, calling out the monied interests that rule the chamber at present and the 60-vote threshold that is required to pass legislation. [The filibuster rule in the Senator is in desperate need of reformation.] Will these spineless Senators reconsider their votes if it is found out that the Boston perpetrators bought guns illegally or without a background check? We would seriously doubt it. (There's a little bit of speculation.)
Like we said, it was a long week for America (that will not end any time soon) topped off with a fertilizer plant exploding in West, Texas claiming 14 dead so far, scores of people injured, and part of an entire community decimated. The regretful commentary that instantly comes to mind is about how safety precautions were probably not taken and regulations not followed, but we hope that's not the case. We witnessed too much actual terror, fear, death, and destruction play out this week, even for a country said to be anesthetized to it. The American people will have to lead our Congress in opening up the conversation about these root causes to make changes. It can not wait anymore. We're exhausted.
In the meantime, the thought to try to keep in mind is of the people in great city of Boston. On a day where they were celebrating our country's original act of patriotism, they showed us through bravery, selflessness, community, and togetherness what that idea is all about.
Round Table: Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff; The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg; NBC's Tom Brokaw; historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan.
Past experience has also shown us that we need to be patient in getting all the answers to the infinite amount of questions as to why these two young men, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarvaev, allegedly (with 99% certainty) did this. The reason we phrase it that way is because David Gregory asked the question of the public officials on today's program, getting them on record, as to whether they believed that Dzhokhar Tsarvaev should be tried as a civilian in a municipal court or as an enemy combatant through a military tribunal. This is an important decision on how we get those answers.
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), along with Liz Cheney for example, are now calling for the military tribunal, which we'll go on record as saying is completely misguided. Their judgement needs to be questioned anyhow for reasons we'll obviously get to later. One the other hand, maybe Governor Patrick deferred a little too much when he answered the question by saying that he'd let the Attorney General, Eric Holder, make that call though pointing out the man's American citizenship. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) stated he was for a civilian trial - for the record. All the ugly details of the 'why' need to be vetted in the open and the American people will not get that with a military tribunal where much of the testimony could be deemed classified. If we tried this individual in a military tribunal, it would go against who we are as Americans. And are these tribunal advocates afraid that the civilian courts may trip up and let him go free on some technicality? Please. We can not understate the importance of representatives of the community, his peers, looking him in the face as the facts come out. That's Americanism.
Tragically, these killers rejected that concept and the actual freedom that this country provided for them, which leads us to the discussion of the 'radicalization' of these young men. We'll learn more about this in the coming months, but we do have a little bit of back story to share from today's program. First, Governor Patrick described the video tape of the younger brother calmly watching the first bombing then dropping his backpack as chilling. But then he told us Tsarnaev was seen at the UMass-Dartmouth campus the next day - simply frightening. NBC's Pete Williams, the consensus sole best source for accurate information on the Boston bombing, reported that the father said that the now-deceased son, Tamerlan, was visiting him in Russia. (From what we've read and heard about the father, he would be considered what you'd call an uncooperative or hostile witness.)
However, we also know that the FBI, on what Congressman Rogers called information about this individual's radicalization from a 'foreign service,' interviewed Tamerlan Tsarnaev prior to this visit. The news that Mr. Rogers made for us was that the FBI could not follow up after the initial interview because said 'foreign service' stopped cooperating with us so the case was close. One can only deduce that this 'foreign service' was Russia. So when Congressman Rogers, who was an FBI agent, defends the agency, ultimately it's legitimate because the FBI as an agency can only go so far investigating an American citizen as former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff pointed out. With that said, it sounds as though from that point, frankly, the FBI would have (should have) handed it over to the N.S.A. Mr. Chernoff also explained that the security strategies that were put in place after September 11, 2001 have worked prior to and during this event and would not need to be majorly adjusted, which is reassuring to an extent. He also said that they have been prepared for something like this for some time as numerous past attempts have illustrated.
We'll all have to be prepared from now on. We can no longer afford to have the 'not until it happens to me' mentality to understand and hopefully prevent such events going forward.
It's easy to point fingers of course or take passive aggressive pot shots like the one from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who said that our security efforts had become complacent. However, that kind of finger pointing is going in the wrong direction and the only way it should be toward is the perpetrators.
Mr. Gregory properly steered today's discussion away from too much speculation as to the motivations of these individuals. Only time will tell and we have to 'respect the process,' as Governor Patrick phrased it. However, in considering the evident radicalization of Tamerlan Tsarnaev given his documented trip to Russia, it is important to note the causes of ongoing Islamic rage toward the United States as NBC's Tom Brokaw did. And if that rage is focused through the lens at the end of a smart bomb from a predator drone, then what we saw transpire in Boston this week will sadly repeat itself in another American city.
This leaves us with the political implications that will come into play. When Mr. Greogory asked Senator Durbin about how Boston may affect Immigration Reform for instance, he responded by saying that if Congress does nothing, holding up the bill because of this week's events, we'll be less safe. There is no reason not to move forward on the bill. To the larger political point, it's ironic that some of our public officials, who tell Americans not to live in fear, cast votes that reek of it. Unfortunately, Monday wasn't the only sad day we experienced.
Wednesday, the Senate voted down a bill that would have required expanded background checks for gun purchases, something the ninety percent of the American people support. Why? Out of fear that they would face a primary and possibly loss re-election if they voted in opposition of an NRA-led effort to impede additional gun-safety measures, the bill went down in defeat. The families of Newtown, Connecticut looked on as 46 senators, one by one, let them and parents around the country down. The president described it as a 'shameful day' in America. With acts of bravery being illustrated moment to moment on television from within a major America city, our U.S. Senate was blind to the example and acted cowardly.
Columnist Peggy Noonan gave a nuanced [read: vague] answer as to why the Senate acts the way it does. As is her way, she blamed the president for the failures of that chamber saying that he did not have command of the levers of power. But slightly out of character, presidential historian Doris Kearns-Goodwin was having none of it, calling out the monied interests that rule the chamber at present and the 60-vote threshold that is required to pass legislation. [The filibuster rule in the Senator is in desperate need of reformation.] Will these spineless Senators reconsider their votes if it is found out that the Boston perpetrators bought guns illegally or without a background check? We would seriously doubt it. (There's a little bit of speculation.)
Like we said, it was a long week for America (that will not end any time soon) topped off with a fertilizer plant exploding in West, Texas claiming 14 dead so far, scores of people injured, and part of an entire community decimated. The regretful commentary that instantly comes to mind is about how safety precautions were probably not taken and regulations not followed, but we hope that's not the case. We witnessed too much actual terror, fear, death, and destruction play out this week, even for a country said to be anesthetized to it. The American people will have to lead our Congress in opening up the conversation about these root causes to make changes. It can not wait anymore. We're exhausted.
In the meantime, the thought to try to keep in mind is of the people in great city of Boston. On a day where they were celebrating our country's original act of patriotism, they showed us through bravery, selflessness, community, and togetherness what that idea is all about.
Round Table: Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff; The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg; NBC's Tom Brokaw; historian Doris Kearns Goodwin; Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
4.14.13: Defining Heroes - Senator Marco Rubio Interview
The political media noted this week that Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) would be making the rounds on seven talk shows this week to discuss immigration reform. Well, we don't know what he said on all those others shows but what he said today on Meet The Press today was actually quite startling. First, he said that once the bill is finished being drafted, he'll be able to speak more about the details so we're not getting anything there. However, in the meantime, David Gregory pressed him on a statement the Senator made in the past, which was that if you had come here illegally, but want legal status you'll have to leave the country and then come back. Mr. Rubio backed away from that explaining that immigrants without legal status could stay here but they would have to pay many penalties and fines, along with additional costs to obtain applications for legal status then wait 10 years or so. He summed it up by saying that it was probably cheaper for some one to leave then try to come back than it was to stay here.
Huh? So what he is proposing is that we're going to make it so financially hard on someone to accomplish his citizenship goal that he'll just have to leave? That sounds like you're pushing for self-deportation to us. Where is the compassion or responsibility or principle in that?
Not to mention that his statement doesn't consider a motivation beyond monetary to come here and that is to escape persecution in the country of origin. We may get a little flack for this, but you know who all of this doesn't affect? Cubans. Because of our relations (or lack thereof) with that country, Cubans defect or seek political asylum, they don't go through the immigration system like everyone else. We're not saying that it is wrong to do that given the oppression in Cuba, but other large groups of immigrants, Mexicans for example, can not claim that. Although considering the violent narco-state that is Mexico now, they should be able to.
People immigrate to the United States for a better life, something we all concede because it's true. By extension, one could reason that Mexican immigrants bring their kids here for a better life, but infants are not aware of their circumstances so why not afford those children the Dream Act opportunity? We're kind of big on this here at The Opinion because if you are someone who has been here for most all your life then you're willing to fight and die for this country or become indebted to us by successfully graduating from college then you've earned your citizenship. We'd even go one step further... If you're kid successfully navigates the already daunting steps of the Dream Act, then the parents should be able to apply for citizenship, keeping the family together. However, Republicans view the Dream Act as a pathway to citizenship, which they say is amnesty, which is hence a deal breaker - as Mr. Rubio noted.
New York Times columnist David Brooks had the nerve to say that Marco Rubio was a hero for his efforts on immigration, 'standing up' to his party. 'Acts of heroism' he called them. On a day where they featured Rachel Robinson, wife of a real American hero Jackie Robinson, you put Marco Rubio in the same category? Give us a break. Mr. Rubio said that he doesn't get paid to make speeches but to solve problems. Well, he should tell that to his Senate colleague Mike Lee (R-UT) who said that he wanted a step-by-step approach to immigration where we address boarder security first and then look for other points of reform. As of this writing, boarder security in the United States has never been stricter, we have a net-zero amount on illegal crossings, and President Obama in his first four years has deported more individuals than George Bush did in his two terms so it's time to move on the rest.
And speaking of getting paid to solve problems, how does that work when you are the problem as Mr. Rubio is on gun safety legislation with his unsuccessful threat to filibuster even debating the issue? In addition to that, Mr. Rubio said that the Second Amendment is a constitutional right that he didn't write, hence he can not change it. We rarely do this but we're going to reference the Founding Fathers in that they called these points of the Constitution amendments for a reason... so that they could be amended, meaning changed. Today's political delusion is that the 'sacred' Constitution can not be changed so we'll get away from that because it's a fruitless discussion.
More in the parlance of our time, Mr. Rubio said that violence in our society is the problem and not guns. What is left out of that equation is that guns perpetuate the violence. Mr. Lee stated that the Manchin-Toomey Bill infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens because of expanding background checks to say gun shows. We just don't understand how that is more of an infringement than a simply safety measure. Also, if the gun laws we have right now are ineffective as Mr. Rubio said, isn't that reason enough to try to make them more effective. We do owe it to the families of Newtown and all the other American families that have fallen victim to such tragedies to do something, no block the process with a filibuster. There's no heroism in that.
We agree with everything Ken Burns said about Jackie Robinson and his mountainous significance in American history. Mrs. Robinson explained that her husband understood the responsibility heaped upon him, which she said made him act and speak carefully with patience, and always with dignity. And after an illustrious baseball career that saw him and his family under constant threat, when Jackie Robinson was asked by Lawrence Spivak on this very program in 1957 about patience with regard to equal rights, he calmly, heroically answered that the Civil War had been over for 93 years, and that "If that isn't patience I don't know what is."
Mrs. Robinson also said that she hoped that many people would go and see the film '42' about her late husband opening this weekend so that they would have perspective on history to make comparisons between then and now. Like the difference between then and now on how we define a hero.
One last thing... We were pretty hard on Senator Rubio today and we make no apologies for that, but we also wanted to point out something we agree with him on. Mr. Rubio said that Che Guevara was a murderer and a killer, and he is correct in that assessment. Che did great things but great doesn't always mean good. If you read Jon Lee Anderson's definitive biography of Che Guervara, you will know without uncertainty that this was not a man to be revered. The admiration Che receives, even in death, from people from afar came at the expense of a country's populace who lived in fear, hardship, and potentially death under his order.
Round Table: Senators Gillibrand and Lee join a discussion with the BBC’s Katty Kay, New York Times Columnist David Brooks, and NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd
Additional Guests: Filmmaker Ken Burns and Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel Robinson and Harrison Ford (via Press Pass)
Huh? So what he is proposing is that we're going to make it so financially hard on someone to accomplish his citizenship goal that he'll just have to leave? That sounds like you're pushing for self-deportation to us. Where is the compassion or responsibility or principle in that?
Not to mention that his statement doesn't consider a motivation beyond monetary to come here and that is to escape persecution in the country of origin. We may get a little flack for this, but you know who all of this doesn't affect? Cubans. Because of our relations (or lack thereof) with that country, Cubans defect or seek political asylum, they don't go through the immigration system like everyone else. We're not saying that it is wrong to do that given the oppression in Cuba, but other large groups of immigrants, Mexicans for example, can not claim that. Although considering the violent narco-state that is Mexico now, they should be able to.
People immigrate to the United States for a better life, something we all concede because it's true. By extension, one could reason that Mexican immigrants bring their kids here for a better life, but infants are not aware of their circumstances so why not afford those children the Dream Act opportunity? We're kind of big on this here at The Opinion because if you are someone who has been here for most all your life then you're willing to fight and die for this country or become indebted to us by successfully graduating from college then you've earned your citizenship. We'd even go one step further... If you're kid successfully navigates the already daunting steps of the Dream Act, then the parents should be able to apply for citizenship, keeping the family together. However, Republicans view the Dream Act as a pathway to citizenship, which they say is amnesty, which is hence a deal breaker - as Mr. Rubio noted.
New York Times columnist David Brooks had the nerve to say that Marco Rubio was a hero for his efforts on immigration, 'standing up' to his party. 'Acts of heroism' he called them. On a day where they featured Rachel Robinson, wife of a real American hero Jackie Robinson, you put Marco Rubio in the same category? Give us a break. Mr. Rubio said that he doesn't get paid to make speeches but to solve problems. Well, he should tell that to his Senate colleague Mike Lee (R-UT) who said that he wanted a step-by-step approach to immigration where we address boarder security first and then look for other points of reform. As of this writing, boarder security in the United States has never been stricter, we have a net-zero amount on illegal crossings, and President Obama in his first four years has deported more individuals than George Bush did in his two terms so it's time to move on the rest.
And speaking of getting paid to solve problems, how does that work when you are the problem as Mr. Rubio is on gun safety legislation with his unsuccessful threat to filibuster even debating the issue? In addition to that, Mr. Rubio said that the Second Amendment is a constitutional right that he didn't write, hence he can not change it. We rarely do this but we're going to reference the Founding Fathers in that they called these points of the Constitution amendments for a reason... so that they could be amended, meaning changed. Today's political delusion is that the 'sacred' Constitution can not be changed so we'll get away from that because it's a fruitless discussion.
More in the parlance of our time, Mr. Rubio said that violence in our society is the problem and not guns. What is left out of that equation is that guns perpetuate the violence. Mr. Lee stated that the Manchin-Toomey Bill infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens because of expanding background checks to say gun shows. We just don't understand how that is more of an infringement than a simply safety measure. Also, if the gun laws we have right now are ineffective as Mr. Rubio said, isn't that reason enough to try to make them more effective. We do owe it to the families of Newtown and all the other American families that have fallen victim to such tragedies to do something, no block the process with a filibuster. There's no heroism in that.
We agree with everything Ken Burns said about Jackie Robinson and his mountainous significance in American history. Mrs. Robinson explained that her husband understood the responsibility heaped upon him, which she said made him act and speak carefully with patience, and always with dignity. And after an illustrious baseball career that saw him and his family under constant threat, when Jackie Robinson was asked by Lawrence Spivak on this very program in 1957 about patience with regard to equal rights, he calmly, heroically answered that the Civil War had been over for 93 years, and that "If that isn't patience I don't know what is."
Mrs. Robinson also said that she hoped that many people would go and see the film '42' about her late husband opening this weekend so that they would have perspective on history to make comparisons between then and now. Like the difference between then and now on how we define a hero.
One last thing... We were pretty hard on Senator Rubio today and we make no apologies for that, but we also wanted to point out something we agree with him on. Mr. Rubio said that Che Guevara was a murderer and a killer, and he is correct in that assessment. Che did great things but great doesn't always mean good. If you read Jon Lee Anderson's definitive biography of Che Guervara, you will know without uncertainty that this was not a man to be revered. The admiration Che receives, even in death, from people from afar came at the expense of a country's populace who lived in fear, hardship, and potentially death under his order.
Round Table: Senators Gillibrand and Lee join a discussion with the BBC’s Katty Kay, New York Times Columnist David Brooks, and NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd
Additional Guests: Filmmaker Ken Burns and Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel Robinson and Harrison Ford (via Press Pass)
Sunday, April 07, 2013
4.7.13: The Humility and the Humanity
We will acquire guns and weapons that are large enough to deter a tyrannical government. Now, we're not taking about extreme gun nuts in this country, but the sentiment of the unhinged young new deity in North Korea, Kim Jong Un. However, we think you see the point we're making (on the sad gun commentary in this country). Our second thought was actually one of consolation because when you start listening to conversations about North Korea, it makes our politicians seem much more in the wheelhouse of sanity, where we would put Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on this issue. However, he did have some tough words today: namely, that he could see a major war happening if there is a provocation by the North on South Korea. He said it as though it was an inevitability, which is a little troublesome... always.
Mr. Graham pointed out that the politics in South Korea are changing, and it is true that South Korea's first female president (we'll obviously get to more on this dynamic later) Park Geun-hye is taking a harder line with North Korea and will not be so appeasing as her predecessor. The way that Mr. Graham summed it up was that the North loses, the South wins, with 'our' help (a Southern politician's dream... we're just kidding).
But in all seriousness, what we are witnessing is the utter stupidity of a regime that is going to facilitate its own demise, along with its people. The importance of South Korea and Japan as allies to the United States are understated here at home, but they shouldn't be. We need to have the back of both of those countries. The Obama Administration understands this, as Michele Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense policy, outlined - sending B2 bombers to the region, working on different military defense scenarios with South Korea, and stepping up diplomacy. Senator Graham refreshingly acknowledged this understanding, and should follow suit on other areas of foreign policy as well.
Diplomacy is the key as all the guests seemed to agree, though Senator Graham came off as having little use for it. His feeling seemed to be that North Korea being paranoid, irrational, and armed to the hilt will eventually do something stupid with their arms that will then require a take down. However, his dismissive tone is not without merit because diplomacy with North Korea never works. They sit down at the negotiating table, with China twisting its arm, give in to demands in exchange for economic and food aid, get it, and then renege on their end of the deal. The difference this time is that China is not stepping up. Maybe they will after Secretary Kerry's visit there later in the week, but right now the Chinese want to sit back and see how this plays out because what they're coming to realize is that North Korea as a viable state is unsustainable. The Chinese are propping up North Korea and they can't even use that country as a market for their goods, useless as a trading partner. They may be figuring that at this point at least a unified Korean peninsula could buy more of our stuff.
"What's the alternative [to diplomacy]?" Bill Richardson rhetorically asked. Well, the alternative is clear, and a scary, real possibility because the North has always thought the South wouldn't respond, but who knows now. Not to mention the 30,000 troops we have in the region. We can tell you that if Mexico, or even Canada, were to be occasionally sinking U.S. ships off our coast or firing shells or rifles off at the border, we would certainly feel we should react, don't you think? That's where South Korea is now. The scary part is if North Korea does something reckless with their nuclear arms. So many 'what ifs...,' and at this point the United States needs to do everything it can to avoid an armed conflict because the American electorate is simply worn out from war.
And our politicians are finally getting that message. Senator Graham's tone on Syria has changed. Initially, he and Senator John McCain, were all for fully taking sides and arming Syrian rebels. He's toned that back a bit, saying today that he supports training rebels with the assured understanding the UN Peace-Keeping troops can go in and secure the 17 chemical weapons sites, all meaning no U.S. troops. His main concern was that of Jordan and the fate of King Adullah, the United States' only Arab friend in the region (you can go back and forth with the Saudis). Yes, all that money, blood, and treasure has not gained us any friends there.
Speaking of friends, self-deportation wasn't gaining any for the Republican party and, rightly, Senator Graham said that this idea is a thing of the past. We just need to clarify, for the record, that it was never an idea of the present. With ideas like that, why would it surprise anyone that Mitt Romney (a good man Mr. Graham said today) didn't win the election. Recognizing the humility and the humanity in addition to the politics is the way that Bill Richardson described the approach that should be taken on immigration reform. Sensible to be sure, but when you hear Senator Graham say that the United States has to 'regain its sovereignty' you know that politics is still a first priority for many. In fact, may we say that the entire notion of the United States having lost its sovereignty in the first place is lazy, lowest-common denominator, shallow, xenophobic rhetoric.
Mr. Richardson and Mr. Graham did concur that there are a few sticking points between business and labor to be worked out in regard to a guest worker program - translated, this means that there are points on which the special interests will not be as profitable and those need to be fixed, but otherwise it's all good. One point Mr. Richardson made that caught our attention was that a path to citizenship needs to be achievable. And it really does. He explained that proposed framework would enforce a 13-year process, and that's way too long. All that says is that citizenship is dangling out there but that we really don't want you to have it. That timeline doesn't recognize the humility or the humanity.
For another point on the humility front, we agree with Jim Cramer that the most recent weak jobs report (88K last month) was due in large part to the president crying 'big' wolf about the humanity of the sequester and that CEOs took heed. There are definitely negative effects on our economy due to the sequester, hence our insertion of the word 'big' but not to the extent which the president warned, and we do maintain that the whole sequester episode was completely unnecessary, an illustration of politicians not doing their jobs.
Where our leaders need to make a decision is on the Keystone Pipeline - just take it off the table. Mr. Cramer explained that in the last four years the biggest producers of jobs are companies in the oil and gas industries, and with that in mind you have to ask yourself does the necessity of today (60,000 jobs) outweigh the damage this pipeline could cause (probably will cause) in the future? The way commentators, pundits, and politicians speak about this pipeline, you would think it will be the panacea for our high unemployment, which simply isn't the case, but its advocates are framing it that way. That said the job participation rate is at a historic low should be a grave concern - people need hope.
Lastly, we're staying away from Presidential politics right now but, obviously, we have to comment on today's discussion about the prospect of a Hillary Clinton campaign. We'll say this: we agree with Mr. Richardson that she is 100% running; we agree with Andrea Mitchell that it is about time we had a woman as our president (She didn't explicitly say that but it exudes from her person.); and we agree with Mike Murphy that we'll have to re-litigate the past. What wasn't said is that Mrs. Clinton is in fact the most qualified person to be the next president amongst Democrats and Republicans, like it or not.
Round Table: Fmr. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), GOP strategist Mike Murphy; Politico’s Maggie Haberman; and NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Andrea Mitchell
Additional Guests: Michele Flournoy who served as undersecretary of defense policy under President Obama from 2009-2012. CNBC's Jim Cramer
Mr. Graham pointed out that the politics in South Korea are changing, and it is true that South Korea's first female president (we'll obviously get to more on this dynamic later) Park Geun-hye is taking a harder line with North Korea and will not be so appeasing as her predecessor. The way that Mr. Graham summed it up was that the North loses, the South wins, with 'our' help (a Southern politician's dream... we're just kidding).
But in all seriousness, what we are witnessing is the utter stupidity of a regime that is going to facilitate its own demise, along with its people. The importance of South Korea and Japan as allies to the United States are understated here at home, but they shouldn't be. We need to have the back of both of those countries. The Obama Administration understands this, as Michele Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense policy, outlined - sending B2 bombers to the region, working on different military defense scenarios with South Korea, and stepping up diplomacy. Senator Graham refreshingly acknowledged this understanding, and should follow suit on other areas of foreign policy as well.
Diplomacy is the key as all the guests seemed to agree, though Senator Graham came off as having little use for it. His feeling seemed to be that North Korea being paranoid, irrational, and armed to the hilt will eventually do something stupid with their arms that will then require a take down. However, his dismissive tone is not without merit because diplomacy with North Korea never works. They sit down at the negotiating table, with China twisting its arm, give in to demands in exchange for economic and food aid, get it, and then renege on their end of the deal. The difference this time is that China is not stepping up. Maybe they will after Secretary Kerry's visit there later in the week, but right now the Chinese want to sit back and see how this plays out because what they're coming to realize is that North Korea as a viable state is unsustainable. The Chinese are propping up North Korea and they can't even use that country as a market for their goods, useless as a trading partner. They may be figuring that at this point at least a unified Korean peninsula could buy more of our stuff.
"What's the alternative [to diplomacy]?" Bill Richardson rhetorically asked. Well, the alternative is clear, and a scary, real possibility because the North has always thought the South wouldn't respond, but who knows now. Not to mention the 30,000 troops we have in the region. We can tell you that if Mexico, or even Canada, were to be occasionally sinking U.S. ships off our coast or firing shells or rifles off at the border, we would certainly feel we should react, don't you think? That's where South Korea is now. The scary part is if North Korea does something reckless with their nuclear arms. So many 'what ifs...,' and at this point the United States needs to do everything it can to avoid an armed conflict because the American electorate is simply worn out from war.
And our politicians are finally getting that message. Senator Graham's tone on Syria has changed. Initially, he and Senator John McCain, were all for fully taking sides and arming Syrian rebels. He's toned that back a bit, saying today that he supports training rebels with the assured understanding the UN Peace-Keeping troops can go in and secure the 17 chemical weapons sites, all meaning no U.S. troops. His main concern was that of Jordan and the fate of King Adullah, the United States' only Arab friend in the region (you can go back and forth with the Saudis). Yes, all that money, blood, and treasure has not gained us any friends there.
Speaking of friends, self-deportation wasn't gaining any for the Republican party and, rightly, Senator Graham said that this idea is a thing of the past. We just need to clarify, for the record, that it was never an idea of the present. With ideas like that, why would it surprise anyone that Mitt Romney (a good man Mr. Graham said today) didn't win the election. Recognizing the humility and the humanity in addition to the politics is the way that Bill Richardson described the approach that should be taken on immigration reform. Sensible to be sure, but when you hear Senator Graham say that the United States has to 'regain its sovereignty' you know that politics is still a first priority for many. In fact, may we say that the entire notion of the United States having lost its sovereignty in the first place is lazy, lowest-common denominator, shallow, xenophobic rhetoric.
Mr. Richardson and Mr. Graham did concur that there are a few sticking points between business and labor to be worked out in regard to a guest worker program - translated, this means that there are points on which the special interests will not be as profitable and those need to be fixed, but otherwise it's all good. One point Mr. Richardson made that caught our attention was that a path to citizenship needs to be achievable. And it really does. He explained that proposed framework would enforce a 13-year process, and that's way too long. All that says is that citizenship is dangling out there but that we really don't want you to have it. That timeline doesn't recognize the humility or the humanity.
For another point on the humility front, we agree with Jim Cramer that the most recent weak jobs report (88K last month) was due in large part to the president crying 'big' wolf about the humanity of the sequester and that CEOs took heed. There are definitely negative effects on our economy due to the sequester, hence our insertion of the word 'big' but not to the extent which the president warned, and we do maintain that the whole sequester episode was completely unnecessary, an illustration of politicians not doing their jobs.
Where our leaders need to make a decision is on the Keystone Pipeline - just take it off the table. Mr. Cramer explained that in the last four years the biggest producers of jobs are companies in the oil and gas industries, and with that in mind you have to ask yourself does the necessity of today (60,000 jobs) outweigh the damage this pipeline could cause (probably will cause) in the future? The way commentators, pundits, and politicians speak about this pipeline, you would think it will be the panacea for our high unemployment, which simply isn't the case, but its advocates are framing it that way. That said the job participation rate is at a historic low should be a grave concern - people need hope.
Lastly, we're staying away from Presidential politics right now but, obviously, we have to comment on today's discussion about the prospect of a Hillary Clinton campaign. We'll say this: we agree with Mr. Richardson that she is 100% running; we agree with Andrea Mitchell that it is about time we had a woman as our president (She didn't explicitly say that but it exudes from her person.); and we agree with Mike Murphy that we'll have to re-litigate the past. What wasn't said is that Mrs. Clinton is in fact the most qualified person to be the next president amongst Democrats and Republicans, like it or not.
Round Table: Fmr. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), GOP strategist Mike Murphy; Politico’s Maggie Haberman; and NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Andrea Mitchell
Additional Guests: Michele Flournoy who served as undersecretary of defense policy under President Obama from 2009-2012. CNBC's Jim Cramer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)