One of our pet peeves is when people, especially in the press, use the phrase, "the devil is in the details." Our contention is that, "No! the devil is NOT in the details, the information is in details." (However, if you're Carly Fiorina, it's a case of the lack thereof.)
And within the details of what Dr. Carson said in response to what he has written, the retired neurosurgeon said that he had better things to do beside being president. We'll be honest in saying that it upset us throughout the program until Marc Caputo from Politico recognized this statement toward the end of the program. Hugh Hewlitt was spot on to say that, "You have to want it," and that the martyr thing doesn't fly (our words).
We agree with Bernie Sanders that these personal embellishments (if that's what they actually are) Dr. Carson is making don't really matter that much. The squabbling between Ms. Maddow and Mr. Hewlitt over the West Point scholarship offers was superfluous. But the fact that he doesn't believe that human activity plays a role in climate change and that is naive thinking. He wants to do away with Medicare, he has said. So yes, in that respect Dr. Carson is, as he stated, a threat to the secular progressive 'movement,' as if that is some evil organization that should be feared. He also said the 'personal' attacks on him go beyond anything seen by other candidates, even beyond the attacks about President Obama's birth certificate, which is simply ridiculous. But what does he expect? He has no record of voting, of taking positions, and is running on his biography so the press will ask him about it.
Speaking of asking questions, we like PBS's Gwen Ifil like the forum-type format for engaging with the candidates, but what could have been truly insightful became an infomercial for the Democratic candidates. And for the Republican side, the 'offense' that the candidates take at a question that contends with something they've said, like a 10 percent tax on everyone not adding up in terms of not exploding the deficit, candidates become 'offended.' Give us a break, this isn't a game show and we're not low-information voters hence requiring detailed information, taking nothing on faith which is how Dr. Carson would prefer us to take it.
And speaking of detailed plans, Ms. Fiorina has a lot of nerve in saying that she's not going to put any of her positions down on paper, that the written word is no more important than what she says. Sound bites are not the equivalent of a well thought out, detailed written plan.
Also, it's a matter of sourcing. The press could transcribe what she says as Rachel Maddow suggested but that leaves room for bucking responsibility for what you say. Anything less than a detailed written statement on a position is simply not serious and reflects disqualifying silly political games. Ms. Fiorina, Americans want it in writing... with your name signed to it.
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We agree with Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) that the United States needs to have a joint strategy with Russia to combat ISIS, or ISIL as she referred to it, but how that would play out just makes the imagination run wild. And you can believe that it when Senator Feinstein says that there is a "strong probably" that it was indeed a bomb that downed that Russian passenger jet in Egypt. If the Islamic State is in fact as described, a state, then they have committed an act of war against Russia.
The FBI is on the ground investigating and if they conclude the cause to be a bomb then Russia will have a big choice to make, and unfortunately as you can deduce from the Senator's statements that we'll be a big factor in that decision. If the U.S. and Russia were to have a joint strategy, maybe it plays out that the two nations work cooperatively; creating two fronts in which to combat ISIL; meeting in the middle in defeating them; splitting up influence in the region; eventually setting up fierce competition for power and influence in a vital region in the world.
Haven't we already lived that history? Or is our imagination just running wild?
Panel: Gwen Ifil, PBS News Hour; Rachel Maddow, MSNBC; Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Marc Caputo, Politico (Florida desk)
One more thing...
We owe a couple columns/opinions. We're on it, and thanks for reading!
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